Events & Festivities Around the Valley
Take a drive to the tiny town of Tieton where a vibrant cultural tradition comes to life with a rich display of color, music, food and dance. Experience the traditions and significance of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, and explore the quaint community of artists and makers. Find even more ways to experience cultural celebrations around the valley with a new festival and events.
The Day of the Dead is all About Remembrance and Life
Unlike Halloween’s dark and spooky night of frights and mischief, Día de los Muertos celebrates the beauty of life in an explosion of color, love and remembrance. It originated thousands of years ago in Central America and has roots in both indigenous and Catholic traditions. At the center of the celebration is the importance of honoring and remembering the lives of loved ones who have passed, as opposed to mourning. Altars of remembrance, or ofrendas, are central to the celebration, lovingly created to honor loved ones and welcome their spirits back from eternal sleep to feast, drink and dance to music for just one night.
The three-tier altars are filled with offerings that reflect the life of the loved one, as well as traditional components representing the elements of water, fire (candles), wind (colorful paper banners) and earth (food, especially bread). You’ll also bright marigolds, beautifully made of paper, and colorfully decorated calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls). Sugar skulls are a common festive part of the celebration.
Cultural Celebrations & Traditions
Today, Día de los Muertos has become a global event with its festivities, costumes, music, food and dance. Here in the Valley, you can experience the rich traditions at the annual Día de los Muertos Community Celebration & Altar in Tieton. Each year, Tieton Arts & Humanities and Mighty Tieton host the celebration and create a large community altar they welcome everyone to contribute to.
It all begins with an opening celebration on Sunday, October 26, from 12 to 5 pm. Take the short drive to Tieton for live performances, artists, a stunning cultural gallery exhibit, music and dance performances. Enjoy arts and crafts activities, sugar skull decorating and a mercado featuring an array of goods from artisans and delicious foods. The heart of the display is the large memorial altar filled with all the traditional elements and community contributions. Visitors can bring photos of loved ones, write messages, help decorate and bring candies or breads to make the altar a community celebration. The display also features exhibits about the sacred traditions, individual contemporary and traditional altars, sugar skull displays and a vibrant, traditional sandpainting by acclaimed Oaxacan artist Fulgencio.
This year, the Lowrider Car Show also returns to the celebration on October 26! The lowrider show “showcases another art form within the community and give our visitors another exciting experience that highlights the Latine community and celebrate the culture,” according to Tieton Arts & Humanities.You can visit the gallery exhibit and altar on Fridays and Saturdays, from 12 to 5 pm, through November 9, or by appointment.
Explore the Town of Tieton
Tieton packs a lot into a few square blocks. While you’re there for Día de los Muertos, be sure to check out the final day of Art of Harvest at Boxx Gallery on October 26, an exhibit inspired by the fruits of the Yakima Valley’s agricultural roots. Another exceptional exhibit follows at this beautifully curated gallery, beginning November 1.
Save time to savor cultural flavors at local dining stops around town. Fernando’s is a local’s favorite stop for traditional Mexican dishes and Don Mateo is known for delicious Salvadoran specialties including handmade papusas. Save your spot for seasonally inspired lunch or dinner at Nomad Kitchen & Mercantile. Check out their mercantile stocked with goods for outdoor adventurers and food lovers. Tour the vibrant tile mosaic installations all around town from Tieton Mosaic, perfect for photo ops! Gather over handcrafted coffee drinks and bites at North Town Coffee House or raise a pint at one of the valley’s newest craft breweries, Shorthead Brewing. That’s not all! Take a look at more of the makers and top stops in Tieton.
Festivities of Light, Color & Remembrance
This year marks the return of another new event in Downtown Yakima. The Laka Laka Glowing Festival celebrates Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Deceased)* on Saturday, November 1, 9 to 5 pm, at the Downtown Rotary Pavilion. This new festival embraces tradition in a magical way with light, color, candles, food, vendors, music and more. Enjoy a lively beer garden and get in character to participate in the beautiful catrina contest. It also serves as an educational experience centered around the rich traditions of Día de los Difuntos, fostering youth empowerment and cultural understanding.
The Downtown Association of Yakima also invites you and your family to the Rotary Pavilion during the day on October 31 to decorate the pavilion with chalk art. This family-friendly event will not be Halloween focused. Rather, it will encourage, teach and provide inspiration drawn from Día de los Difuntos. Watch the association’s website and social channels for details about the Laka Laka Festival and chalk art event.
The Día de los Muertos celebrations also return to the Valley Mall this year, in partnership with Yakima-Morelia Sister City Association. Visit the mall from October 24 to November 2 to tour a collection of vibrant ofrendas (altars) created by individuals and groups form around the valley. Mark your calendar for cultural dance performances, arts and crafts, clay painting and the traditional car show. The Yakima-Morelia Sister City Association is also hosting a tour of altars at downtown businesses, check them all out and collect stamps as you go. Keep an eye on the mall’s website and social channels, as well as the Yakima-Morelia Sister City Association website for details.
*In Spain, Ecuador and other regions of the world, Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Deceased) is traditionally a more intimate commemoration than that associated with Día de los Muertos festivities.
Check out all the other things to do in the Yakima Valley when you visit.
Categorized in: Family Fun, History and Culture