SANTA PAULA, CA – Families and guests of all ages are invited to celebrate Día de los Muertos at four different locations in Santa Paula on Sunday, November 3, 2019! Participating sites will include the Santa Paula Art Museum, California Oil Museum, the Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum, and Pierce Brothers Santa Paula Cemetery. This free, family-friendly event will include traditional craft making activities, music, Aztec and Folklórico dancers, face painting, storytelling, altar installations, and more. Día de los Muertos attire is encouraged! Visitors can begin at any of the participating locations and proceed to the rest. Pick up a Día de los Muertos passport at any site and collect a stamp at all four locations to be entered into a free raffle drawing. The three museums are within walking distance of each other, and Santa Paula Cemetery is located just 1.2 miles from the museums. Free parking will be available at the California Oil Museum, Pierce Brothers Santa Paula Cemetery, and the Santa Paula Art Museum. Admission and activities are free for everyone. Hours and activities will vary by location. Please see the full schedule of events below:
Santa Paula Art Museum
117 & 123 N 10thStreet, Santa Paula, CA 93060
Día de los Muertos activities from 11:00am to 3:00pm
At the Santa Paula Art Museum, enjoy current exhibitions “Beyond Function: Fiber, Wood, Clay,” “On Location in the Santa Monica Mountains and Seashore,” as well as a social justice ofrenda installation by Big Brothers and Sisters of Fillmore and Santa Paula, and calaveras art by Santa Paula High School students. Families can also explore the Museum by participating in an “I Spy” digital game and enjoy hands-on art activities inside the Museum’s Cole Creativity Center including family history ‘zines and creative calaveras projects.
Santa Paula Cemetery
380 Cemetery Road
Día de los Muertos activities from 11:00am to 5:00pm
Pierce Brothers Santa Paula Cemetery will hold a day of festivities where you can build an altar at your loved one’s gravesite, add to a community altar, and celebrate memories of your dearly departed. Have your face painted, decorate a sugar skull, and make other crafts. Participate in a mass celebration (1:30pm). Enjoy Mariachi music (12:30pm and 4:00pm) and performances by Folklórico dancers (2:30pm), and Danza Tonantzin Aztec Dancers (3:00pm). Follow a procession around the cemetery led by Father Thomas of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish (3:00pm).
Agriculture Museum
926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula, CA 93060
Día de los Muertos activities from 11:00am to 3:00pm
The Agriculture Museum in collaboration with the Consulate of Mexico in Oxnard will host a fun filled day of traditional music, dance, film, crafts and food. Performances will include local harpist Xavier Montes (11:00am), Mariachi Inlakech (11:30am), and Aztec dance group Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc (12:00pm). Visitors can participate in customary crafts and activities including face painting, Papel Picados, and photo opportunities with La Catrina. Traditional pan dulce and mazapán y tamarindos will be served.
California Oil Museum
1001 E Main St, Santa Paula, CA 93060
Día de los Muertos activities from 11:00am to 3:00pm
At the California Oil Museum, you can make hojalata, traditional Mexican tin art or design your own Catrina dolls inside the Museum’s Energy Education Lab. Santa Paula High School MEChA club members and Spanish class students will display their ofrendas and assist with crafts and the reading of Día De Los Muertos stories. The movie “Book of Life” will be screened in the Iron Room, and guests can explore the Museum’s permanent exhibits and the temporary exhibition “Vintage Toy Wonderland: Memories of our Youth from 1960-1980.”
