October 31 to November 6, 2009
Saturday and Sunday / October 31 and November 110 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Festival included with Garden admission
Come to the Garden for Día de los Muertos, a colorful Mexican tradition that honors and celebrates departed loved ones in a festival setting. Enjoy entertainment that will bring the history of this holiday to life with song, dance and storytelling. Experience the Desert Botanical Garden’s interactive altar honoring Día de los Muertos, the Garden’s past and present, and the act of gardening itself. Delicious Mexican food, pastries and beautiful Mexican art will be available for purchase in the Garden’s Mercado.
To enhance your experience and understanding of Día de los Muertos, the Garden is adding the following special events to the festival:
Ofrenda & Sculpture Installations
October 28 – November 6 / 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. / Daily
Included with Garden admission
Expand your knowledge of Día de los Muertos through the beauty and creativity of ofrenda and sculpture installations by local artists. Ofrenda means offering in Spanish and is an essential part of the celebration. All installations will have a direct relation to the history and contemporary meaning of Día de los Muertos. Indoor installations will be located in Webster Auditorium; outdoor installations will be along the Garden’s Desert Discovery Trail.
The Desert Botanical Garden is proud to present DANCING EARTH during the 2009 Día de los Muertos Celebration! DANCING EARTH brings Indigenous contemporary dance to the Desert Botanical Garden’s Día de los Muertos Celebration. Each appearance will feature an original assemblage of dances inspired by Native mythic autumnal themes such as migrating birds, thunderstorms, seeds and harvest, and the intertwined relationship of humanity and earth as the sun recedes towards solstice.
Dancing Earth will be featured:
Friday, October 30 during the Fall Music in the Garden concert with Quetzal Guerrero.
Saturday & Sunday, October 31 & November 1 as part of the Día de los Muertos Celebration festival entertainment lineup.
Saturday, October 31 during the La Calaca Cabaret Performance.
Sunday, November 1 as the leaders of La Procesion.
*Specific performance times will be announced, please stay tuned to dbg.org for more information. Tickets are required to attend the Fall Music in the Garden Concert and the La Calaca Cabaret Performance. The Día de los Muertos Celebration festival and La Procesion are included with Garden admission.
La Calaca Cabaret
Saturday / October 31 / 7 – 9 p.m.
Member Adult: $14 / General Public Adult: $20 / Children (ages 3-12): $8
La Calaca Cabaret is a celebration of music, dance, poetry, storytelling and theater, featuring the Valley’s premier Día de los Muertos artists Zarco Guerrero, Stella Pope Duarte, Michelle Ceballos and other guests. The calaca is the smiling skull image of Mexican art, and since ancient times, has symbolized rebirth, regeneration and the acceptance of death as an integral part of life. It is used extensively during the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos and has become a vital symbol in contemporary Chicano culture. This performance demonstrates the pageantry in Mexican/Chicano tradition, especially as it pertains to Día de los Muertos, and combines folk art, music, dance, performance and masks to entertain and educate audiences about this ancient celebration and its meaning in a contemporary urban setting.
La Calaca Cabaret is a family-friendly event presented in a bilingual and concert-style format. Despite its theme of death, La Calaca Cabaret is full of life, sarcasm, social commentary, lively performances and humor.
Afternoon Procession – La Procesión
Sunday / November 1 / 4:30 p.m. / Included with Garden admission
The festivity of Día de los Muertos at the Garden will culminate with La Procesión which reflects the ancient indigenous tradition of a community march to ancestral burial sites in order to honor those who have gone before us.
La Procesión will be made up of Día de los Muertos participants, masked performers and Garden visitors. La Procesión will express this holiday’s rich cultural legacy with vibrant color, deep symbolism and pageantry.
All Garden activities are subject to change.
For more information visit The Desert Botanical Garden Website.
The Desert Botanical Garden is located in Phoenix, Arizona, near the cities of Scottsdale and Tempe, on 145 acres in the midst of the red rock buttes of Papago Park at 1201 North Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, Arizona 85008.
Main Garden phone number – 480-941-1225
Monday through Friday – 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Fax number – 480-481-8124
Toll Free – 888-314-9480
Recorded Information Line – 480-941-1217
No pets – except for service dogs.
Call 480-941-1225 for more information.
The Garden is handicapped accessible.
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About Lynn Bremner
Good Morning i read your blog frequently and wanted to wish you all the best for the New Year!