SAN ANTONIO – More than 135,000 people from across the country are expected to gather at the Hemisfair this weekend for the 14th annual Muertos Fest.
The three-day celebration honors loved ones who have died through altars, music, food, art, and community traditions.
“For us, it is an important part of our culture,” said Abigail Mata, who visited from Dallas with her family.
Mata said her family attended the Day of the Dead River Parade on Friday night, spent Saturday at Muertos Fest, and planned to take part in the 16th annual Día de los Muertos 5K.
“It is absolutely amazing that there’s so many celebrations,” Mata said. “There’s not too many Día de los Muertos celebrations in Dallas. So coming here and just being absolutely surrounded by it, it’s so enriching. It’s wonderful.”
Visitors also came from outside Texas.
Jessie Garcia and Diana Lee traveled from California to honor family members who died recently. “My father and my brother had just passed away within the past year,” Garcia said. “So I thought it was important to come out and kind of honor them as well.”
A major part of the festival is its display of ofrendas, or altars.
Families, schools, and artists handcrafted more than 80 altars for visitors to view, interact with, and contribute to.
“Altars are really the heart of Muertos Fest, and our community altar comes with us every single year. We have a team of artists that come and put this together. We had over 1,000 submissions of photos,” added Cristina Martinez, co-curator of the Muertos Mercado.
Visitors are encouraged to bring photos of ancestors, loved ones, or pets to place at the community altar. Martinez says some also leave meaningful items.
“They bring little things like the loteria cards, or they bring somebody’s favorite drink. Last year I saw out so many Big Red cans.”
In addition to the altars, Martinez says the festival features more than 90 food and craft vendors and three stages with live music.
Festivities continue Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at Hemisfair.
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