Encinitas Friends of the Arts (EFA) and the City of Encinitas announce the eighth annual Encinitas Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). A time when families gather to honor and remember deceased loved ones, Día de los Muertos is a significant Latino cultural celebration. This year, there will be a focus on those lost to COVID-19. This free event will take place both live in person at the City of Encinitas Community Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive, and live streamed October 30 from 12:00 – 4:00 PM on Live Stream
The Día de los Muertos indoor festivities include performances by Ballet Folklórico de San Dieguito, Ballet Folklórico Rancho Buena Vista High School, Mariachi Nuevo San Diego, Mariachi Estado de Oro, El Charro de Oro, and Fernando Bernal with Mariachi San Marcos. There will also be tissue flowers and sugar skull workshops, a Day of the Dead art exhibit by Oak Crest Middle School students, and opportunity drawings for laptop computers and more. Mano a Mano Foundation Program Director Beatriz Villarreal will emcee the event. Event speakers include Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear, Encinitas Council Members Joy Lyndes, Tony Kranz, Joe Mosca, Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath, and Encinitas Friends of the Arts President Naimeh Woodward.
A Community Ofrenda, a remembrance altar, will be on display indoors. All are invited to honor the memory of a loved one or friend by contributing a photograph or non-valuable remembrance to the Ofrenda. And a Community Ofrenda will be on view from October 28 through November 4 in the lobby of the Encinitas Library along with a Day of the Dead art exhibit by Paul Ecke Central Elementary School students. Also, Día de los Muertos art made by Murguia will be featured in acrylic showcases in the front lobby. Masks are required at the library.
Encinitas Día de los Muertos is made possible by funding from the City of Encinitas Community Grant Program, Encinitas Friends of the Arts, the City of Encinitas, and numerous sponsors including California Coast Credit Union, Surgistar, Synergy Arts Foundation, San Diego Visual Art Network, and Mano a Mano Foundation to name a few.
