Celebration

momentous step forward for many community leaders who for at least five years have worked toward a citywide Day of the Dead event that they hope can be as successful as San Antonio’s Fiesta or New Orleans’ Mardi Gras.

Some of Austin’s Day of the Dead events include the Mexic-Arte Museum’s Viva la Vida Festival and Parade, which is the city’s largest and longest-running Day of the Dead festival. Its grand procession begins at noon Oct. 28 on Fifth Street and ends at the festival on Fourth Street and Congress Avenue. Festivalgoers can expect art activities, traditional Mexican food, live music and a low-rider exhibit.

On Saturday, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center will host its Día de los Muertos festival starting at 3 p.m. The event’s accordion music theme will honor the late Anthony Quinn Ortiz, Jr., a young Austin accordionist who died this year. Children’s activities will include sugar skull decorating and face painting. Altars also will be on display inside and outside of the center. Eva Ybarra y su Conjunto, who recently received a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment of the Arts, will headline the festival.

New events this year include several live music shows at venues in the Red River Cultural District, as well as a mariachi festival at the Austin360 Amphitheater. For a complete list of events across the city, visit austindayofthedead.com.

“Few U.S. cities celebrate Día de los Muertos the way that Austin, Texas, does,” Adler said. “I’m very proud of that. It unites diverse communities in our city, fosters inclusion and appeals across ethnic and racial lines.”