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Mesa Arts Center is pleased to celebrate Día de los Muertos with an annual event created in collaboration with the community. Día de los Muertos is a celebration of Latin American art and culture related to the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. The annual free event offers a variety of features, performances and more in celebration of the memories of the deceased.
Los espíritus se entrelazarán durante la celebración anual del Día de los Muertos en el Mesa Arts Center. Los visitantes se han deleitado cada año con maravillosos espectáculos en vivo por parte de destacados artistas.
Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities!
Visit our YouTube channel to enjoy the performances, art, demonstrations, family activities and more from our 2020 virtual Día de los Muertos festival. See the Día de los Muertos video playlist.
Day of the Dead altars, also known as ofrendas (offerings), are constructed and adorned to remember, honor and please the dead, are a central symbol of Día de los Muertos.
In the spirit of traditional Día de los Muertos festivities, a community altar will serve as the festival's centerpiece, inviting attendees to leave mementos in honor of their loved ones who have passed. You’re welcome to contribute by bringing photographs, notes, non-perishable items, flowers, and other traditional Día de los Muertos decorations. Items can be left for future use or collected at 5:00 PM on Sunday after the procession if you wish to keep them.
Our 2022 Día de los Muertos Festival altar was created by Artist Luis Estrada.
Elements of the Altar and their Significance
Arches: Passageways between life and death
Candles: Light, Faith and Hope
Flowers: Remind us that life does not endure
Traditionally: Cempasuchil - Marigolds - Mano de Leon - Cockscomb - Lions Paw
Incense: Cleans the space of negativity
Traditionally: Copal
Ofrendas: General items for the offerings put on the altar
Water: Life and purity, satisfies the thirst of the spirit
Relaxed Hour at Día de los Muertos
Sun, Oct 20 | 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Located on the Mesa Arts Center Campus
What to expect:
The hour offers a more comfortable Día de los Muertos Festival experience with reduced sensory stimuli. Guests are welcome to use their own or Mesa Arts Center-provided fidgets, ear protection and other sensory resources (supply limited).
Relaxed Hour has:
*Please note: some vendors may not be open
Volunteer activities include assisting with set-up and clean-up, artist interactives, greeting and directing the public, line monitoring, providing crowd control and assisting with volunteer hospitality.
Volunteers must be 16 years old or older.
Please email volunteers@mesaartscenter.com with any questions!
In this hands-on activity, participants will have the chance to decorate their own copper enamel skull with colorful beads that will be melted and affixed to the skull with fire by lead Jewelry Instructor, Jenny Vaughn. Have fun mixing patterns and creating designs on the white skull to resemble a traditional calavera from Día de Los Muertos! After which you can keep the skull as a pendant or ornament.
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Steam Me Visible is a co-creative steam distillation workshop for adults (18+) where we explore how smells influence feelings of belonging—or the absence of it. Together, we’ll learn how to use steam distillation to extract scents from organic materials, and we invite you to share your personal story of belonging or not belonging. We would love for you to join us for this unique experience.
Please bring a small object, or a piece of a larger object, made from organic or natural material (e.g., a plant, food, or 100% cotton sock), no larger than 1 x 3 inches, that carries a smell evoking a sense of belonging—or the absence of it—for you. Together, we will create a unique blend of all participants' objects and stories in the form of a distillate (hydrosol). You’re welcome to take home a sample of the scent we create.
With your consent, we plan to document this workshop for public exhibitions and use the materials for research purposes.
This workshop is presented by Lauryn Mannigel, an artist and doctoral student in Media Arts and Sciences, and Christy Spackman, associate professor of art/science at Arizona State University (ASU). It is part of our larger collaborative project, Atmospheres of Belonging, developed with Byron Lahey, Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering at ASU. The project will be exhibited from Oct. 30 - Nov. 18 at the MIX Center in Downtown Mesa. Together, we explore how community-identified smellscapes, combined with insights about built environments, craft perceptual experiences that interrogate the visceral sense of belonging among citizens of Mesa, Arizona.
This workshop is funded by a joint grant from the Arizona State University (ASU) Global Futures Laboratory, the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts at ASU, and Leonardo, the International Society for Arts, Sciences and Technology.
*Workshop is free, but registration is required.
Please be advised: the main parking lots at Mesa Arts Center will be closed to accommodate the Mercado vendors and the food court for the festival, and street parking will be busy. Nearby parking options are available throughout downtown Mesa. Please review the parking map to find parking options. The Light Rail also offers nearby park and ride options. We recommend parking at the park & ride near Main Street and Mesa Drive and riding the Light Rail to the Main and Center Street stop. Find more Light Rail information here. Please note that the Light Rail ride does have an associated fee.
South Lawn Stage |
Time |
Group |
Sat, Oct 19 |
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Marisa Ronstadt |
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM | Grupo Extravagante | |
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Medio Pinto | |
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Las Calakas | |
Sun, Oct 20 |
10:30 AM - 12:15 PM | La Luz de la Luna |
12:45 PM - 2:30 PM | Carmela Y Mas | |
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM | Chicha Dust | |
The Plaza at Mesa City Center |
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Sat, Oct 19 |
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Mariachi Estrelas Musicales |
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1:30 PM - 3:00 PM | Guitarras Latinas |
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3:30 PM - 5:00 PM | Andres Martinez & Ritmo Latino |
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Sun, Oct 20 | 10:30 AM - 12:15 PM | Marcos Crego |
12:45 PM - 2:30 PM | Gustavo Angeles | |
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM | Mariachi Torres | |
Joannie Flatt Stage |
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Sat, Oct 19 |
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM | Ministerio de Danza Azteca |
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10:30 AM - 5:00 PM | DJs - Vinyl Vagos, Tranzo, Cervantes |
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Sun, Oct 20 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Mariachi Estrella de Cobre |
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM | DJs - Vinyl Vagos | |
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | Mariachi Pasion | |
Alliance Pavilion Stage |
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Sat, Oct 19 |
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM | Ballet Folklorico Amistad |
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12:00 PM - 1:45 PM | Ballet Folklorico La Llorona |
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2:00 PM - 3:45 PM | Chandler High School Los Lobos |
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM | Ballet Folklorico Quetzalli - AZ | |
Sun, Oct 20 | 10:00 AM - 11:45 AM | Primavera Folklorico Dance Company |
12:00 PM - 1:45 PM | Mariachi Rubor | |
2:00 PM - 3:45 PM | Instituto De Folklor Mexicano | |
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM | Ballet Folklorico La Llorona |
We are no longer taking vendor inquiries.
Booth # | Business Name |
1 | DM Designs |
2 | Culture Mia |
3 | Mi Oaxaca Imports |
4 | Estrellita Designs |
5 | Scentsationals |
6 | Twins Boutique |
7 | Mexican Arts Imports II |
8 | Mexican Arts Imports II |
9 | Sharon Anderson |
10 | Arte de Mi Tierra |
11 | Petite Sweets |
12 | Chaos in Color |
13 | All Crafts Plus, LLC |
14 | Funtastic Face Painting |
15 | Gina's Original AZ |
16 | Maria Creations AZ |
17 | Erendira Orozco Arte y Cultura |
18 | Superstition Candle Company |
19 | Amor Fashion Shop |
20 | Amor Fashion Shop |
21 | Seniorita Art & Culture |
22 | Creativo Duro |
23 | Mystic Creations |
24 | CHM of Arizona LLC/Sylvidel Art Creations |
25 | Luna Rose Shoppe |
26 | Quintero Ventas / Xicana Vibes |
27 | Lum Candles |
28 | Aurora's Flower Creations |
29 | City of Guaymas |
30 | Mesa Fire & Medical |
31 | Laguna Artz LLC |
32 | T&L Boutique Artesanal |
33 | T&L Boutique Artesanal |
34 | T&L Boutique Artesanal |
35 | Ramona Cisneros |
36 | Spun Paradise Cotton Candy Co. |
37 | Camisetas El Monte |
38 | Sanddancer Publications |
39 | La Grilla Negra |
40 | Jimenez Gifts |
41 | Jimenez Gifts |
42 | Estradas Artistry LLC |
43 | MYCA |
44 | Desiree Salas Face Painting |
45 | FunkyChickenEggRanch |
46 | Felipe Horta Tera |
47 | D&G Artesanal |
48 | D&G Artesanal |
49 | Hello Mexico Shop |
50 | Hello Mexico Shop |
51 | Lina's Macarons |
52 | BLCK HILL LLC |
53 | Laura's Accessories |
54 | Laura's Accessories |
55 | Sol Design Studio |
56 | Urban Art by Melody |
58 | Face Painters Ink |
59 | Samira's World Boutique |
60 | TSIB |
61 | Oma Maria's Cookies |
62 | Terrilyn M. Trejo |