Day of the Dead in Portland, Oregon
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The holiday Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de (los) Muertos) is celebrated annually in Portland, Oregon. The city has seen various events and activities organized to commemorate the holiday, ranging from festivals to library workshops and theatrical performances.[1]
Events and activities
Milagro's 30th annual Día de Los Muertos Festival was held in 2025.[2][3] It featured the play ¡Alebrijes! – A Día de Muertos Tale.[1][4][5] The Oregonian has described Milagro's holiday celebration as a "signature production",[6] and Portland Monthly has called the production "an original, bilingual melodramedy that invites audience members to bridge what divides us".[7] Activities have also included altar displays and workshops, bicycle rides, community meals, and fundraisers.[8] Zenger Farm in Southeast Portland hosts an annual Day of the Dead celebration with an altar, marigold harvesting, Oaxacan cuisine, and performances.[9]
In 2011, the Someday Lounge in Downtown Portland held its fourth annual Day of the Dead celebration.[10] UNA Gallery hosted a holiday celebration called "Día de Muertx" in 2015.[11] Holocene's fifth annual holiday celebration was in 2016.[12] The 2017 event featured Orquestra Pacifico Tropical, Y La Bamba, Salvia, Bells Atlas, and Danza Azteca.[13] In 2020, many holiday activities were held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Milagro and the Portland Mercado food cart pod organized activities, and Eugene artists Aunia Kahn and Melissa Sikes presented holiday-inspired clay skulls at the Alberta Street Gallery.[14] In 2021 and 2022, the Latin American artist collective IdeAL PDX collaborated with local businesses in the Central Eastside district to install Day of the Dead altars.[15][16] The Port of Portland celebrated the holiday in 2022.[17] The Dougy Center had an ofrenda for the holiday in 2023.[18]
Oregon Muertos hosts Día de Muertos: A Celebration of Life, featuring artworks installed throughout Oregon. In 2025, artworks were installed at The Armory and Memento Mori Cafe in Portland. There was also a dance performance by Huehca Omeyocan at The Haven.[1]
The Blumenauer Witching Hour in 2025 celebrated Day of the Dead and Halloween. The event "highlight[ed] community connection and active transportation" along the Blumenauer Bridge and Green Loop, according to The Oregonian. Activities included Milagro's Day of the Dead Altar Ride, a pop-up market, and a costume contest for pets.[1] In 2025, local musician Joshua Josué had his third annual Día de los Muertos Concert at Polaris Hall.[1] The MESO Makers Market in Northeast Portland focused on Latino entrepreneurship and featured altars, a catrina wreath station, traditional food, handicrafts, and music.[1] The Portland Winterhawks also celebrated the holiday in 2025.[19]
The Day of the Dead and Halloween display at Mt. Tabor Creations has large skeletons and a spider, as well as an ofrenda for people to leave photographs of deceased family members and pets.[20][21]
Educational institutions and libraries
In 2017, a Day of the Dead celebration was held at the Native American Student and Community Center at Portland State University. The university's Spanish Club celebration invited guests to "engage with learning about the holiday while practicing their Spanish conversation".[13] La Casa Latina Student Center has hosted holiday celebrations, including online activities in 2020.[22]
The Latinx Student Union displayed an ofrenda in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher at the University of Portland in 2025.[23] Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán also hosted an ofrenda at Clark Library and organized a vigil outside the UP Bookstore to commemorate people who have died at the Mexico–United States border.[24] The Women of Color Club has hosted ofrenda workshops.[25]
Multnomah County Library has organized activities for the holiday. In 2025, the Kenton Library hosted a bilingual event with handicrafts and other activities.[1]
Food and restaurants
Local restaurants and bakeries, including Dos Hermanos Bakery, serve pan de muerto for the holiday.[26][27] In 2012 and 2013,[28] the now-defunct Mexican restaurant Mi Mero Mole (2011–2020) had holiday specials including huitlacoche, pan de muerto, quesadillas, and quince mole. The business also offered free tacos to people with painted faces in 2013 and 2014.[29][30] The now-defunct Vietnamese-Cajun restaurant Tapalaya (2008–2019) celebrated the holiday in 2015 by hosting a voodoo doll-making station during dinner service.[31] The now-defunct Mexican restaurant Xico (2012–2023) also hosted holiday celebrations.[32] The Portland Mercado hosted a Day of the Dead celebration in 2022.[33] The food cart pod has also displayed altars for the holiday.[34]
The defunct La Calaca Comelona had Day of the Dead-themed murals on the exterior.[35] In 2016, Samantha Bakall of The Oregonian said the restaurant was "as obsessed with skeletons as a Dia De Los Muertos parade".[36] In 2025, Thom Hilton of Eater Portland said the Mississippi Avenue location of Por Que No had holiday-themed wall decorations.[37]
Muertos PDX
Muertos PDX is among the city's largest Day of the Dead celebrations. Armando Gonzales and Elizabeth Perry started it c. 2008 as a small family event. The first event was held at a salon in northeast Portland.[38] In 2020 and 2021, celebrations were held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of people attended the 2022 event at St. Andrew Catholic Church in the King neighborhood of Northeast Portland.[39][40]
The 17th annual event in 2025 was held at the Redd on Salmon Street. The two-day event included a calacas parade, Mexican ballet and Aztec dances,[38] a screening of the film This Land Is by Bunnie Rivera, and calavera decorating.[1] Proceeds from the event have benefited various local groups; the 2025 event benefited Immigration Counseling Service, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services to immigrants in Oregon and Washington.[38]
