The annual Day of the Dead celebration is an ancient, spiritual tradition that dates back thousands of years to Aztec times. Celebrated in Mexico and widely throughout the Hispanic community, Dia De Los Muertos honors the memories of our ancestors and the beloved souls of friends and family who have passed. It is a time when the veil is lifted between the living and the dead, and the two realms come together in a festive tribute to life, death and rebirth.
The largest celebration in the nation is the event at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, LA’s oldest memorial park. The annual event at Hollywood Forever typically draws crowds upwards of 11,000 visitors. This year, they will be combining the celebration with the Mexican Independence Bicentennial and the Revolution Centennial. Traditionally the actual day of Day of the Dead is on November 2nd, but this year the celebration at the cemetery falls on October 30th, which is the day of many Halloween activities.
FixNation will be hosting a hand-crafted altar at the event dedicated to all of the beloved kitty souls who have crossed over. We will especially be honoring and celebrating the many homeless cats who have passed who never knew love in their lifetime here on earth. We will also have literature to hand out in English and Spanish about feral cats and Trap-Neuter-Return, in order to educate the public about peacefully co-existing with the cats within our community.
Festivities will be held at Hollywood Forever on Saturday, October 30th, from 2pm – 12 midnight. Come join us in the celebration!
The day and evening activities include:
– A traditional, opening procession taking place at 2:00 p.m., when the spirits will be guided into the afterlife, followed by ritual Aztec blessings and Fire Dance
– Hundreds of colorful, artistic community altars from all facets of the public, remembering and paying homage to their dearly departed
– Several stages featuring originally conceived and choreographed performances by renown musicians and dancers, everything from indigenous tribal burial dances to Mexican classical music to modern rock-folks groups, with a special performance by the lead singer of Cafe Tacuba, Ruben Albarran
– A superlative Mausoleum (Cathedral) art exhibit featuring various, unique life-size “Calaveras” presented by 15 culturally-conscious local artisans
– Fine Mexican cuisine and a wide spectrum of Day of the Dead merchandise available to purchase
– Storytelling, art workshops and face painting for the kids at the “Children’s Space”
– The ghosts of the Mexican Revolution and Independence parading through the entire memorial park throughout the day
– Theatrical and musical performances culminating in a featured concert under the evening stars, accompanied by a light scheme production to guide back and celebrate the spirits of our beloved souls
We want to honor your beloved kitties as part of our altar memorial, even if you can’t join us in person.
We want to honor all of the beloved cats that our friends, trappers, volunteers and donors have loved over the years, cats who are no longer with us. For anyone who has cared for and loved a precious kitty soul who has since passed away, whether a companion cat in your home or a feral on the streets, we ask for you to send us a photograph of your feline friend to include in our altar. We will post your photo on our altar so the memory of your beloved kitty will be honored and celebrated with us on that special day.
If you would like to send in a photo — you can either email a digital image to INFO@fixnation.org or you can send a hard copy print to our clinic office at 7680 Clybourn Ave, LA, CA 91352. PLEASE NOTE: Hard copy photos will not be able to be returned, so please make sure it’s not your only copy! Anyone, anywhere is welcome to send in a photo for us to include in our altar. You don’t need to be a resident of Los Angeles to participate.
We hope you can join us for this historical celebration. Together, for one day and night, we will mingle and dance with the kitty souls we have lost, with joyous celebration and with love in our hearts.
Location: Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, 90038. Arrive early for desired parking. General admission to Hollywood Forever is $10 per person and children under 10 years old get in for free.
