The Isla Vista Community Services District celebrated Day of the Dead with “Noche de Ofrendas: Art Festival & Night Market” at the Isla Vista Community Center ahead of the calendar holiday from Nov. 1-2. The event included live performances, art displays and an altar honoring those who have passed.

The event included an ofrenda, an altar that honors people who have passed away. Courtesy of IVCSD

Thrifttopia I.V., local Santa Barbara artist Steven Did and UCSB Fashion Club partnered with the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) for the night market and art installations. The night market included a wearable art upcycle station, screenprinting, thrift stalls and other art activities. I.V. Farmacy sponsored the event. 

This was the first festival the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) independently held to honor Día De Los Muertos, whereas in the past it was co-sponsored with other organizations. Día De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday that celebrates the lives of those who have passed away. It is celebrated in Mexico and by those of Mexican heritage in the United States.

The event included live music from local band Deadset and various DJs, an art walk, live painting and over 50 local and Latine-focused vendors. Performances also included Dominican Republic bachata and traditional Puerto Rican Danza.

People were able to pay homage to their loved ones who have died by leaving photos at a community altar, or ofrenda, which was decorated with candles and marigolds in the community center. 

“The Mexican marigold petals symbolize the path that dead relatives or loved ones take to come and visit the altar,” Community Spaces Project Manager Lesley Sanchez said.

Common practices of Día de los Muertos include giving offerings, like special food or items the deceased enjoyed when they were alive. Community Programs & Engagement Director Myah Mashhadialireza said that’s why the day is called a “night of offerings.”

“Because we’re offering not only to our dead loved ones in the form of the altar and creating space for that, but we’re also offering the community a cultural and artistic experience by highlighting all of the BIPOC and Indigenous artists we have in our community,” Mashhadialireza said. 

The Día De Los Muertos community altar will be displayed at the community center until November 3rd. Viewing hours are from Oct. 22 to Nov. 1. 

“We wanted to honor the tradition, because so many [in] the Isla Vista community celebrate this holiday, and we wanted to do it in a way that also honored all of the cultural arts and prioritized and lifted up our community members whose voices need to be heard,” Mashhadialireza said. 

A version of this article appeared on p. 4 of the Oct. 24, 2024 edition of the Daily Nexus.