Video: Sacramento Día de los Muertos celebration creates space to share culture, honor loved ones

As people across Sacramento prepare to celebrate Día de los Muertos, local groups are working to gather around the tradition in a COVID-safe way.

The Latino Center of Art and Culture is hosting El Panteón de Sacramento, a recreation of a candlelit Mexican cemetery and chapel accompanied by live performances, entertainment, food, activities and dozens of altars created by community members in remembrance of their ancestors and loved ones. Last year the organization held a drive-through event. 

"We've been thinking about what Día de los Muertos means to the Sacramento community and to all of us this year, a lot," said LCAC Creative Director Nicolás Colón. "As a lot of families and communities have lost loved ones due to the pandemic, we think this is a really important year for us to actually be able to come together and honor those people who have passed, especially in in the Latino community and other communities of color, which have been kind of disproportionately affected by the pandemic."

Now in its 12th year, the event features the annual “Noche de Ofrenda” (Night of the Offerings) on Saturday. The in-person community procession into the site will feature a 24-piece orchestra, traditional dance groups and “vaqueros” with their trained horses.

You can see El Panteón de Sacramento at the Latino Center of Art & Culture at 2700 Front St. in Sacramento. The event is open Thursday and Friday from 6-10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.