Dia de los Muertos — the traditional Mexican celebration of a family’s dead ancestors — has ballooned in popularity over the past two decades, especially in San Jose, where ofrendas and sugar skulls seem to be everywhere during October.
But the festivities downtown may seem a little quieter this year. Organizers of Dia San Jose, a huge celebration that would pack Plaza de Cesar Chavez, announced in August that the event would not take place this year because of a lack of corporate sponsorship.
In today’s tense political climate, it’s natural to see an announcement like that and wonder if there were any concerns the festival — which would draw a heavily Latino crowd — might get unwanted attention. Given that celebrations went on for Cinco de Mayo in May and Fiestas Patrias last month, that seems less likely than a financial reason. One of the event’s 2024 sponsors, the Signia by Hilton hotel, went through a foreclosure this year, and other big nonprofit events that weren’t Latino-centric have had sponsorship issues this year, too.
San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild 26th Annual Dia de los Muertos procession around the Cesar Chavez Park to the San Jose Museum of Art, where the free community event continued. In San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Josie Lepe for Bay Area News Group)
The San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild’s 28th annual event is also scaled back this year, but for an entirely different reason. Arlene Sagun, the longtime director of SJ MAG and the producer of the Dia de los Muertos event for more than 20 years, died in April at age 71. This year’s altar exhibition on the fifth floor of the downtown MLK library, which opens Monday and runs through Nov. 1, is dedicated in her memory. Artists Lissa Jones, Jessica Torres, Eduardo Cuevas are recreating the altar they did at celebration of life in May for the exhibition, which has an opening reception at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 9.
The large procession and event normally held in conjunction with it will not take place this year, but there is a smaller event planned at the Children’s Discovery Museum at 11 a.m. on Nov. 1. Get more information at sjmag.org/dia-de-los-muertos.
VIRTUAL FLEET WEEK?: The federal government shutdown has left the popular Blue Angels air show, scheduled to highlight Fleet Week in San Francisco next weekend, in limbo. But the Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose will have “The Blue Angels,” a 2024 IMAX documentary about the Navy’s high-flying Demonstration Squadron, on its IMAX dome theater Oct. 5-12. It’s not the same, but it’s better than nothing, right?
And if beer is more your thing than jets, the Tech still has you covered with Techtoberfest on Thursday night. The latest in the “Tech@Nite” series, the 21-and-over event will include beer and wine tasting, a “Science of Beer” lab and a live pumpkin carving demonstration. The party gets started at 7 p.m., and you can get tickets and more details at www.thetech.org.
NEW BALLET’S HALLOWEEN TREAT: In recent years, New Ballet San Jose’s first show of the season has been “The San Jose Nutcracker,” but this year, Director Dalia Rawson has added a fall performance, including highlights from March’s “Fast Forward” and May’s “Giselle,” to its Oct. 25 Halloween Gala. You can purchase tickets for the 7 p.m. performance for $50 or get a $200 ticket that adds on a dance party and costume contest on the Hammer’s stage after the show.
The fundraiser benefits production of “The San Jose Nutcracker,” which lets young dancers on scholarship perform in the cast, provides tickets for low-income families and makes possible a “shush-free” preview for families with members who have cognitive and sensory disabilities. You can find out more and purchase tickets at www.newballet.com/halloween.
FASHION FORWARD: The Santa Clara University Catalá Club is celebrating its 95th anniversary with its annual fashion show luncheon Oct. 17 at the DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose. The event supports the club’s endowed scholarship fund, which provided support for more than 35 Santa Clara students last year. The deadline to RSVP is Oct. 11, and you can get more details on how to register at www.scu.edu/catala.
Meanwhile, Jodi Buyyounouski is chairing the 71st annual Belllarmine Mothers’ Guild Fashion Show on Nov. 22 at the Signia by Hilton hotel in downtown San Jose. There are lunch and dinner shows featuring seniors from the San Jose Jesuit boys college prep school — and alma mater of three recent San Jose mayors — that benefit its direct tuition assistance fund and endowment. Get more details at bcp.org/giving/fashionshow.
DOUBLE CUP OF COPPOLA: If you missed Francis Ford Coppola’s expensive passion project “Megalopolis” last year — and judging by the box office numbers, you did — 3Below Theaters in downtown San Jose has brought it back to the big screen this week and paired it with “Megadoc,” the new documentary by director Mike Figgis that takes a look behind-the-scenes of the polarizing epic.
3Below is offering moviegoers a Mega-Night Discount Pass that include a ticket to each film that you can use the same night to watch as a very intense double feature or on different nights. The movies opened Oct. 4 and will play Oct. 7-9 as well. Go to www.3belowtheaters.com for showtimes.
