Day of the Dead celebration tonight

PNA’s Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) parade and festival kicks off tonight at 6:30 p.m. with a candlelight procession led by VamoLa! from the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N.(If you missed the parade on Troll-o-ween, this is your chance to repent!)

You can honor friends and family no longer walking this earth by leaving photos and mementos at a community altar, ofrenda, which will be blessed following the procession. Poetry, music, sugar skull-decorating, hot chocolate & food will also be available. Full schedule after the jump:

• 6:15 p.m. Line up for procession in parking lot
• 6:20 p.m. Music starts
• 6:30 p.m. Procession starts. Route: North on Phinney Ave. N.; West on 70th Ave NW; South on Greenwood Ave N. Procession will end at the PNA.
• 7:05 p.m. Blessing of community altar on the landing of the stairs in the main (blue) PNA building by Raul Sanchez.
• 7:30-8:00 p.m. Dance and Drumming by Aztec Dancers of the Salinas Family. Search for The Salinas Family Performance in Room 7.
• 7:00-9:00 p.m. gallery show reception, musical performances, poetry reading, community altar additions, paper flower making, sugar skull decorating. Hot chocolate and food will be sold to benefit the PNA's new Spanish immersion pre-school.
• 8:00-8:30 p.m. Poetry Reading by members of Los Nortenos. Reading in Room 1. Poets: Laura Gonzalez, Heidi Hanson, Catalina Cantu, Gabe Morales, Maijah Merino. MC: Raul Sanchez.
• 8:15-8:45 p.m. Musical Performance by Trio Lucero del Norte. Performance in Room 7.

For more information: Jeanne Dodds, PNA Arts/ Dia de los Muertos Coordinator at arts @ phinneycenter.org. Above photo: Glen's Pics via Flickr.