Mikiztli: Día de los Muertos

Mikiztli: Día de los Muertos returns to the Arizona Center on Saturday, October 24, from 4 PM to 9 PM. It's the 15th year for the festival, which is put on by Cultural Coalition, Inc., an organization that's spent 30 years supporting Chicano, Latiné, and indigenous artists. The evening is free, and it's built around the tradition of paying homage to ancestors with prayers, food offerings, and altars.

The name itself carries some of that history. In 2018, Cultural Coalition changed the festival's name to Mikiztli—pronounced meeh-keesh-tleeh—as a response to the commercialization and cultural appropriation of the holiday. It comes from the Nahuatl Mihcailhuitl, 'the feast of the spirits'; mikiztli means 'transition' and is symbolized by the calaca, the smiling skull. The festival looks back to the celebration's indigenous roots, which date back 3,000 years to the Olmecs.

Over the years, the event has grown to include more cultural performances, art vendors, food trucks, and interactive art activities. At the center of it all is the organization's largest community altar, or ofrenda, where you can add your own photos and objects. The music lineup this year brings together a wide range of sounds: Mariachi Rubor, Coatlicue Danza Mexica, Enparoxismo Music, Quetzalli, Primavera Ballet Folklóricos, the youth-led mariachi Hermanas del Corazon, and Los Ravines, a band from Yuma, Arizona. The night closes with a community procession led by 'Las Flacas'—eight-foot-tall animated skeleton puppets—that turns into a celebration dance party with live music.

It's a family-friendly afternoon and evening, so you can bring the kids and spend as much or as little time as you like. The festival runs from 4 PM to 9 PM at the Arizona Center, 455 N 3rd St, Phoenix, AZ 85004, and admission is free.