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Viva la Vida Fest: 28th Annual Dia de los Muertos

28th Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration
Viva la Vida Fest 2011Saturday, October 22, 2011
2:00 – 10:00 PM

5th Street Downtown (Congress to Brazos)
Plaza Saltillo (5th & Comal)

FREE ADMISSION!

Now Recruiting Participants!

  • Procession & Costume Contest
  • Food, Art and Community Booths
  • Festival Volunteers

Email info@mexic-artemuseum.org or call (512) 480-9373 x84 for more information.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Mexic-Arte Museum, the Official Mexican and Mexican American Fine Art Museum of Texas, is celebrating its 28th Annual Día de los Muertos – Austin’s largest and longest-running Day of the Dead festival featuring Latino artists and entertainment, educational art activities, and a grand procession in the heart of downtown.

Part of the proceeds benefit the Museum’s education outreach programs.

Viva la Vida Fest celebrates life and our environment through art and culture, using the traditions of Dia de los Muertos. The festival brings together a diversity of people in Austin to pay homage to friends, family, and heroes. The festival features a grand procession followed by a costume contest and a street celebration with: 

  • natural and organic Mexican and Tex-Mex foods and beverages
  • hands-on art activities & artist demos
  • local artist and retail booths
  • spectacular, larger-than-life props
  • live music and dance performances!


To make the festival eco-friendly, Mexic-Arte Museum encourages all participating artists and festival-goers to create their props out of recycled, re-used, and sustainable materials. The Museum is also committed to leaving a smaller footprint on the environment by reducing waste and minimizing energy wasted.

The event will not only encourage environmentally conscious artistic creations, but it will also promote eco-friendly living, healthy eating, and exercise through cycling and walking.

 

BICYCLES, BUSES, and CARS
CYCLISTS
We encourage you to ride your bicycle to Viva la Vida Fest! It’s healthy, and it’s easier to find parking.

BUS-RIDERS
There is a Capital Metro bus stop at the corner of Mexic-Arte Museum. Please check their website, www.capmetro.org, for route information.

DRIVERS
There are several options available for those arriving by car:
1) pay-as-you go metered parking on the streets
2) garage parking at Perry Brooks garage at 9th & Brazos, Capitol Tower garage, at 9th & San Jacinto, and Littlefield garage on 6th Street, just east of Congress Ave.

 

WHAT IS DIA DE LOS MUERTOS?
For 25 years, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) has been Mexic-Arte Museum’s annual signature event in the Austin community. Día de los Muertos is an important Latin American tradition, taking place on November 2, when friends and family gather to honor and remember loved ones – not through mourning, but through celebration! The origins trace back to the Pre-Columbian era, when death was viewed as a transformation. Death was not seen as the final end, but rather as a cycle or continuation of life. This ancient belief evolved to the modern tradition of creating altars to commemorate loved ones, decorated with sugar skulls, flowers, photographs, and favorite foods and memorabilia of the deceased. They share stories and memories, and they sing songs and play music.


 Click here to download the Day of the Dead
Educational Activity guide

Click here to download the
paper-mâché shapes