Phoenix will honor memory with color, art and community when the Desert Botanical Garden hosts its Día de Muertos Festival, with the main celebration on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8 from 12 to 6 p.m. For four days, the Garden transforms into a vibrant celebration of memory and connection, with bright marigolds, radiant altars and festive trails coming together under the desert sky at 1201 N. Galvin Parkway.
At the heart of the weekend is the Community Ofrenda Altar in Webster Auditorium, open November 6-9 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Visitors are invited to place memories and wishes for loved ones on the ofrenda, a central element of Día de Muertos. Each evening of the celebration, La Procesión sets out from 5 to 6 p.m., as dancers, musicians and guests walk in memory of loved ones and place wishes on illuminated trees on Sunset Plaza.
The festival fills the Garden with performances by Ollin Yoliztli Dance Academy, Cachito Dance Project, Mariachi Rubor and Fiesta Mexicana Dance Company, plus an all-new professional wrestling showcase by Lucha Voz on Sunset Plaza. Families can browse the Mercado for crafts, art, flower crowns and masks, enjoy hands-on sugar skulls and festive face painting, and taste tamales, pan de muerto and fresh fruit from local vendors. It is a joyful, welcoming way to celebrate tradition together in the heart of the desert.
Photo: Desert Botanical Garden
