El Panteón de Sacramento 2021
The centuries-old tradition of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) will be celebrated this year on the grounds of the Latino Center of Art and Culture. This annual LCAC event, El Panteón de Sacramento, features the recreation of a candlelit Mexican cemetery and chapel accompanied by live performances from The Lico Music Academy, a 24-piece music group from Los Angeles. With 3 stages, traditional Mexican music and dancing, El Panteón de Sacramento is the area's biggest and most exciting Día de los Muertos celebration! The event is free to the public, though donations are welcome. Food, drinks, local art and crafts will be available for purchase. Masks will be required.
Dozens of traditional memorials will be created by families and friends to honor those who have passed, telling the stories of their departed loved ones. These colorful ofrendas are adorned with sugar skulls, food and drink once enjoyed by the departed, flowers and personal mementos. Bathed in the light of the moon during evening hours and filled with drifting fragrances of copal and cempasuchil, the bright marigolds considered the flowers of the dead, El Panteón is not only a place of remembrance, but a joyous celebration of our loved ones.
The public is invited to join a procession into the site on Saturday, October 30th at 4:30PM.
The traditional music program is created by a team of artists led by Vidal Beltran, featuring:
● The Lico Music Academy, a 24-piece Mexican orchestra
● Live Traditional Musicians
● Ballet Folklorico
● Son Jarocho fandango with Son de Sacramento
● Mojigangas giant puppet performance
El Panteón will have free off-site parking a few blocks away at 2300 Front St. We strongly recommend carpooling or using a rideshare app. The Center is also just a short bike or scooter ride from Midtown Sac. We will have a dropoff area in front for anyone coming via ridesharing app, or anyone else in need. We will also have limited handicapped parking close to the entrance, please bring your placard if you plan to use the handicapped parking.
About Día de los Muertos:
Rooted in 3,000-year-old Aztec and Nahua cultural beliefs in the cyclical nature of life, Día de los Muertos is a contemporary Mexican festival during which the souls of the departed are believed to leave the world of the dead and reunite with their loved ones for a single evening. After building altars to share memories and activities the dead once enjoyed in life, participants come together to celebrate their lives with food, drink, music and dancing. Día de los Muertos recognizes death as a natural part of the human experience and honors the contributions ancestors have made to their families and to the community. Día de los Muertos VIDEO.
Schedule:
Thursday
6:00 – 10:00 pm El Panteón is open with altars, vendors and food trucks
Friday
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Latino Outdoor Poetry Open Mic
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Sacramento Son Jarocho (Fandango de los Muertos)
Saturday
10:00 am – 11:00 am Bendiciones Altares
11:00 am – 11:30am Procession del Silencion
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Rincones De Mi Tierra
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Nuevo Amanecer
2:00pm – 3:00 pm Palomas Y Gavilanez
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Nostaljias De Mexico
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Procession (from Miller Park to The Latino Center)
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Lacustre Michoacan De Ocampo
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Velación del Panteón, acompañados de Orquesta Lico Music
8:30 pm – 10:00 pm Tamborazo de Lico Music Academy
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Orquesta Lico Music
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Resimiento Grupos
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Victoria Dance
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Ballet Del Valle
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Palomas Y gavilanes
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Diablos Y La Custre
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Mariachi Bonitas
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Velada del Panteón (Orquesta Lico Music)
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
