Festival of Altars
Marigold Project invites you to the 31st annual Festival of Altars
On November 2nd, Day of the Dead Festival of Altars will be held in Potrero Del Sol Park aka La Raza Park.
Please come and participate in building an altar or come to view the community altars.
Potrero Del Sol Park
25th Street and San Bruno Avenue
BART riders can walk to Potrero del Sol from the 24th Street Mission Station, while MUNI riders can use the 9, 10, 19, 27, 33, and 48 lines.
A limited amount of first-come, first-served bike parking will be available at the festival entrance at 25th Street and Utah Street.
Please note: no vehicles will be permitted in the park.
The making and viewing of traditional, contemporary, or experimental altars is a uniquely transformative experience connecting us closer to our Ancestors.
Bring flowers, 8-inch glass prayer candles, and mementos of loved ones to contribute to the Community Altars.
Altar Signup Form
You can build your own Personal Altar. To RSVP an altar space please signup below. All are welcome to participate. Please read the Altar Guidelines before signing up to reserve a spot.
The Community Altars
Altars
The Day of the Dead Festival of Altars brings our communities together to celebrate our most meaningful events—life and death in one spirit. We erect five community altars to symbolize our connection to the earth and our ancestors.
symbolism
Five altars are designed and built collaboratively by artists and community in all disciplines. Each shrine will represent an element, a universal symbol, and a stage of life.
East Altar
The East Altar calls the element of air, dedicated to our ancestral children. The circle is used to symbolize the interconnectedness of life and death, and white as the unifying color for all things seen and unseen.
South Altar
The South Altar summons the element of fire, devoted to our ancestral youth, and its red-hot hues and triangle symbolize strength, art, poetry, passion, and balance.
West Altar
The West Altar hails the element of water, honoring adults in tones of blue. The symbol is the square, representing rhythms of life, emotions, ocean tides, and moon cycles.
North altar
The North Altar honors the earth and our ancestors, the tones are green and purple, and the four-directional cross is the symbol. It solicits past, present, and future wisdom from the earth and our beloved Ancestors.
Center altar
The Center Altar is devoted to self-love, love in relationship to the other, community, and the universe. The symbol is the never-ending spiral, dressed in green and rainbow colors.
Sincere appreciation for San Francisco Recreation and parks
This is a family alcohol free event. Please respect the sacredness of our event. All are welcome to participate in the sharing of culture, healing, and celebrating the lives of our ancestors.
This event is wheelchair-accessible and ramp accessible.
We also offer sign language interpreters and special seating for elderly people and people with disabilities with advance notice.
Please contact Rosa at rosa@themarigoldproject.org for more information or to have your accessibility needs met.
Marigold Project
The Marigold Project serves the community by creating healing spaces connecting us to our ancestors and our impermanence in One Spirit.
By providing cultural education, art and writing therapy workshops, and altar building skills connecting as a community, we honor the circle of life and death. We respect life by teaching our children who we are in the cosmos, our humanity, and the preservation of our planet.