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2023 Entertainment & Activities

12th Annual Dia de Los Muertos Phoenix Festival

Celebrating         MIKIZTLI!

Sunday October 29th, 2023   |  Starting at 2:00 pm

More information coming soon!

 

Sign up to Volunteer!

 

 

 

 

  • Mask-making
  • Community Altar
  • Face Painting
  • Artists Mercado
  • Art Activities
  • La Procesión at Sunset
  • Hula Hooping
  • Barrio Bookmobile
  • Little Libray
  • We Paint Faces
  • Instrument Making
  • Print Making 
  • Instrument Petting Zoo

 

The Festival Mercado showcases some of the best local Latino artists and practitioners of Dia de los Muertos arts, including the Sagrado Gallery, Oaxaca Imports, and more.

Vendors- Las Catrinas, Oaxaca Imports, Edgar Fernandez, Las Curanderas, Sagrado Gallery, Woodland Wonderful, Ballet Folklorico Quetzalli, Community Altar, Chispa, Metzka, Monster Energy, La Pequeña Market, Patricia Silva, Irma Aven, Señorita Mad, Jimenez Gifts, Beautiful Mesoamerica, Azkatl Apparel

Food Vendors - Flavors Plant Based, Amigos, Harkins Popcorn, MoLo's, Paletas Betty, Elote Man, Tacos Caramba, Elias the Foodie, Sweet Island Dreams, El Pastorcito, Z'Potes

Sponsors/Information-JARS, AT & T, Arizona Justice Project, Latino Loud, Healthcare Rising, Banner Health, Raza Development, Young Center of Immigrant, Donor Network. Rights, League of Women Voters, Family Involvement Center, Phoenix Suns

 

 

 


 

 

Featuring

Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl will once again be ready to take flight, heading the procession at sunset.

La Llorona

An audience favorite, La Llorona will be in attendance. Children beware!

Las Flacas

Larger than life, the Flacas will be roaming the festival, looking for a willing dance partner.

You!

Together we'll celebrate our traditions and remember our loved ones who have moved into the afterlife.

FAQ

What is Dia de los Muertos?
Dia de los Muertos is a highly celebrated and significant family holiday throughout Mexico, Latin America and the Southwest. Dating back 3,000 years to the time of the Olmecs, it is a day when homage is paid to our ancestors with prayers, offerings of food, and the building of altars to the beloved departed. Each region has its unique style of celebration. In Arizona, the annual Dia de los Muertos is a Celebration of Life.

What should I bring to the festival?
Just bring your family, sun-protection,  a blanket or umbrella to make yourself comfortable on the grass. The festival admission is free, but you may also want to bring some cash since there will be a variety of food vendors and an Artist Mercado, selling their Dia de los Muertos themed creations.

What is La Procesión?
La Procesión is a celebratory procession in which the audience joins the performers in a candlelit, joyful burst of music, dance and remembrance. This audience favorite concludes with a minute of silence as the sun goes down in homage to those who have gone before us ~ our dearly departed.
How long have you been celebrating Día de los Muertos in Arizona?
For the past 33 years, the founding members of Cultural Coalition have been programming Dia de los Muertos activities in Maricopa County. We are proud to utilize the arts to reflect the unique Southwestern expression of this tradition. Our celebrations have taken place all over the Valley, but we hope the festival has found its permanent home in downtown Phoenix.
How can I be a part of the festival?
The festival is free and open to the public, so just come down with your family, enjoy the performances, and be a part of the art activities and La Procesión. If you're an Artist or a Vendor, you can apply to join the Mercado. And finally, if you're feeling like giving back to your community, you could become even more involved and check out our Volunteer Opportunities. No matter what, you're bound to have an enjoyable day surrounded by your fellow Phoenicians in an unforgettable celebration of our multicultural heritage and of life itself!

FESTIVAL QUESTIONS OR ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS?
 Contact Ami Rogers, Events Coordinator at mikiztli(at)culturalcoalition.com or call (480) 819-3452.

 

 

FAQpic

Location and Parking:

Parking is at a premium this year. You can skip the stress of parking by using the light rail (the Indian School stop is just a few steps away from the park), but if you absolutely must drive over, you will not be able to park near the festival grounds. parking is available in the other 3 parking lots and fills up fast (Click here for a map)

Festival Booths

Information for Artists and Vendors

2014-10-26-1045

As part of the festival, we are pleased to present an Artist Mercado featuring the work of local artists, all focused on Dia de Los Muertos theme. This is a curated event with only 15 artists allowed. All artist/vendors must submit examples of their artwork before being accepted.

Corporate entities wishing to participate download our Sponsorship Packet.

Select food vendors and community informational booths will also be present.

If you are an artist, a non profit organization, a community partner or a vendor interested in participating, please download an application and submit it to diadelosmuertosphx@gmail.com

Vendor Applications are open!

ARTIST APPLICATION

NON PROFIT/ BUSINESS APPLICATION FOOD VENDOR APPLICATION PAY YOUR VENDOR FEE VIA PAYPAL

Volunteer Opportunities

A fun way to participate in the festival while giving back to the community

2014-10-26-0133In our determination to keep the festival free and open to the public, we are enlisting the help of our community to support festival activities. Our dedicated volunteers from last year were busy but also had lots of fun and described it as a rewarding and extremely social experience. Please join us!

Check out our volunteer opportunities by downloading the PDF below. If you find a position that suits you, please email diadelosmuertosphx@gmail.com  with your contact info and your preferred volunteer opportunity.

Thank you for considering a volunteer position with us!

Sign up to Volunteer! SEE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

2022 Festival Sponsors

Our generous supporters

     AZcommission

In-Kind Support

JoseMunoz

Community Partners

 ElPuenteIdeaMuseumphoenixlibrary

Additional sponsorships are available.

SEE SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

Flight of Quetzalcoatl

The Dia de los Muertos Phx Festival is interactive, multi-generational, and participatory. Free and open to the public, all families are welcomed.  The festival aims to instill a sense of history, pride and knowledge about our multicultural roots to the community at large.

Presented by Cultural Coalition, the festival features hundreds of masked entertainers with performances in music, dance and theater to honor our ancestors and celebrate our heritage and traditions. A gathering of artists and families. Food available to purchase. Our creative modern adaptations of ancient customs such as La Mascarada,  La Visita, The Flight of Quetzalcoatl, and Las Coronas, promote our multicultural heritage while preserving our traditions.

The Dia de Los Muertos Phx Festival will take place at Steele Indian School Park (on 3rd Street and Indian School Rd) in Phoenix, AZ.  The Artists Mercado features some of Arizona's best local artists. There will also be food booths, kids arts activities and of course, and the traditional Candlelight Procesión. We also provide a Community Altar. Bring a picture (no originals) or memento to place on it. It is a memorable community event!

Cultural Coalition

CulturalCo2014

Cultural Coalition, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization since 1996 whose mission is to foster community engagement and provide unique cultural programs in Arizona.

Under the leadership of Zarco and Carmen Guerrero, the Coalition has been organizing Día de los Muertos programming and activities for over 30 years throughout the state. Our goal is to celebrate the Indo-Latino community with a culturally relevant, family friendly program that address our diverse cultural experiences and traditions, while fostering innovative and original performances.  We also strive to increase accessibility, build new audiences, encourage new partnerships, and promote and celebrate the richness of our Latino cultural offerings through a variety of performances, festivals, special events and educational programs.

NEWS

Check out our features in:

Phoenix Couple brings Dia de los Muertos back to its Indigenous roots

Best Of: BEST DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CELEBRATION

Best Things Arizona

Phoenix New Times

Lavoz Arizona

AZ Central

12 News

AZ Big Media

Cadence at Gateway

ASU Downtown Devil

KJZZ Radio

 

Go to Blog

 

Contact us

Keep in touch with us

Cultural Coalition is proud to serve the community with culturally relevant and innovative programs for communities and schools. Please feel free to contact us through this form if you have any questions or comments.

Carmen Guerrero
Executive Director
Cultural Coalition Inc.
diadelosmuertosphx@gmail.com