Dia de Muertos Festival Seattle

OVERVIEW

Seattle Center Festál presents Dia de Muertos Festival Seattle in partnership with the Dia de Muertos Festival Committee. The festival offers performances, elaborate altars, colorful face-painting, sugar skull workshops, visual art, and more!

HISTORY

In 1998, a group of volunteers gathered to plan the first Day of the Dead in South Park. The celebration expanded from Concord Elementary School to other venues in the same area until 2003, when the festival moved to Seattle Center. Volunteers who believed in preserving the celebration as a legacy to our children worked hard to produce the festival. In 2013, a new committee was formed and continued the mission of enriching the cultural value to the community and the Puget Sound at large. The committee members are proud to share their history and traditions with all.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Dia de Muertos dates back prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in the Americas. Historians say it could be as old as 2,000 years old, among different civilizations from Aztecs to Toltec.
• It is a time to celebrate, not a day to mourn. People celebrate by placing an offering with food, fruit, and other items the departed liked when they were alive. Also, music and colorful ornaments placed around the offering welcome the spirit of the deceased.