Embrace the cultures of the Pacific Northwest and cultivate love, peace and understanding of the communities that make up our region. Join us for Seattle Center Festál: Dia de Muertos – A Mexican Celebration to Remember Our Departed, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov 2 and 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sunday, Nov 3 inside Seattle Center Armory. Partake in honoring the departed in a celebration steeped in ritual and tradition.
Dia de Muertos aims to preserve and pass on this celebration to a younger generation, while being inclusive in proudly sharing traditions with the greater Seattle area. This annual gathering is a place for family and friends to honor the memories of loved ones with music, dance, arts and crafts and beautiful ornamental altar displays.
One of the most important traditions of this Mexican holiday is to create ornate memorial altars. This year’s festival will feature an altar made by Grupo Colibri from Michoacán, Mexico and a community altar where guests can bring a photo and a memento of their own to remember a loved one who has passed. A sand painting or Tapete from Oaxacan artist Fulgencio Lazo will also be featured.
Other performances and activities will include Aztec rhythms, folk dances representing various regions across Mexico, face painting and sugar skull decorating.
For full schedule visit diademuertosseattle.org and RSVP to the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/371226640496282/
Newly added this year is the “Alaska Airlines Fly Away Giveaway.” Guests who obtain a passport inside Seattle Center Armory or by downloading online can collect stamps by attending festivals to be entered to win round-trip air travel for two to the Alaska Airlines destination of their choice. Each stamp is an entry to win; the more Festál events attended and stamps collected, the higher the odds of winning! More information at www.seattlecenter.com/festal.
Seattle Center Festál highlights the culturally rich communities who shape the character of our region. Although the series began in 1997, the festivals took place earlier in their own ethnic communities. Now, Seattle Center serves as a central place, where festivals invite the public to join in their unique cultural expression. This year’s theme, “Love, Peace and Understanding,” is woven throughout 24 free, ethnic cultural festivals. In a time of divisive national rhetoric, Festál celebrates our shared humanity to build connections, tear down stereotypes and create trust.
Seattle Center Festál: Dia de Muertos
A Mexican Celebration to Remember Our Departed is a public program presented by Seattle Center in partnership with the Dia de Muertos Committee. Admission is free of charge. For more information on this festival, visit https://diademuertosseattle.org/, and to learn more about this collection of ethnic cultural events and other Seattle Center public programming, visit www.seattlecenter.com or call 206-684-7200.
About Seattle Center Festál:
This illuminating series of 24 ethnic cultural festivals on weekends throughout the year seeks to connect people in ways that build understanding, dispel stereotypes and generate pride among the generations who participate in these shared experiences. Seattle Center Festál is produced with the generous support of KUOW 94.9 Public Radio, Coca-Cola, Alaska Airlines, T-Mobile, Lyft, 4Culture, the City of Seattle and Seattle Center Foundation.
