Dia De Los Muertos Celebration Comes to Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Cazateatro and Danza Azteca Quetzalcoatl de Memphis are collaborating for a free Dia de los Muertos celebration beginning with a parade 10:30 a.m. Oct. 7 at Overton Square.

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a traditional Mexican holiday that celebrates and honors friends and family members who have died. The mission of the Memphis event is twofold: to preserve and communicate the cultural heritage of Dia de los Muertos and its importance, and to strengthen the cultural identity of Memphis’ Latino community.

The inaugural Dia de los Muertos Parade begins with a short performance 10:30 a.m. in the Tower Courtyard at Overton Square with floats and performers making their way to the plaza at the Brooks Museum beginning at 11 a.m. Information about road closures, suggested routes and a street map is included at the bottom of this release.

The community celebration at the Brooks will offer art-making activities, face painting, music, costumed performers, dance performances and a Frida Kahlo costume contest. Guests are invited to come dressed in their best Frida-inspired attire! The contest has four age categories: 6 and under, 7-12, 13-18 and 18 and over. The winners will be announced at 1:30 p.m.

Performers include Stax Music Academy, Inner City South, Herencia Hispana, Cazateatro, Alejandro Walls, Mariachi Guadalajara, Danza Azteca Quetzalcoatl de Memphis and Tropical Sound.

The festival begins at the Brooks at 12:15 p.m. and ends at 3 p.m. and admission is free. There will be a small charge for face-painting. Festival-goers can also purchase lunch from Cafe Brooks by Paradox or the several food trucks which will be parked near the plaza.

Throughout the day, Mariachi Guadalajara and several Catrinas (opulently dressed skeleton figures based on José Luis Posada’s icon of death) will also appear at the Brooks. Memphians are invited to join the celebration by bringing a copy of a photograph of a deceased loved one to place on a community altar. Please make sure the photograph is not the original copy.

About Memphis Brooks Museum

Founded in 1916 and located at 1934 Poplar Ave. in historic Overton Park, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art  is home to Tennessee’s oldest and largest  major collection of world art.  More than 10,000 works make up the Brooks Museum’s permanent collection, including works from ancient Greece, Rome and the Americas; Renaissance masterpieces from Italy; English portraiture; American painting and decorative arts; contemporary art; and a survey of African art. The Brooks Museum enriches the lives of our diverse community through the museum's expanding collection, varied exhibitions, and dynamic programs that reflect the art of world cultures from antiquity to the present. For more information about the Brooks and all other exhibitions and programs, call 901.544.6200 or visit www.brooksmuseum.org. 

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