St. Mary’s Basilica is hoping to have more than 5,000 attendees at its third annual Dia de los Muertos Festival this year in a celebration for the community to gather in memory of fallen loved ones.
The festival will have music, food trucks and activities for children in addition to a Dia de los Muertos procession. The event will be co-hosted by St. Mary’s Basilica and Xico, Inc., an arts group centered on indigenous and Latino heritage.
Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to bring canned food which will be donated to St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank. The event will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at St. Mary’s Basilica Plaza at Van Buren and Third streets.
Attendees are encouraged to bring photos of loved ones who have passed to be placed on altars around the basilica’s fountain.
Luci Perez, the organizer for the event, said it has been “bigger and better” every year.
“The downtown area is growing so much. That helps to make this an even better festival,” Perez said. “We want to grow it every year to include more kinds of activities taking place and making it a destination to attend when you’re in Phoenix.”
This year Perez said the festival will welcome the “Madonna Car” from out of state. The car’s exterior is covered in license plates and contains a portrait of Madonna on one side of the car.
“We’re really excited about it,” Perez said. “I’m looking forward to seeing it myself.”
The University of Arizona will also be performing health screenings, and the festival will be offering attendees free flu shots.
Perez said people from different backgrounds have come in the past to learn more about the history behind Dia de los Muertos.
“We want to bring neighborhoods together too,” Perez explained. “The most exciting part is the coming together of the community, and getting to know one another.”
Elena Garcia, who has attended the past two Dia de los Muertos festivals at St. Mary’s, said she enjoys how safe the environment feels and how the festival is more than just food and music, but has culture as well. She said the festival has had a positive influence on her children, helping them learn more about their family members who had passed away.
Children who attend are encouraged to create shoe box altars for their loved ones, Garcia said.
“One of my daughters is doing one about her uncle who passed way before she was even born. She didn’t know him, but by doing this project we talk about the things that he liked, and she learned a lot more about him,” Garcia said “She feels a little closer to him even though she didn’t meet him.”
Garcia said that the festival helps spark interest in the holiday, outside of the Hispanic community.
Kim Colella, who owns several of the food trucks that will be at the festival, has been at the festival for all three years.
“The food trucks are a big part of it because it makes it fun and festive,” Colella said. “The trucks add to the festivities.”
Colella said the whole mood of the day is full of life, despite being a celebration of the dead.
“People get all dressed up and really make it a day,” Colella said.
Contact the reporter Ashlee.Larrison@asu.edu.
