Tour of the altars in the heart of Pasadena!

For the third time Old Pasadena welcomes the reverent yet vibrant Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead, which honors loved ones who have passed before us.

Stop by during the three-day event, where dozens of Old Pasadena businesses will create beautiful altars in their spaces to showcase during the self-guided Tour of Altars. The weekend also brings a salsa dance party, calavera face painting, live music, free lectures and workshops, and merchant promotions.

Here is the full schedule for the weekend:

Tour of the Altars
Friday, October 27 – Sunday, October 29 during participating business hours

Take a self-guided tour through participating businesses in Old Pasadena, of both traditional and contemporary interpretations of altars lovingly created to honor and celebrate the spirits of the dearly departed. A panel of judges will visit each altar and award monetary prizes in six categories.

The Tour of Altars includes Wings of the Dead, the 2017 Community Altar created by Los Angeles artist Sonia Romero. Dedicated to our ancestors and honoring the natural cycle of life, the altar highlights the migration of monarch butterflies, said to be the souls of the dead returning home to Michoacán, Mexico, in early November. Everyone is invited to honor a loved one by leaving a written message on a paper butterfly.

Map and more information available HERE.

Friday, Ocotober 27

• Wings of the Dead Community Altar & Artist Reception
  6:00-9:00pm, Indiana Colony Marketplace, 59 E. Colorado Blvd. Take a look at and participate in the 2017 Community Altar created by Sonia Romero and a print release party for “Wings of the Dead,” the 3D limited edition print that inspired the altar.
• Salsa Dance Party Presented by La Junta
  6:30-8:30pm, Big Bang Theory Way, 109 E. Union Street. La Junta presents a salsa dance exhibition and instruction to get everyone warmed up for open dancing with DJs, live percussion, and horn. At La Junta events, DJs take music lovers on a tropical sojourn to Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Africa, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, India and back to the underground clubs of our own American metropolises.
• Free Calavera Face Painting
  6:00-8:00pm, Big Bang Theory Way, 109 E. Union Street. 
• Amara Chocolate $1 Drink Promotion
  6:00-9:00pm, Amara Chocolate & Coffee, 55 S. Raymond Avenue. $1 Hot or Iced Spicy Aztec Dark Chocolate Latte, $ 1 Hot or Iced Spicy Dark Hot Chocolate Drink (Picosa), and $ 1 Hot or Iced Chocolate Drink to anyone who mentions the Day of the Dead event.

Saturday, October 28

• Music with Marimba Tropical (1:00-4:00pm) and Free Calavera Face Painting (2:00-4:00pm), Mercantile Place at Raymond Avenue.
• “Chocolate: Gift of Mesoamerica”
  1:00-2:00pm, POP Champagne Bar, 33 E. Union Street. UCLA Lecturer and chocolate guru Lee Scott Theisen, Ph.D. draws connections between the origins of chocolate and Day of the Dead traditions beginning 3,000 years ago. Lee is a baker, loves to cook, and is a world traveler and author.
  Gourmet chocolate tastings are included! Advance registration is required: http://bit.ly/2yJV5ZS

• “La Madrina de Pasadena: The Remarkable History of Doña Eulalia”
  3:00-4:00pm, POP Champagne Bar, 33 E. Union Street. In the spirit of honoring our influential ancestors, Pasadena historian and writer, Roberta H. Martinez shares the story of centenarian Doña Eulalia Pérez de Guillen Mariné and her impact at the Mission San Gabriel and the early days of Pasadena and surrounding areas.
  A mole tasting is included!  Space is limited, advance registration required at http://bit.ly/2xMhTs9 

• Make & Take Sugar Skull Craft
  1:00-4:00pm, Paper Source, 163 W. Colorado Blvd.  Make a sugar skull card or mask using crafty materials while supplies last ($8).

Sunday October 29

• Music with Marimba Tropical (1:00-4:00pm) and Free Calavera Face Painting (2:00-4:00pm), Mercantile Place at Raymond Avenue. Marimba Tropical,headed by Lucas Critchfield, performs music from Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala. Critchfield plays on authentic marimbas made in Venustiano Carranza, Chiapas, by Segundo Vleeschower Borraz, brother of the famous marimba soloist Manuel Vleeschower Borraz (“El Raton”).
• Make & Take Sugar Skull Craft
  1:00-4:00pm, Paper Source, 163 W. Colorado Blvd.  Make a sugar skull card or mask using crafty materials while supplies last ($8).

Have fun out there!!!

WHAT: Day of the Dead
WHEN: October 27 – October 29
WHERE: Old Pasadena
COST: Free, unless otherwise noted
More info: www.oldpasadena.org or call (626) 356-9725

Photo Courtesy of Old Pasadena Management

If you are interested in selling your home, call Irina Netchaev at 626-627-7107 for a private consultation.