Press Release

October 13, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 12, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Brian Passey | [email protected] | 480-874-4626

Scottsdale Dia de Los Muertos events expanding at Scottsdale Civic Center

Scottsdale Dia de Los Muertos events will expand this year to include public installations at Scottsdale Civic Center. Photos: Courtesy LORE Media & Arts

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A new, four-day, public art installation at the recently renovated Scottsdale Civic Center will be part of an expanding Scottsdale Dia de Los Muertos celebration this year.

LORE Media & Arts, in partnership with Scottsdale Arts, the city of Scottsdale, the Mexican Consulate General in Phoenix and Old Adobe Mission, will present Scottsdale Dia de Los Muertos through multiple celebrations and art installations in Old Town Scottsdale from Oct. 23 through Nov. 2.

Scottsdale Dia de Los Muertos brings together world-class artists and the local community to create a vibrant, visually entertaining, larger-than-life, cross-cultural experience with city-wide activations of art, altars and performances. Events include the 7th Annual Scottsdale Dia de Los Muertos Artares y Ofrendas, an 11-day, interactive walk-through event; “Fiesta de Muertos y Danza,” a single evening performance of theatrical folk ballet at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts; and the new four-day Civic Center Art Installation Experience.

The installations feature Dia de Los Muertos- and Mesoamerican-inspired murals and fine art panels, painted by top-tier artists from the Valley of the Sun and throughout the Southwest, as well as artists from Los Angeles, Mexico City and Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico. Specialized folk-art designer Rogelio Santibáñez Arellanes, from the City of Oaxaca de Juarez departments of culture and art, will also present a new series of Scottsdale Community Altars with traditional offerings and collaborative artistic partnerships. 

“As we enter our seventh year celebrating the expanded Scottsdale Dia de Los Muertos season of festivities, we continue by intention to dedicate ourselves to establishing new local and international cultural partnerships while honoring the sacred memories of our loved ones through art and specialty performances in Old Town Scottsdale,” said Robert Ramirez, founder of Scottsdale Dia de Los Muertos and LORE Media & Arts spokesperson.

The new experience at Scottsdale Civic Center runs from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, through Monday, Oct. 30. Admission is free and open to the public. It features large-scale fine art installations, Mesoamerican-inspired sculptures and traditional altars in the outdoor space north of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale. More details can be found at CivicCenterLIVE.org/events.

A longer, 11-day installation, “Altares Y Ofrendas,” will be installed at the historic Old Adobe Mission, 3817 N. Brown Ave. This expanded installation of elaborate art and altar displays celebrates the rich, ancient traditions of Dia de Los Muertos. “Altares Y Ofrendas” is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, Monday, Oct. 23, through Thursday, Nov. 2. Admission is $15 but free for children age 10 and younger. Visit ScottsdaleDiaDeLosMuertos.com for tickets.

“Fiesta De Muertos Y Danza” will be performed at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the Virginia G. Piper Theater at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale. Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company will combine art and ritual, transporting audience members through regions of Mexico and its richness and wonderment of cultures while honoring the origins of Dia de Los Muertos’ celebration of life, loss and remembrance. Admission starts at $49; tickets can be purchased at ScottsdalePerformingArts.org.

Scottsdale Dia de Los Muertos is now officially recognized by and in partnership with the Consulate General of Mexico in Phoenix and the Office Ministry of Tourism of Mexico for all Dia de Los Muertos activations.