Two hands-on art workshops at the MacArthur Park Bandshell this week are feeding directly into a free Día de los Muertos celebration set for Sunday, Nov. 1, with a procession, community altar and dance performances planned for the historic Westlake venue. The sessions, held Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Monday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., were led by artist Marelené Nancy Lopez, who gathered art and stories from residents that will become part of a large canvas mural and the community altar itself.
The workshops and the Nov. 1 event are organized by MAC·LA, as reported by LAist. According to thelalocal.org, Allegra Padilla described the upcoming celebration as free and open to all ages, calling it “a wonderful way for people to embrace the diverse cultures of the Westlake community.”
A Procession Down Alvarado Leads Into the Park
The Nov. 1 event is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. with a procession along Alvarado and Sixth streets, per the same account. The procession will be led by the Project for the Arts and Dreams of Indigenous Oaxacan Heritage, known as PADIOXH, in collaboration with the Westlake Theater Community Alliance, whose stated goal is turning the Westlake Theatre into a community space for arts, events and vendors.
The procession group is expected to arrive at MacArthur Park at 4 p.m. to kick off the event, followed by an opening prayer and ceremony with local Indigenous leaders. PADIOXH is a nonprofit on a mission to save and share the culture of Oaxacan communities in Mexico and the United States, according to PADIOXH, and the group relies on educational programs, dance, artisan workshops, traditional cuisine and Indigenous language courses to do it.
Dance, Fashion and a Theme of Ancestral Protection
Once underway, the celebration will include dance performances, a fashion show, live music and resource booths hosted by community organizations, the LA Local report notes. This year's event carries the theme “Ancestral Protection,” and MAC·LA will build a community altar for the occasion that allows for public participation, folding in the same resident art and stories collected during the bandshell workshops.
Día de los Muertos is celebrated across Mexico and various Central and South American countries, with families using altars, prayer, and traditional food and drink to welcome back the souls of loved ones who have died. MacArthur Park's version joins a wider field of Southern California celebrations this season: Hollywood Forever hosted its 27th annual festival under the theme “All Under One Sky,” running noon to midnight and drawing thousands of attendees for altars, live music, food vendors and dance rituals, according to LA Times en Español, which reported that this year's winning altar earned a $5,000 prize. Olvera Street's observance is described by El Pueblo de Los Angeles as a nine-day festival with altars on display, children's workshops, face painting and entertainment throughout.
A Bandshell With Deep Roots in the Neighborhood
MAC·LA, formerly known as Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles, has operated the MacArthur Park Bandshell as a venue for concerts and community events since 2007, reactivating the park's historic 1959 structure. The organization has said it intends to program year-round, extending beyond the summer season and beyond MacArthur Park itself, according to MAC·LA.
That ambition lines up with a broader push announced earlier this year, when Los Angeles officials said the bandshell would host a year-round series of free arts, music and cultural events, backed by a $250,000 investment that includes $150,000 from Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez and $100,000 from the California Community Foundation, per mynewsla.com.
