Gallery | Cactus Country’s Day of the Dead was worth dying for

author avatar
Engrossing: The risk of burns was quite high for FireLilly but she was not singed a bit. Photo by Gabriel Garcia
Light ’em up: Cactus Country’s highlight was a fire performance by dancer Jess Foster, aka FireLilly, that awed audiences. Photo by Gabriel Garcia

Cactus Country’s Day of the Dead festival, held on Saturday, November 4, was hailed a massive success by organisers.

The sold-out event was filled with music, dancing, food and fire as people from all age groups celebrated the traditional Mexican Day of the Dead festival.

Cactus Country communication officer John Hall was ecstatic about how the night went.

“It’s just amazing to see how many people are here,” Mr Hall said.

“Just everybody who I’ve talked to tonight said it feels like we’re not in Australia anymore. It really feels like we’re in another world.”

Gabriel from the Courier went along and took some photos.

Family fun: Valen, 8, and Esme Adnams, 6, enjoy a night out at the packed event. Photo by Gabriel Garcia
Memorial: In Mexican culture it is traditional to put up a display of deceased loved ones on the Day of the Dead. Photo by Gabriel Garcia
Happy workers: Cactus Country workers Sophie Bozon and Jim Petersson get into the spirit of the event. Photo by Gabriel Garcia
Traditional tunes: Music was performed by a mariachi band from Melbourne. Photo by Gabriel Garcia
Fire from below: FireLilly puts on a stunning performance of skill and daring. Photo by Gabriel Garcia