Where to Celebrate Latinx Culture and Día de los Muertos in Santa Barbara

Halloween may be over, but Santa Barbara’s Latinx community is still celebrating Día de los Muertos with several community events over the upcoming weekend, from a pop-up gallery and art talk at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Santa Barbara (MCASB) to a public screening of the film Blue Beetle — featuring DC Comics’ first Latino superhero — and a neighborhood gathering at Ortega Park.

On Friday at 5 p.m., the MCASB — which organized the city’s first-ever Dia de los Muertos calenda on October 22 — will host an art conversation with Santa Barbara historian, activist, and multimedia artist Michael Montenegro as part of its Day of the Dead pop-up exhibition in the museum’s lobby gallery, Altar: Celebrating the Diversity of the Latinx Experience in Our Community, which features work by Montenegro, Dewey Nicks, Sara Prince, and Fulber Gutiérrez. The exhibit will be open to the public through November 5.

During the talk, Montenegro will describe his work as a community historian and founder of Chicano Culture S.B., where he focuses on preserving local culture through graphic design, mixed-media, articles, photo collages, videos, archiving, and hosting community events.

On Saturday, Montenegro will also host the Ninth Annual Santa Barbara Mural Ride, where he will lead a bike tour to see some of the most historically important pieces of public art in the city, from Ortega Park’s community murals to Santa Barbara City College’s newest mural honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage. 

The tour is about six miles and mostly flat, Montenegro said, and the event is free and family friendly. Meet up is at Ortega Park at 1 p.m., and the ride begins at 1:30 p.m. For more information, check out the Indy’s recap video of the tour from 2021.

Later on Saturday, also at Ortega Park, there will be a community Día de Los Muertos Celebration, featuring a community altar to the dead, children’s activities and a Danza Azteca ceremony at sunset. Young artists ages 12-24 will also be able to submit a piece of art based on the theme “Reclaim, Reconnect, Remember” for an altar art exhibit where they will get a chance to win a designer jacket from S.B. Merch.

The event is free and open to the public from 4 to 7 p.m., and the community is invited to “bring a photo or artifact or story to share in remembrance.” The event was organized by local community members, high school students, and several organizations, including Moms Demand Action S.B. and Santa Barbara Urban Creeks.

On Saturday night at Santa Barbara City College, youth from Future Leaders of America will host a public screening of the 2023 film Blue Beetle, which features DC Comics’ first Latino superhero and draws inspiration from prominent figures in Mexican and Mexican-American culture like María la del Barrio, Selena, and El Chapulín Colorado. The screening is free to the public, and the event begins at 5 p.m. in the Fé Bland Forum on West Campus.

Attendees are invited to participate in the organization’s “State of BIPOC Youth Survey” to help understand the needs and challenges of BIPOC youth in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties.

And on Sunday, the Mujeres Makers Market will host the third annual Día de Los Muertos Market and Craft Day at El Presidio from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free event will feature more than 70 vendors, face painters, art workshops, a deejay, dance performances, a Catrina (skeleton costume) contest, a Lotería game, a photo booth, and a community ofrenda.