“It’s not Mexico’s Halloween,” Dorimar Ferrer, executive director of Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, told the Flyer in 2021. She was speaking of Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead.
“It’s a very different kind of holiday with a very different kind of meaning and purpose,” Kathy Dumlao, director of education at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, echoes today. “It’s about celebrating life, and it’s about remembering our loved ones and the people who have come before us.”
This Saturday, the two organizations — the Brooks and Cazateatro — will present their annual Día de los Muertos Festival and Parade. The parade, which kicks off at 11:30 a.m., will begin in Overton Square, before progressing with floats, dancers, and marchers to Overton Park and the museum’s plaza. Once there, the festival will have food trucks, face painting, art-making, performances, music, and more.
“The mariachi is my favorite,” Dumlao says of the day’s activities. Mariachi Guadalajara will rove throughout the museum playing their music, before closing out the festival with classic mariachi songs. “I just love the music. And it’s always fun to see the Catrinas — Cazateatro always brings some of their actors and actresses dressed as the Catrinas and the Catríns.”
Also performing are DJ Moi, Danza Azteca Quetzalcoatl, University of Memphis Marimba Ensemble, and Marisol Pierre.
Plus, the festival will feature an exhibition of classic Day of the Dead altars made by students from University Middle School, Middle College High School, Kingsbury High School, Sheffield Elementary School, and Treadwell Elementary School. “University Middle School dedicated [its altar] to the University of Memphis tiger, who passed away, and then another one is to Tom Lee,” Dumlao says, adding that another school dedicated its altar to two staff members who passed.
Also on view will be artist-made altars from Rafael Figueroa, Carlos Valverde, and Ximena Algarin Dagradi. These will be on display Wednesday, October 29th, through Sunday, November 2nd.
“It’s just a really important opportunity to celebrate this holiday,” Dumlao says. “There’s so much around this holiday that’s related to art, music, and dance, and so it feels like a perfect partnership between Cazateatro and the museum.”
Find the full schedule of events at tinyurl.com/mr2psxp8. Though the event is free to attend, registration is recommended.
Día de Los Muertos Parade & Festival, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 1934 Poplar Avenue, Saturday, November 1, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., free.
