Time to remember: Día de los Muertos events happening in Old Town, National Hispanic Cultural Center

A newly-formed group is making its

presence known

with inaugural Día de los Muertos events in Old Town.

The Historical Old Town Association kicked off Día de los Muertos early on Oct. 28, with live music, a mass, and other Day of the Dead related activities. The festivities continue each day through Saturday, Nov. 4, around Old Town. A full schedule of events can be found at albuquerqueoldtown.com.

Día de los Muertos, which is traditionally celebrated on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 and widely observed in Mexico, is the celebration and commemoration of deceased loved ones. Marigolds, ofrendas (altars honoring the dearly departed), and calaveras or skulls decorated in vibrant colors and artwork symbolic of the holiday are integral parts of Día de los Muertos.

The association has incorporated these aspects into its Day of the Dead events. Daily features occurring throughout Old Town include Marigold Mile with thousands of marigolds lining beams, vigas, lights, adobe and structures; an Ofrenda Tour with altars scattered in the patios, portals and businesses; a community ofrenda located in the middle of the gazebo in Old Town; and decorations adorning the streets and adobe buildings including papel picado made from colorful paper sheets with intricate cut-out details.

“We have 24 different ofrendas throughout Old Town by residents, merchants and property owners,” said J.J. Mancini, president, Historic Old Town Association. “We have one massive community ofrenda taking over the Old Town gazebo. San Felipe de Neri school students, faculty and staff as well as Escuela del sol Montessori built it. The theme this year is Mi Familia (for) family and loved ones who have gone before us.”

The ofrendas throughout Old Town will be unique to each location.

“All the people participating in building an ofrenda are doing it their own way,” Mancini said. “We had recommendations on how to do it respectfully and some are taking creative liberty, like ours is pet themed.”

Time to remember: Día de los Muertos events happening in Old Town, National Hispanic Cultural Center

Daily features on Friday, Nov. 3, include a free Día de los Muertos photo shoot from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Albuquerque Photographer’s Gallery; live music from 3 to 4 p.m. at Luna and Luz, from 4 to 5 p.m. at Blue Moon Marketplace, from 4 to 7 p.m. at D.E.E.H.’s Candles Plaza, and from 5 to 8 p.m. at Yucca Art Gallery; and a Day of the Dead Bike Tour with Routes Bicycle Tours & Rentals from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Events wrap up on Saturday, Nov. 4, with the Old Town Lowriders & The Drifters Car Show from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in North Plaza, the Annual Santisima Día de los Muertos Celebration from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Poco a Poco Patio, and more activities throughout the day.

“The Historic Old Town Association is doing this event for itself,” Mancini explained. “It is the first event that we are putting on together. We wanted to do something culturally important that has a history in New Mexico … It is community focused. In a lot of ways, we want Old Town to become what it used to be, instead of a tourist destination. We want it to be a cultural hub for the city of Albuquerque. For our first event, that is definitely our goal, to last more than just once a year, and that has a cultural impact with more than just live music. It is just more interesting.”

Other Día de los Muertos events will take place in the South Valley and at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

The 31st annual South Valley Marigold Parade and Día de los Muertos Celebration takes place from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5 at the Rio Bravo County Park, 3912 Isleta Blvd. SW. This year’s theme, “El Año de los Santos: Keep your Kids Off Our Altars,” reflects on the loss of young people to gun violence, substance abuse, and other targeted policy against LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color, according to the event website.

Music, food, car clubs, family activities and art vendors will also be part of the event. More information is available at muertosymarigolds.org.

The National Hispanic Cultural Center will host “Día de Familia: Día de los Muertos” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, at 1701 Fourth St. SW. The event will commemorate Día de los Muertos traditions with various activities including sugar skull decorating, creating papel picado and paper flowers, and face painting. Attendees can also contribute to community ofrenda. The Disney film, “Coco” will be shown at 3 p.m. inside the NHCC’s Bank of America Theatre. For more information, visit nhccnm.org/events.