An organizer of Lake Worth Beach’s Día de Muertos festival is holding a free celebration in West Palm Beach this Saturday after this year’s event in Lake Worth Beach was canceled.
Local artist and educator Jose R. Mendez will host the event from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Peach arts collective, 3950 Georgia Ave. Admission is free and open to the public.
Mendez co-founded the original Lake Worth Beach celebration in 2016 and coordinated it through 2024. He said he organized the independent event because he did not want the tradition to end. He also said the event honors his father, Juan J. Mendez, who recently died in Guatemala.
The program includes traditional ofrendas, or altars, local artisan vendors, face painting, outdoor art installations and a children’s activity zone run by Raices Creative Arts Academy. Performers include Mariachi De Mi Tierra Internacional, vocalist Emmanuel Gonzalez, a Selena tribute by Liz Ramirez and a dance group from John I. Leonard High School. Catrin and Catrina costume contests will be held for adults, children and pets, and El Segundo, the restaurant at The Peach, will serve food and drinks.
Organizers expect a smaller crowd than the Lake Worth Beach festival, which drew as many as 6,000 people. Mendez said bringing even a quarter of that audience to a new location would be a meaningful step toward keeping the celebration alive.
