OPEN TODAY
11 am – 5 pm
OPEN TODAY
11 am – 5 pm
SBMA, Museum Galleries
Art Learning Lab &
Front Terrace
FREE
For the 37th year, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art honors the Mexican tradition of remembering the dead with a display of altars, created by students in the Museum’s school and outreach programs and local community groups. The Art Learning Lab will offer Día de los Muertos-inspired art activities for all ages on the Front Terrace.
11 am – 4 pm View altars created by school and community groups.
11 am – 4 pm Mini Altars, Still Life Prints, Calavera Puppets & Skull Charms.
3:45 pm Gather on the Museum’s Front Terrace for the 4 pm procession to MCASB’s Arts Terrace at Paseo Nuevo. The Día de los Muertos Calenda is a festive procession developed and produced by MCASB, now in its third year. Rooted in the Oaxacan tradition of Calenda, the event is an expression of joy and the strengthening of family, community, and personal bonds. It features traditional music and dance from the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, performed by cultural groups coordinated and booked by MCSAB.
The Calenda begins at SBMA’s front steps, which SBMA provides as the starting point of the procession, and continues down State Street to MCASB’s Arts Terrace at Paseo Nuevo. The procession concludes at MCASB with an altar of the dead, Oaxacan cuisine, art vendors, and live performance.
Additional support for the Calenda is provided by the City of Santa Barbara.
Generous support for the 2026 Día de los Muertos Free Family Day is provided by the Hazen Family Foundation.