Seattle Center Festál: Dia de Muertos – A Mexican Celebration to Remember Our Departed honors those who have passed in arts, ritual and spirituality, 11 a.m.- 6 p.m., Oct. 31 – Nov. 1, in Seattle Center Armory. Create sugar skulls and paper skeletons, explore community altars and march in a musical procession to honor the lives of departed loved ones.
To mark the 14th anniversary of Dia de Muertos at Seattle Center, grandmother artisans from the Mexican states of Guerrero and Michoacán will share traditional stories to preserve and celebrate the cultural heritage of Dia de Muertos. “La Calavera va al Panteón,” a theatrical puppet show written specifically for the festival, explores the meaning of Dia de Muertos.
A marketplace offers pan de Muertos (bread of the dead), traditional Mexican specialties, clay crafts and traditional figurines with a day of the dead theme.
Guest artist Samuel Becerra of Oregon leads art workshops open to children and youth ages eight to 15. Participants have the opportunity to create a rustic finish on a clay mask during Saturday’s workshop and color and decorate a clay skull on Sunday. One session of each workshop is offered per day, with a sign-up list available at the beginning of each festival day. Space for these workshops is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
In 2015, Seattle Center Festál explores the “art of culture” in 23 celebrations on weekends throughout the year. The events, organized by ethnic/cultural organizations in partnership with Seattle Center, make use of indoor and outdoor spaces on the grounds and offer wide-ranging entertainment, food, visual displays and exhibits and hands-on learning opportunities. The annual series forms the bedrock of public programming at Seattle Center, captivating and enlightening festival-goers as they experience the distinct cultures that influence the character and course of our broader community.
Seattle Center Festál is a program of Seattle Center Productions. Admission is free-of-charge. For more information on Dia de Muertos – A Mexican Celebration to Remember Our Departed and other Seattle Center public programming, click on Seattle Center or call 206 684-7200.
