Where: Historic Market Square
Downtown San Antonio
When: Saturday and Sunday
November 2nd and 3rd 2024
10am to 6pm
All ages Free
Background: Originally, a plaza that was gifted by the King of Spain to the original settlers of our city, The Historic Market Square thrives today with thousands of weekly tourists and local visitors. A solid local staple of our San Antonio Hispanic culture, the Market Square is packed weekly with live entertainment, unique art and craft vendors and over a hundred unique boutiques in the cool air-conditioned Farmer’s Market Plaza & the El Mercado building.
Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, originated in Mexico as a fusion of Aztec and Catholic
traditions. Next month, Dia de los Muertos will be celebrated as the Calaveras De Azucar Festival at our Historic Market Square. This will take place on its official date of Saturday November 2nd with a second festival day added on Sunday November 3rd.
Yvette Ramirez, a third-generation vendor, and president of the Famer’s Market Tenant Association, has spear headed this amazing 2-day celebration. “Our event will be bringing you live entertainment from groups like Moneda and Imperio. We will also have mariachis, singers, and an array of day of the dead crafts. What separates our event from the rest is that it falls on the actual dates of day of the dead.” Yvette continues, “We will also be having a demonstration on sugar skulls and how to prepare some of our traditional Mexican dishes.” Yvette also sits on the board on the newly formed I.A.A.M. (Introducing Artists, Actors & Musicians), Guild as the advisor. The IAAM Guild president Blas Martinez was excited for the opportunity to organize the featured artist portion of the event. “We have so much talent in our beautiful city. When IAAM was asked to bring together artists for the Market Square we just could not pass up this opportunity. We are excited to bring together many up and coming and established artists that are recognized and loved by our community.” Director of Marketing Tomas Vasquez was also invited to join the planning committee to bring in a variety of respected artists. These artists are to be featured inside and outside of the Centro De Artes Gallery located close to The Santa Rosa St side of the Market Square. “Our goal is to feature some very well-known artists and present them collectively in an area of the Market Square to the public in order to bring more awareness to their talent.” Tomas mentioned. “We are excited to be bringing in over 25 talented artists to the Historic Market Square.”
One of the artists the IAAM Guild is bringing in is the prolific Armando Sanchez. Armando is highly admired by the San Antonio for his detailed indoor and outdoor murals at the Mi Tierra and Pico de Gallo restaurants and his focus on Latino culture portrayed in his artwork over the past sixty years.
He will be displaying his work in the Centro de Artes gallery. Another featured guest that will be
painting a live Dia de los Muertos inspired piece is the aerosol artist and muralist Nik Soup. Known locally as “Soup,” he is a veteran of the street art world and has been a local staple in the San Antonio live painting scene. His rise to popularity has grown over the years by painting large colorful murals of the San Antonio Spurs and other themes on various buildings around town. We will also be featuring Blas Lopez, Robert Wilkins, Mike Comp, JD Morera and Henry de Leon who will be building an alter inside Centro De Artes.
On Sunday, the second day of the festival, Beyond The Canvas will be hosting a Dia de los Muertos costume contest. The contest will have two categories, single and couple entries. The contest will be judged by local celebrities and prizes will be awarded for the best dressed costumes in each category. Also, on Sunday we will have guest dancers from the Kazamba Drum and Dance Group. They will be dressed in their colorful Muertos attire and will be parading throughout the paved walkway around the Market Square. To register for the contest, you can visit iaamworldwide.com.
Join us for a vibrant celebration of life, death, and rebirth at our “Calaveras De Azucar” Art and Music Festival! This unforgettable weekend will be filled with stunning altars, intricate costumes, and captivating performances that will transport you to a world of wonder and awe. Witness the fusion of traditional Mexican culture with modern artistic expression, as local artists showcase their latest creations and musicians take the stage to perform haunting melodies. Indulge in delicious food, drinks, and sweets, and browse our marketplace for unique crafts and souvenirs. Come dressed in your finest calavera attire and be ready to dance the night away with us! ¡Viva la vida, viva la muerte!
