Riverside Day of the Dead Expands
The festival adds a Main Street stage and features the Voodoo Glow Skulls this November.
By Ivan Mori ·
Riverside residents will see the Day of the Dead festival occupy Main Street for the first time this year. The expansion adds a new performance space in front of the historic courthouse. Organizers have scheduled the event for Saturday, Nov. 7, and Sunday, Nov. 8. Admission remains free for all attendees.
More than 40 musical acts will perform across four stages over the two days. The festival spans from 10th Street to 12th Street on Main Street. Lucha libre wrestling moves to a dedicated area at 12th and Main. The Marigold Stage remains at Market Street and University Avenue. The Calaca Stage is located at 14th and Market streets. The Más Dead Stage operates at City Hall on 10th and Main streets.
The Voodoo Glow Skulls will headline the Saturday program on the Detour Stage. The band consists of brothers Frank, Eddie, and Jorge Casillas. They formed their core identity at Norte Vista High School. The group has used Día de los Muertos imagery in their music since the 1990s. They recently completed a tour of Japan, opening for Less Than Jake in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.
Cosme Cordova of Division 9 Gallery started the festival with pop-up canopies in a shared parking lot. He says the event now draws about 50,000 people annually. The festival grows through word of mouth with minimal advertising. It remains alcohol-free. Cordova plans to close Main Street all the way to 14th Street in a couple of years.
The festival marks its 25th anniversary in 2029. Cordova intends to feature returning acts such as Quitapenas at that milestone. The event includes food vendors and traditional Latin music. It also features punk shows and family-friendly activities.
Ariana Alvarez Cordova serves as the senior project manager. She is the niece of the founder. She describes the event as a time for families to commemorate lost relatives. She notes that the holiday differs from Halloween in its tone. It focuses on remembering the dead rather than celebrating fear.
White Park will serve as a space for reverence. Cordova has named it the Jardín de los Altares for this year. About 80 families will set up ofrendas there. Visitors can also add names to a community altar. Cordova encourages attendees to share stories or favorite meals of those they have lost. He calls the act of remembering the foundation of the event.
