The event combined art, theatre, music, food, poetry, games and a multi-cultural celebration of the season.  The event, which attracts over 1,000 people every year, features the largest Day of the Dead Exhibit on the Westside, a creative collaboration of altars by Edison students, teachers and parents in the Mexican and Central American tradition of remembering deceased loved ones. Live music, authentic Mexican food, children’s entertainment, haunted house, rock climbing and arts and crafts make it a one-of-a-kind event for the entire family.

The event featured cultural traditions designed to commemorate those who have passed away including a series of “alfombras,” beautiful displays made of dust, flowers and other native materials that are traditionally communally designed and prepared on the streets of villages and towns in many countries in Latin America.  There was also a display of the community-wide “Cranes for Peace Project” to memorialize the thousands of people who have died in the war in Iraq. One thousand hand-made Japanese origami cranes were hung above the altars in a call for world peace. The cranes are inspired by the crane project of Sadako Sasaki, who was 2 years old when the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and later died of leukemia.

Carnival of games, art-and-crafts plus hot Latin and dance tunes from DJ Alex Reyes  and live Mariachi music provided entertainment for kids and grown-ups alike. Authentic tamales and pozole made by parents, as well as homemade baked goods were for sale.