Downtown Gilroy turned into a corridor of altars on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Gilroy Dispatch reported that the fourth annual Día de Muertos and La Ofrenda Festival drew thousands of residents and visitors to celebrate local and Indigenous culture, honor loved ones living and gone, and enjoy art and live music.
What happened
The free festival ran from 1 to 7 p.m. along Monterey Road and its side streets from Fourth to Seventh streets. The centerpiece was an array of handmade ofrendas, or altars, placed throughout downtown. The Dispatch described each one as covered with fresh-cut flowers and holding offerings and photos of loved ones who have died. Ahead of the event, NBC Bay Area listed the festival's main features as La Gran Ofrenda, a large community altar; the Camino de Ofrendas, a trail of altars built by community members; lucha libre wrestling; live music; the Calavera Bike Cruise through Gilroy; and an arts, culture and wellness mercado.
The program included cultural dance, music and lucha libre. A wellness fair and booths from groups including VTA, Silicon Valley Clean Energy and local nonprofits offered information and resources.
Who's behind it
La Ofrenda was established in 2023 as Gilroy's annual Día de Muertos Festival and Wellness Fair. It is organized by Casa de Cultura y Arte. NBC Bay Area and Telemundo 48 were sponsors this year. The Dispatch reported that the festival was partly funded by a Gilroy Elevate the Arts Grant, a program of SVCreates, with support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the City of Gilroy and the County of Santa Clara. The Gilroy Foundation is its fiscal sponsor.
"La Ofrenda was born in Gilroy, built by our community and rooted in the belief that arts and culture have the power to bring people together and transform the place we call home," founder Ruben Darío Villa said in a statement quoted by the Dispatch. "Through La Ofrenda and La Casa de Cultura y Arte, we're building cultural infrastructure, creating opportunities for local artists and investing in a legacy that belongs to this community."
A year-round home
That infrastructure has an address. La Casa de Cultura y Arte, at 140 Fifth St. in downtown Gilroy, describes itself as the city's new home for arts and culture, with performing arts workshops, wellness programs and community events for creatives from Gilroy, South County and beyond. It also rents its space for meetings, workshops and gatherings.