L.A.’s beloved Gloria Molina Grand Park will overflow with color, culture and community spirit during its annual Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos celebration, from Saturday, October 25, through Sunday, November 2, 2025.
The theme of the nine-day ancestral experience, which traditionally honors the enduring spirits of loved ones lost, is expanding to also generate awareness of the lived, traumatic experiences of Los Angeles County’s immigrant communities that have been recent targets of federal immigration raids. Bringing hope and joy into the lives of Angelenos, visitors and immigrants, two-time Latin GRAMMY®-nominated artist Lupita Infante will perform on the final evening of the annual celebration, known as Noche de los Muertos (Night of the Dead).
The festival will kick off on Saturday, October 25, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., as part of Grand Ave Arts: All Access. The day begins with a sacred processional honoring the tradition’s Indigenous roots, featuring blessings by Ohtli Yollotl and followed by inspiring performances from local artists. The music lineup includes El Marchante (led by cultural organizer Osmar Romero) and Mariachi Las Catrinas. A highlight will be a formal acknowledgement and dedication of the park’s legacy in memory of former L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina, whose tenacity helped create and complete the 12-acre green oasis. Visitors and families can participate in hands-on activities, such as printmaking, face painting and sugar skull crafting, as well as discover natural remedies from an “alterNative” medicine shop.
All events are free and open to the public.
Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos will cap off the nine days with a luminous Noche de los Muertos festivity, illuminating the path between life and death through light, music and cultural expression. The closing celebration, to be held from 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, will feature an Aztec ceremonial dance, a mercado (market) featuring wares made by local artisans and art-making activities where participants can create colorful lanterns and play with marigold dye—all reflecting the heart of Día de los Muertos. Two-time Latin GRAMMY®-nominated artist Lupita Infante will headline the four-hour festival, alongside L.A.-based band Boleros with Attitude (BWA) that revives the vintage Bolero sounds of the Golden Era of Mexico by fusing them with the dynamic force of hip-hop. With the warm glow of candles and glowing altars, Noche de los Muertos will be a poignant tribute to ancestors and a collective expression of joy in the face of loss and adversity.
Curated for the fourth time by local multimedia artist and educator Consuelo G. Flores, this year’s ofrendas (altars) will be created by local artists and community organizations and will showcase vibrant marigolds, candles, photographs and symbolic mementos that honor the memory and legacies of ancestors. The exhibition will not only pay tribute—through art, music and ritual—to those who have passed but will also celebrate the strength and perseverance of the immigrant communities that continue to shape Los Angeles. Altars will be created by artists Angela Imperial, Celina Jacques, Marissa Magdalena Sykes, Jessica Monares, Rose Portillo, Antonio Rael and The Family of Gloria Molina; local organizations Antioch University Los Angeles, East Los Angeles Women’s Center, Generaciones en Acción, German Shepard Rescue of Orange County, Indigital Productions, Mexican Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, Rock Rose Gallery, The Wall Las Memorias and Vital Strategies; and community partners LADWP Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) & The American Society of Civil Engineers of Los Angeles (ASCE) and Los Angeles County Supervisorial District 1 – Hilda Solis, among others.