Along with the KCHCC celebration at the fairgrounds, many others in the community will offer public Día de los Muertos events this weekend.
Annual Parish Festival and Día de los Muertos Festival: The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Co-Patroness of the Unborn, will offer its combined celebration that will include altars for departed loved ones.
Dress festively and “skully up” for fun, food and music in memory of departed loved ones.
The public is invited to set up altares and ofrendas between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. To take part, call 661-345-5842 and provide your name and phone number to reserve a space.
A folklorico concert from 3 to 5 p.m. will feature performances by Grupo Folklorico Escuelas Unidas, Ballet Folklorico Mi Tierra, Ballet Folklorico Mi Pasion, Aguilas de Mount Vernon Elementary VAPA and Los Skeletos Folklorico Dancers.
The expo will also include more than 30 regional Mexican food and beverage booths, games such as loteria, traditional holiday decor, community outreach and informational booths and more.
There will also be a raffle with prizes of $2,000, $3,000 and $5,000. Tickets ($10) are available by calling 661-323-3073. Funds raised will go toward the future construction of the largest Catholic sanctuary in Kern County.
The celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at 4600 E. Brundage Lane. Admission and parking are free.
Día de los Muertos at Hillcrest: For All Souls Day, it will provide a celebration with music and entertainment, vendors, food, raffles, loteria and more. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Funeraria del Angel Hillcrest and Hillcrest Memorial Park, 9101 Kern Canyon Road. Call 661-366-5766 for more details.
Día de los Muertos at Greenlawn Northeast: The free celebration will include an altar contest, live music and folkloric dance, family activities and food and beverage vendors. Festivities will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Greenlawn Cemetery Northeast, 3700 River Blvd. Call 661-324-9701 for more information or to register for the altar contest.
Delano Día De Los Muertos: The grassroots youth-led organization LOUD For Tomorrow returns with its second Día celebration with community altars, live mariachi, free food, face painting and fun activities. It also partnered with Omni Family Health to offer wellness checks and diabetes screenings with Omni’s Mobile Health Unit. The event will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday at 629 Main St. in Delano.
Day of the Dead at Wall Street Alley: Jerry’s Pizza & Pub has organized the event that will have skull painting and face painting, memory station, local vendors, pan de muertos, hot chocolate, pozole and more. The gathering will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday in the alley between Eye Street and Chester Avenue.
Rock & Wings Niles: Local band Mento Buru will team up with the eastside restaurant for a “Día de los Mentos” celebration with music, including special guests Grupo Feliz and DJ Mickey Rock, and food. It starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, 2854 Niles St. Call 661-432-7743 for more details.
Casa Mariachi (1219 Golden State Ave.): The restaurant will offer a Día De Los Muertos weekend with live mariachi music from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday. Call 661-302-3870 for reservations.
Fiesta En El Cielo: The Clarissa Mora Empowerment Fund, started in honor of the Bakersfield College student who was killed in a car accident in 2023, will host the second annual event with performances by Ballet Folklorico Teocalli, Mariachi Mi Ciudad, Ballet Folklorico Ritmo y Sabor, Mariachi Ritmo de Mexico and Las Cafeteras. Funds raised will go toward scholarships for students who are facing the loss of a loved one and allow the organization to bring empowering and uplifting speakers to campus. Doors open at 6 p.m., the event starts at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Simonsen Outdoor Theater on campus, 1801 Panorama Drive. Tickets are $25, available at bit.ly/3ImBjgx.