Oct. 22, 2024 - The Village of Oak Park is collaborating with numerous community partners to host the 2024 Día de Los Muertos Event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 2 in Scoville Park, 800 Lake St.

This free community event is an opportunity to engage the Latine communities in Oak Park and River Forest and honor ancestors through a Celebration of Life. Festivities will begin with a performance by Mariachi Sirenas, Chicago's first all-women mariachi group at 10 a.m. Omeyocan Dance Company will showcase a mesmerizing Aztec dance performance at 11 a.m., followed by Ramon Marino's Trovamusicat noon.

Food vendors will be on-site in the plaza between Scoville Park and the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St. Attendees can look forward to delicious offerings from local favorites including Taco Mucho, Tacos '76, Spilt Milk(Pan de Muerto), Amerikas (hot chocolate and churros), and Quesadilla LaReyna del Sur(Mexican Vegetarian Cuisine).

The event will also feature face painting, sugar skull decorations, Latine vendors and community resource booths. Organizations interested in hosting a resource table should contact the Village Clerk by calling 708.358.5670 or by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Officials note that Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is not a Mexican version of Halloween. While Halloween celebrates mischief and fright, Day of the Dead unfolds in a burst of color and life Nov. 1-2 - a time to demonstrate love and respect for deceased family members. Rooted in Aztec, Toltec, and Nahua traditions, Day of the Dead sees mourning the dead as disrespectful. Instead, it embraces death as a natural part of life's cycle.

Central to this celebration is the Ofrenda, an altar designed to welcome the spirits of loved ones back to the living world. The altars, adorned with offerings such as water, food, photos, marigolds/cempasuchiltl and candles, are made in remembrance of family members who have passed.

The Oak Park and River Forest communities will also come together from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 to create meaningful Ofrendas across town, celebrating the lives of loved ones and fostering togetherness. Led by Alma Martinez, the founder of Dia De Los Muertos in Oak Park & River Forest, this annual tradition highlights the richness of Mexican culture while strengthening community bonds.

For more information about the event or the Ofrenda displays walk, visit the Día de los Muertos in Oak Park and River Forest Facebook Group.

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About Oak Park

The Village of Oak Park, located just nine miles west of downtown Chicago, offers a distinctive urban/suburban lifestyle in a thriving, multi-cultural community. Well-known for progressive values, tree-lined streets and bustling business districts, Oak Park serves as an ideal place to live, work and play. As a longstanding community of choice, the Village benefits from convenient access to local and regional transit, high-quality public schools, and arts and cultural attractions, including Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio and his acclaimed Unity Temple, which was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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