Día de los Muertos celebrations are coming to life across our communities!
From community ofrendas and artmaking to exhibitions and cultural celebrations, we come together to honor our ancestors and loved ones, preserve their stories and legacies, and carry our traditions forward for generations to come.
Here's what's happening this weekend!
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Día de los Muertos celebrations are coming to life across our communities!
Grand Park's signature annual Día de los Muertos celebration transforms Downtown LA's vibrant green oasis into a spectacular display of community-created ofrendas honoring ancestors and loved ones, complemented by live performances, Indigenous traditions, and artmaking that celebrate cultural heritage and connect generations.
A special highlight is the “Gloria Molina: The Artist” ofrenda, created by The East LA Stitchers (TELAS) and Gloria Molina's family, honoring her lifelong passion for the arts and enduring cultural legacy.
WHERE: Gloria Molina Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave, DTLA
Ofrendas on view through Nov 2
12 PM–3 PM | Self Help Graphics & Art Día de los Muertos Community Art Workshop
Celebrate the traditions of Día de los Muertos through hands-on artmaking! Create illuminated miniature candle paintings, paper marigolds, and papel picado to honor loved ones and bring these meaningful traditions into your home.
WHERE: East Los Angeles Library, 4837 E 3rd St., Los Angeles
12 PM–12 AM | Hollywood Forever's 27th Annual Día de los Muertos – All Under One Sky
WHERE: 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles
5 PM–8 PM | Self Help Graphics & Art – Monarchs & Migration: Honoring Our Immigrant Legacies
Presented in partnership with LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (LA Plaza), this special exhibition is part of Self Help Graphics & Art's 53rd Annual Día de los Muertos commemoration, one of the longest-running public observances of its kind in the United States.
Featuring works by generations of artists with longstanding ties to Self Help Graphics & Art, Monarchs & Migration honors our ancestors, the journeys and sacrifices of those who came before us, and the enduring cultural legacies that continue to shape our communities.
WHERE: LA Plaza, 501 N. Main St., DTLA
Exhibition on view through December 6
**IMAGE CREDIT: CONSUELO G. FLORES, MONARCHS AND MIGRATION: CHILDREN AT THE BOARDER OF FREEDOM, 2026 SCREENPRINT, 26.5” X 20” SHEET. SELF HELP GRAPHICS & ART’S 2026 DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS COMMEMORATIVE PRINT. ARTWORK PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIC JAIPAL
Oct 24 - Nov 3 | Rose Hills – Día de Los Muertos Community Altar
Altar Blessing on Nov 2 at 10:00am
Honor and remember loved ones through a community altar celebrating family, memory, and the enduring traditions of Día de los Muertos.
WHERE: Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3888 Workman Mill Rd., Whittier
Sunday, October 25, 2026
12 PM–4 PM | LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes – Día de los Muertos Family Day
As part of LA Plaza's Family Days and annual Día de los Muertos celebration, this special day brings generations together for an afternoon of Oaxacan music and dance, hands-on artmaking, and cultural traditions that celebrate the lives, memories, and enduring legacies of our ancestors and loved ones.
Bring the whole family to honor those who came before us, share their stories, and keep their memories alive through the arts!
WHERE: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles
Drawing Together — Our Drawing Island in Los Angeles!
Get your creative juices flowing! Join EAI grantee Drawing Together and artist Teresa Flores for Sunday afternoons of art, creativity, and community connection at Belvedere Park Lake on October 18 & 25, 2026!
Inspired by Chicano art’s rich tradition of cultural expression and resilience, these community drawing workshops invite neighbors of all ages to explore their creativity, connect, and have fun together! Just bring yourself and your imagination! Art supplies and blankets provided.
WHERE: Belvedere Park Lake, East LA
WHEN: Sundays, October 18 & 25, 2026 | 4–6 PM
Come draw, create, and connect — art is better together!
Remembering Gustavo Adolfo Guerra Vasquez
Image courtesy of Luis Antonio Pichardo, DSTL Arts (EAI grantee alum), LA County Fair 2026.
With saddened hearts at the sudden passing of Gustavo Adolfo Guerra Vasquez, a cherished member of our arts community whose poetry, creativity and generous spirit touched so many, we pay tribute to his lasting legacy.
We are honored to have had him as part of our ReCreate Walk team at the LA County Fair and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. Those who wish to support the family are invited to visit: Fundraiser for Olga Moreno by Mario Escobar: Celebrating Gustavo’s Life and Legacy
GRIT | Documentary (2026)
Get inspired by former Tulare Fire Chief Luis Nevarez’ remarkable life journey, the challenges he has overcome, and his enduring friendship with Emilio Rivera—a story of determination, resilience, and the courage to keep moving forward.
Directed and produced by Rivera and his wife, Yadi Valerio Rivera, the documentary celebrates, as Yadi described it to The Sun-Gazette, “the human spirit and the will to never give up.”
Pictured above from left to right are Rivera, Valerio Rivera, Nevarez, and Chicano Hollywood founder and EAI grantee alum Johnny Murillo following a sold-out screening of GRIT at the Chicano Hollywood Film Festival in Pomona, CA, August 1, 2026.
Missed It The First Time Around? Here’s Your Chance To Catch It!
2026 Update: Say a Little Prayer, the independently produced feature film, is now streaming on Netflix!
A big congratulations to EAI grantee alum, writer and co-producer Nancy de Los Santos! We’re so proud to see her work reaching audiences everywhere! 👏🎉
Directed by Patrick Perez Vidauri, Say a Little Prayer follows three best friends searching for true love who recite an ancient prayer to St. Anthony, the patron saint of “all things lost.” What follows is an unexpected journey that tests their friendship and transforms their lives in ways they never imagined.
The film stars Luis Fonsi (Despacito), Vannessa Vásquez (Divorce Bait), Jackie Cruz (Orange Is the New Black), and Vivian Lamolli (Queen of Manhattan), alongside Angélica María (The House of Flowers), Tatanka Means (Killers of the Flower Moon, Marshals), Alma Martinez (Gentefied) and Chris Kattan (Saturday Night Live).
🍿 Now streaming on Netflix — don’t miss it!
Past Events
February 7 - February 22, 2026 at Greenway Court Theatre,
with performances Friday–Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 2:00pm.
Stacey Martino Rivera’s The Circle is a tragi-comic play set during a weekend in 2016 following Trump’s presidential nomination, as nationwide protests erupt. The play follows a Texas family navigating estrangement and the care of a matriarch living with dementia. Starring Eastside Arts Initiative Council Member and acclaimed actress Dr. Alma Martinez.
Attention Los Angeles-based artists! We're helping Artadia spread the word about its 2026 LA grant awards opening. The non-profit Grantmaker and nationwide arts community network will award $15K grants to two LA-based artists and one $25K grant to one LA-based curator. Learn more and don't miss the deadline February 1!
Sunday, February 1st, 2026
2:00pm to 7:00pm at the Steven's Steakhouse
Dance is a Story!
Colores del Pueblo Veracruz
November 23rd, 2025
2:00pm to 4:00pm at the James R. Armstrong Theater
Don't miss the decadence of Colores del Pueblo, a celebration of dance for all ages. The first 50 people to sign up receive free entry!
Enjoy a visual feast offered by Youth Culture Moves the World; an Eastside Arts Initiative grantee alum.
Latino Theater Co: La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin
December 5 - 6, 2025
Cathedral of Our Lady of Angeles, 555 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Experience the beloved holiday tradition!
Join the Latino Theater Co. at Downtown L.A.’s Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin — the timeless story of Juan Diego and the Virgin Mary’s miraculous apparition on Tepeyac Hill.
Featuring over 100 performers, singers, and Aztec dancers, this spectacular pageant has inspired tens of thousands since 2002.
🎟️ General Admission is FREE! Premium seating: $45.
Performed in Spanish with English supertitles.
Latino Theater Co: La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin
December 5 - 6, 2025
Cathedral of Our Lady of Angeles, 555 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Don’t miss out Saturday, November 15! 🗓️
Join Richard Montoya of Culture Clash and an ALL-STAR lineup of Talent including Death Row Records Julian Torres of Dodger Mariachi fame, Raul Pacheco of Ozomatli and Mark Guerrero & Friends and EAI grantee alum Nancy Sanchez for a night of Music, Comedy, and Community at Steven’s Steakhouse.
🎟️ Presale Discount code: Nanchez
October 6 - October 12, 2025
Cinépolis Cinema Hollywood Park
The Film Festival at Hollywood Park is hosting FREE panels Oct. 6–12 
featuring 50+ filmmakers, executives & creators volunteering their time to uplift the filmmaking community.
Discover new insights, connect & be inspired alongside fellow creatives. Seats are limited — register at HollywoodParkFilmFest.com
October 3 & 4, 2025
La Plaza de Cultura y Artes
501 N Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Join a groundbreaking celebration! This milestone event unites two visionary festivals and a historic cultural institution under one banner, combining storytelling, heritage, and creativity.
Together, these collaborators bring a bold new initiative that merges resources, talent, and films from around the world.
Saturday, September 27, 2025
11:00am – 9:00pm
Gardena Cinema
14948 Crenshaw Blvd
Gardena, CA
Open Call for Photo Submissions
Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective
Entry deadline: August 29 at 11:59pm (PST).
The Vincent Price Art Museum (VPAM), in preparation for the upcoming Fall 2025 exhibition Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective, formally invites community members to contribute images featuring Ofelia Esparza and/or her work. A Chicana artist, altarista (altar maker) and educator from East Los Angeles, Esparza is a sixth-generation altar maker and is recognized for her work with Self Help Graphics & Art (SHG), specifically for her community ofrendas (altars/shrines) for Dia de Los Muertos.
We invite you to share images that showcase the vast and personal impact Esparza and her art have contributed to East Los Angeles and beyond. Emphasis on submissions includes Esparza and Day of the Dead photographs in Los Angeles since the late 1970s, her printmaking years at Self Help Graphics from the 1980s–2000s, or personal photographs with friends and loved ones, but all material content is welcome.
Selected submissions may be displayed in the forthcoming exhibition and/or accompanying publication. Please click the link below for full details.
Before You Now: Artist Talk and Collage Workshop with Kalli Arte Collective
Saturday, August 23, 2025
2:00pm – 4:30pm
As part of Before You Now: Capturing the Self in Portraiture, Kalli Arte Collective will lead an intergenerational hands-on collage workshop inviting participants to explore overlapping themes of convening (with others) and conceptualizing (family and self) through the creative process of art-making. Extending the exhibition’s themes beyond the gallery, this workshop offers a reflective space for participants to consider their sense of self and how it connects to community, family, and place—while creating new work grounded in their personal experiences.
This workshop invites participants to create their own collage art using silk screen patterns and designs created by Kalli Arte collective. Each participant will have a chance to cut and assemble their own art piece using the provided materials.
This program is free and open to the public.
About the Artists
Kalli Arte is a family artists collective based in Boyle Heights. Kalli Arte was started by two self-taught artists: Adriana Carranza, Alfonso Aceves and their four children. Kalli Arte is dedicated to speaking directly to their community and beyond through printmaking, gallery exhibitions, art installations, community workshops and marketplaces.
"Della" Film Screening
Saturday, August 9, 2025 at the @lomafilmfest at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Levitt Pavilion’s free summer concert series featuring
“Afro Funke' Africa”
Saturday, August 9, 2025 @levittla
Women Who Submit (@womenwhosubmit) Presents: “Bookseller Tips for Writers”
Saturday, August 9, 2025 at 10am on Zoom
Always Running: Photography by Luis J. Rodriguez
Closing reception on Friday, August 8, 2025 from 6pm to 8pm at @plazadelaraza
Hedy Torres
Saturday, August 02, 2025
2pm to 4pm
A collective homage and salute to the iconic Roberto Chavez, part of a courageous generation of postwar Mexican-American artists who defied the zeitgeist of their era and painted their people out of invisibility. His art was the spark that fueled the Chicano Renaissance of the 1960s, and generations of artists stand on his shoulders. Rest in Power.
Roberto Chavez, Iconic Chicano Artist of the Postwar Era, Dies at 92
#Chicanoartists #eastsideartists #eastside #eastsideartsinitiative
Deadline Mar 3
2025 NALAC Leadership Institute Open Call for Applicants:
NALAC Leadership Institute (NLI)
East LA Film Festival
October 5th 2024
10am to 10pm
California Arts Council Seeks Arts Providers
at State Correctional Institutions
Request for proposals will promote healing and well-being through creativity
The California Arts Council (CAC) is now accepting proposals from organizations interested in providing arts services promoting healing and well-being as part of California’s Arts in Corrections (AIC) program. Organizations of all sizes are encouraged to submit programming proposals for up to $86,000 per institution that broaden the art and cultural disciplines of institution workshops.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks to contract with new, current, and returning Coordinating Organizations to provide AIC programming that promotes healing and well-being through creativity to replace expiring contracts.
The final deadline for submitting proposals is Monday, October 14, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
Ugly Little Monkeys Film Screening 2024
