Third annual Ysleta Día de los Muertos invites families to a free Lower Valley celebration

EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Families in Ysleta are invited to celebrate the Day of the Dead at the third annual Ysleta Día de los Muertos, an event organizers say was created to bring community gatherings back to the Lower Valley.

The event is being put on by the local community in Ysleta along with local businesses including Siki’s, La Tapatia, Ysleta Beer, Wine and Spirits, and Rudy Service Station.

The event starts on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 115 Ysleta Ln. in the Lower Valley.

Organizers said the celebration has grown each year. “The first year went well, last year went a little bit better, so you know we decided there weren’t a lot of events happening in Ysleta anymore,” Michael Fierro, a local professional artist and organizer, said. “You know there were no more bazaars, no more street festival, the Ysleta Street Festival, so you know we decided to put on this event for our community.”

Planned activities include Tigua dancing at 4 p.m., a ballet folklorico troupe “who dresses up like Catrinas,” and live music, including Main Street playing cumbias.

Organizers also said food trucks, vendors, and entertainment will be available throughout the event, with Día de los Muertos altars set up at La Tapatia.

The family-friendly event is free and will have altars for families to honor loved ones who have died.

“We’ve got our altars, so you can celebrate your loved ones who have passed on,” Fierro said. “I think that’s important. It’s an important tradition within the Latin community.”

Fierro added that the event will also serve as a second chance for those who missed downtown’s Día de los Muertos event earlier this month after rain cut the celebration short.

“Unfortunately, the one downtown got rained down on. So if you guys didn’t get a chance to celebrate the one downtown, come on out and celebrate down here in Ysleta,” Fierro said.

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