Gilroy to host arts and wellness festival for Dia de los Muertos

The La Ofrenda festival will offer art, culture, music, and services

Gilroy will host the inaugural La Ofrenda Festival, a Dia de los Muertos and wellness fair today.

The event will run from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and feature live music, artists, food trucks, and the traditional altars of Dia de los Muertos — each built by local community members and organizations and displayed since October 6 throughout the city. In total, over 80 booths of vendors and community organizations will take over downtown Gilroy for the evening.

“This is gonna be one of those festivals that really represents the heart of the community,” said Gilroy City Councilmember Zach Hilton, a co-organizer of the event. “We've never had a place for all of this to come together… I honestly think this is gonna be one of the most authentically creative spaces we've ever seen in Gilroy.”

Beyond typical festival fare, the event will also offer wellness education opportunities, ranging from a community bike ride from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., a bike course, and free health screenings provided by DaVita Health.

Caltrain and Valley Transportation Authority will be present with a bus to help inform community members on the use of public transit, and Community Cycles will be performing free bicycle repair and maintenance.

The event is supported by funds from Santa Clara County, the City of Gilroy, and private philanthropic support and organized by the Gilroy Arts Round Table in collaboration with local community organizations.

The event is free to the public. More information is available at mrfuchila.com/ laofrendafestival