Live music, cultural dancing, colorful outfits, sugar skulls and more created a lively atmosphere at the Museum of Latin American Art’s annual Día de los Muertos Festival on Sunday, Oct. 26.
Hundreds of people attended the free, family-friendly festival that showcased different parts of Latin American and Latin culture in honor of a special holiday for the community – Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.
This year’s theme was “Resilience,” and celebrated the Latino community’s capacity to endure and overcome hardship and difficulties, officials said. In doing so, people also recognized and honored the endurance and legacy of their ancestors.
Leslie Jimenez, education program manager with the Museum of Latin American Art, helps host its Día de los Muertos festival with this year’s theme being “Resilience,” honoring ancestors and celebrating the strength of the Latino community, in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Ballet Folklórico Almitas Mexicanas performs during the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Ballet Folklórico Almitas Mexicanas performs during the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Ballet Folklórico Almitas Mexicanas performs during the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Ballet Folklórico Almitas Mexicanas performs during the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Ballet Folklórico Almitas Mexicanas performs during the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Monique Cominy attends the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Ballet Folklórico Almitas Mexicanas performs during the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Emery Perez, 6, and her grandma Gabriela Neufeld work on holiday crafts at the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Emery Perez, 6, gets her face painted at the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Sergio Imbler takes a selfie with Aeris Pulos, 11, in front of an altar greeting visitors to he Museum of Latin American Art, for its Día de los Muertos festiva, honoring ancestors and celebrating the strength of the Latino community, in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Elizabeth Calaveras Zapotecas does face painting at the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Ballet Folklórico Almitas Mexicanas performs during the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Monique Cominy attends the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Mirna Aracelly-Zapata, left, and Sara Zapata Mijares pose for pictures at the Día de los Muertos festival in the Museum of Latin American Art, honoring ancestors and celebrating the strength of the Latino community, in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Leslie Jimenez, education program manager with the Museum of Latin American Art, helps host its Día de los Muertos festival with this year’s theme being “Resilience,” honoring ancestors and celebrating the strength of the Latino community, in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
An altar greets visitors to he Museum of Latin American Art, for its Día de los Muertos festiva, honoring ancestors and celebrating the strength of the Latino community, in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Ballet Folklórico Almitas Mexicanas performs during the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Brown-Najera Family poses for a picture as the Museum of Latin American Art hosts its Día de los Muertos festival with this year’s theme being “Resilience,” honoring ancestors and celebrating the strength of the Latino community, in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Bianca does face painting at the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Sisters Idanya, left, Aziza, and Ezrah Brown-Najero attend Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art, honoring ancestors and celebrating the strength of the Latino community, in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Emery Perez, 6, gets her face painted at the Día de los Muertos festival at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Museum of Latin American Art hosts its Día de los Muertos festival with this year’s theme being “Resilience,” honoring ancestors and celebrating the strength of the Latino community, in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
An ofrenda altar greets visitors to he Museum of Latin American Art, for its Día de los Muertos festiva, honoring ancestors and celebrating the strength of the Latino community, in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
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Leslie Jimenez, education program manager with the Museum of Latin American Art, helps host its Día de los Muertos festival with this year’s theme being “Resilience,” honoring ancestors and celebrating the strength of the Latino community, in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The museum’s festival happened against the backdrop of increased federal immigration enforcement across the region and nation since June. Long Beach was one of the cities that decided to cancel its annual Día de los Muertos parade amid fear of ongoing raids. But not MOLAA.
“MOLAA has been doing the Day of the Dead Festival for multiple years,” Soliar Salas, deputy director of MOLAA, said in an interview. “It’s been an integral part of our cultural programming at MOLAA, and it’s something that is identified so much with the mission of the institution, not just in the artistic sense, but also in a cultural sense. So for us, it was a key event that we needed to move forward with.”
The Día de los Muertos festival had a robust program with performances by Ballet Folklorico Almitas Mexicanas, Cultura Revolución Arts’ Folklorico and Mariachi Ensemble and La Nueva Ola de Cumbia, a musical group well known for its covers of the 1980s and ’90s hits while wearing colorful luchador masks. DJ Caveman played music and entertained the crowds all day.
“We usually have a very robust program,” Alison Heney, vice president of learning and public programs at MOLAA, said in an interview, “but we’re very excited for this year’s because we specifically wanted to pull from a lot of our local supporters and artists who are here from California.”
Attendees of all ages were dressed in their best “Catrina” and “Catrin” outfits – which have become popular costumes during Día de los Muertos celebrations and typically feature skull makeup. The festival had a live judging and announcement of winners for the costume contest.
There were also art workshops led by Jacqueline Valenzuela, an East Los Angeles artist whose work bridges fine art with Chicano lowrider culture, exploring personal and communal narratives, according to the museum’s website. Valenzuela taught people how to create and color lowriders.
The festival had more than 35 local craftspeople, artisans and businesses, including Allie Tagua Jewelry, Nuestra Vida, Mextica, For My Homegirls and Hecho by Caye, among others. From tamales to churros, there were also several authentic Latin food offerings, and Long Beach’s Trademark Brewing brought some special beers for the occasion.
People could also go inside the museum to see a mandala on the lobby floor made of indigenous materials – such as marigolds, corn, beans and seeds – and mini ofrendas that were made by local families, artists and community organizations to honor loved ones and ancestors.
One of the ofrendas was made by the Long Beach Book Club and featured photos of authors who have made an impact on the book club members’ reading journey. Miniature skulls and food made out of clay were placed on top of stacked books with the titles “1984” by George Orwell, “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez.
The Día de los Muertos Festival, Salas said, was made possible by sponsorships from the Port of Long Beach, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, and Hyundai Motor America.
Officials at MOLAA said they hoped that attendees would take away the value of the past, culture and ancestors after attending this year’s festival.
“For us,” Salas said, “it’s having all of our visitors have a takeaway of the value, the importance and the wonder of Latin American and Latino culture.”