12th Annual Día de los Muertos Cultural Festival held in Inglewood
The morning fog and chill gave way to a beautiful day in the City of Inglewood, aka, “City of Champions,” and “City Where Champions Are Made.” The Día de los Muertos event was hosted by Inglewood Park Cemetery and Inglewood Cemetery Mortuary on Sunday, November 2, 2025, from 12:00 to 4:00 pm. This solemn and celebratory day paid tribute to life, love, and the enduring bonds shared with loved ones who have transitioned.
By Ricky Richardson | Contributing Writer
Inglewood, CA- The morning fog and chill gave way to a beautiful day in the City of Inglewood, aka, “City of Champions,” and “City Where Champions Are Made.”
The Día de los Muertos event was hosted by Inglewood Park Cemetery and Inglewood Cemetery Mortuary on Sunday, November 2, 2025, from 12:00 to 4:00 pm. This solemn and celebratory day paid tribute to life, love, and the enduring bonds shared with loved ones who have transitioned.
The Inglewood Park Cemetery/Inglewood Cemetery Mortuary Día de los Muertos celebration united families and communities in a meaningful way.
The local event honors the rich traditions of Día de los Muertos while creating unity, remembrance, and joy across communities.
Councilwoman Gloria Gray and Emilio Ortega (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
A steady flow of families and friends gathered on this day to remember loved ones. Guests arrived dressed to celebrate. Inglewood City officials were also in attendance: Mayor James T. Butts, Jr., Councilmembers Alex Padilla, Dionne Faulk, and Gloria Gray.
Guests and their families and friends enjoyed an engaging day of activities for children, face paintings, an array of food trucks, a butterfly pavilion, colorful and vibrant family altars, a community altar, a Catrina Garden, live entertainment, a Catrina and Catrin Contest, and an artisan Mercado.
The Día de los Muertos celebration, largely observed in Mexico and other Latin American countries, brought colorful & vibrant events across several cities across the United States this past weekend, November 1-2.
Día de los Muertos involves building ofrendas (altars) at home or visiting cemeteries and decorating the graves of those who have departed. One can find altars in the homes of African Americans and other communities. The Lewis Family was on-site to honor and remember their loved ones. Their altar honored and remembered Margy Dismukes (mother), David Lewis (father), Anada Lewis (niece), Charles Lewis (brother), Ronald Lewis (brother), Matthew Green (nephew’s grandfather), and Josie Gaihes (mother-in-law).
The Lewis Family (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
Attendees arrived to find the Inglewood Cemetery blooming with altars covered in cempasúchil (marigold), candles, other memories, intricately designed sugar Calaveras, and pan de muerto throughout the day. Dodger’s blue was also prominently displayed.
The personal and community alter welcome the spirit of the dead. There are some common items that one can find on an altar; photos of the deceased-to honor and remember them, marigold (cempasúchil)-bright orange and yellow flowers believed to guide spirits with their scent and color, candles-representation light, hope, and the soul, and also help guide spirits, pan de muerto-(bread of the dead)- a sweet bread often decorated with a bone-like designs, sugar skulls-(Calaveras)-decorated skulls, symbolizing the cycle of life and death, food and drinks-favorite of the deceased, water- to quench the thirst of the spirit after the long journey, papel picado-colorful paper cut-outs representing the fragility of life and the presence of wind and spirit, incense (typically copal)- used to cleanse the space and elevate prayers and personal items or mementos-belongings or items the beloved cherished.
Community Altar (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
The program got underway with a land acknowledgement, Blessing, and performance by Danza Azteca Tlecoatl. Pastor McKnight and Father Tinajero led the crowd in the opening Blessing Ceremony.
René Negrete, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, served as emcee. Welcome remarks were presented by Brendt Stallings, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Investment Officer, Inglewood Park Cemetery, followed by Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Jr., Councilmembers Alex Padilla, Dionne Faulk, and Gloria Gray. Additional remarks were delivered by Monica Bracho, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Risk Management, and Community Outreach.
Emilio Ortega, a talented musician, returned by popular demand. Emilio and his tight band performed two entertaining sets to the delight of guests, especially dancers!
A previous engagement prevented me from witnessing the creative expressions during the Catrina & Catrin Contest.
Thanks to the beauty of social media, you can view photos and videos on the City of Inglewood’s Facebook and Instagram pages, F/InglewoodParkCemetery, Instagram@inglewoodparkcemetery, and #inglewoodparkcemeterydia, #monarchsatinglewood, #catrinasatinglewood, and #ipccatrinacontest
