Milagro holds their 4th Annual Central Eastside Muertos Celebration Saturday, October 12-Tuesday, November 12 at the theater (525 SE Stark St.) and at various locations in the Central Eastside. Most events are free although some do require registration.
In 2021, during the COVID shutdowns, Executive Director Dañel Malán-González brought art into the streets with organized bike rides and an altar tour that brought local businesses together to strengthen neighborhood engagement. Over the last three years, this annual event has become a greatly anticipated one that brings together multiple partners from the Central Eastside Industrial Council and The Street Trust from the Lloyd District for a coordinated, costumed Altar Tour Bike Ride.
The first event of the month-long celebration is a rice paper printing workshop at Milagro, led by Jessica Lagunas, Creative Director of IDEAL PDX, and Ines Paulina Ramirez 1-3 pm. That’s followed by the opening night of Milagro’s 29th Annual Dia de los Muertos Production Canciones de la Familia Friday, October 18, 7:30 pm. Saturday, October 26, 1-3 pm is a clay crosses workshop at Milagro led by Jessica Lagunas and Ines Paulina Ramirez. Finishing out October on the 30th is a Tertulia presentation with Mike Martinez, one of Milagro’s Latino Artist Fund Recipients, at Milagro, 4-6 pm. There will be paper mache skulls to paint and wooden ornaments to design.
Saturday, November 2, 1-3 pm is the district wide Altar Bike Tour with bike decorating (flower wreaths will be provided) that starts at Milagro. The tour will visit altars constructed by IDEAL PDX, a collective of Latino Portland-based artists, at eight local businesses. Water-proof costumes are encouraged. The final event of the series is Viva Milagro, an annual Muertos dinner and fundraiser at Milagro, Tuesday, November 12, 6-9 pm.
For more information about the celebration, contact Milagro Marketing Associate, Julia Etrusco at julia@milagro.org. To sign up for the Bike Altar Tour, contact Madi Carlson at madi@thestreettrust.org.