FRIGID New York’s DAYS OF THE DEAD Festival Returns October 16–November 2

FRIGID New York will present its 4th Annual Days of the Dead Festival, running October 16–November 2, 2025, at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Pl, NYC), with select performances also available via livestream.

Curated by Resident Artistic Director Martha Lorena Preve in collaboration with Something from Abroad company members, the festival will feature plays, cabarets, and variety acts exploring themes of death, the afterlife, and Halloween. Tickets are $25 for in-person and $20 for streaming, available at frigid.nyc.

Days of the Dead draws inspiration from the Mexican holiday Día de Muertos, a tradition that welcomes the spirits of loved ones back to earth to share in family rituals, favorite foods, and community remembrance. This year’s lineup includes spooky short plays, cabaret, burlesque, horror classics, and immersive storytelling, with works ranging from the atmospheric One Man Poe (fresh from Edinburgh Fringe) to the celebratory A Night with the Dead Cabaret, complete with an altar, pan de muerto, and Mexican hot chocolate.

Highlights include:

• The Witching Hour (Oct. 16) – A new batch of bite-sized horror plays curated by Andrew Agress.

• One Man Poe (Oct. 17) – Stephen Smith performs four Edgar Allan Poe classics in a marathon of the macabre.

• The Death of Hottie Bop (Oct. 17) – The wild variety show ends with one final, un-sad funeral.

• A Night with the Dead Cabaret (Oct. 18) – A communal celebration of Día de los Muertos with music, poetry, and offerings.

• All Hallows Eve (Oct. 19–Nov. 2) – Michael Hagins twists the Halloween classic through a Shakespearean lens.

• Brokeneck Girls: The Murder Ballad Musical (Oct. 30) – An award-winning folk-noir concert mixing humor, true crime, and history.

• FRIGID Nightcap: Borderless Spirits (Oct. 31) – A defiant Halloween variety show fusing burlesque, clowning, music, and Día de los Muertos ritual.

Additional programming includes new works such as Señor Babyhead, Spooky Town, What Remains, Comediumship, and Phantoms of the Cabaret.

“Days of the Dead is both a celebration and a reflection,” said Preve. “It’s a chance for audiences from all backgrounds to gather, laugh, mourn, and honor our muertos together.”

Festival Schedule & Tickets