Thursday, October 29, 2026

Job Center Altars at Villa Parke Día de los Muertos to Honor Eaton Fire Victims, Fallen Workers

By THERESE EDU

Seven families have reserved altar space for Pasadena’s free Día de los Muertos celebration Friday, Oct. 30, at Villa Parke Community Center, where the Pasadena Community Job Center’s altars will honor Eaton Fire victims, a city spokesperson said.

“The Job Center will be honoring fallen workers, victims of the Eaton Fire, and individuals who passed away in ICE detention centers,” Amanda Sin, a communications coordinator for the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, said in written responses. The center, where day laborers meet employers looking to hire, chose to add the Eaton Fire tributes to its altars, Sin said.

The celebration runs from 5 to 8 p.m. and features dance performances, arts and crafts, food for purchase and ofrendas, altars honoring the dead, according to a city news release. Performers include local folklórico groups Nahuatzen and Mexica, and the Aztec dance group Yankuititl will close the program, bless the altars and speak about the meaning of the holiday, Sin said.

As Indigenous communities in Mexico have practiced, Día de los Muertos commemorates the brief return of deceased relatives and loved ones, with festivities from the end of October into early November, according to UNESCO. UNESCO added the tradition, which blends pre-Hispanic rites with Catholic feasts, to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

Community members may bring a framed photograph of a loved one to place on a shared community altar at the event. “Everyone is welcome to attend,” Sin said.

“The City of Pasadena would like the public to know that this celebration is a deeply meaningful tradition that honors loved ones who have passed and brings the community together through culture, art, and remembrance,” she said.

Families who wanted to display their own altars had until Oct. 15 to reserve space, according to the release. The seven family reservations are consistent with participation in previous years, Sin said.

The Armory Center for the Arts will also take part, and the Armory and the Job Center partnered with the parks department on the 2022 and 2024 celebrations. The 2022 program included arts and crafts with the Armory, ballet folklórico by Mexica and Lupita and a performance by Yankuititl, according to a newsletter from the city’s District 6 council office.

The celebration is part of the city’s Latino Heritage Month programming, which the city says recognizes the histories and contributions of Americans with roots in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America and Spain. Earlier in October, the series listed a pan de muerto baking workshop at Villa Parke, an ofrenda nicho box and flower-making workshop at the Hastings Branch Library and a free family screening of “Coco” at Madison Elementary School.

Community ofrendas remain on display through Nov. 7 at the Hastings, La Pintoresca and Santa Catalina branch libraries, where adults may add photos, messages or family mementos. La Pintoresca, 1355 N. Raymond Ave., and Santa Catalina, 999 E. Washington Blvd., list display hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Hastings, 3325 E. Orange Grove Blvd., is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Need to Know: Día de los Muertos is Friday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Villa Parke Community Center, 363 E. Villa St., Pasadena. Admission is free; food is available for purchase. For accessibility accommodations, email CSC@CityOfPasadena.net or call (626) 744-7311. Call (626) 744-6530 or visit cityofpasadena.net/parks-and-rec/event/dia-de-los-muertos.