"We do hear a lot that this is the Mexican Halloween, but no, it's not," Liz Camino-Byers told The Press Democrat this fall. She has spent 18 years building ofrendas for the Museum of Sonoma County's annual Día de los Muertos exhibition. The holiday itself falls on Nov. 1 and 2. It honors loved ones who have died, and it has nothing to do with costumes and candy.
By this Thursday, most of Santa Rosa's public celebrations are already over. The museum held its free block party on Oct. 10, with Danza Xantotl, Pomo Dancers and Ballet Folklórico de Petaluma. Santa Rosa Junior College held its Celebración y Procesión at Bertolini Dining Hall last night, Oct. 28. The exhibition at the center of all this is still running. It stays open through Nov. 29, four weeks past the holiday. Santa Rosa's Day of the Dead keeps going after the parades, and the place it keeps going is a gallery on Seventh Street.
A Show That Got Here First
The Museum of Sonoma County has presented the exhibition every year since 1996, so 2026 marks its 30th year. Over that time it has shown altars and artwork by hundreds of students, artists and community members.
Camino-Byers credits the museum with starting the tradition in the county before it was widely known. "They started doing this before it was popular here, and it's gotten bigger and bigger," she told The Press Democrat. "It's a beautiful tradition. I'm doing this for the love of it."
Lana Michaels, the museum's director of education, said in the same article that the exhibition draws a thousand kids. "I think everyone in the community looks forward to it," she said.
The Altar Visitors Help Build
The part of the exhibition that keeps changing is the community altar. "We've always had a community altar," Camino-Byers said. "People stop by and sometimes they leave an obituary or put notes in a basket, so they become part of the exhibit."
The community altar stays open to new notes and names until the exhibition closes on Nov. 29. If you are carrying the memory of someone you lost this year, you can bring a printed obituary or a handwritten note any Wednesday through Sunday this November.
Santa Rosa artist Nathan Gomez, back for his sixth year, explained the appeal to The Press Democrat: "It's about something very tragic, but it's turning it upside down and making the show about life. It's a celebration of life instead of mourning death. It's almost therapy."
What's in the Galleries This Year
The 30th edition features local and Latino artists. Here is what to look for:
- Two paintings by Nathan Gomez at the entrance. He made four more pieces for the show inside.
- A colorful dress and mask on a tall mannequin by Maria de los Angeles. She grew up in Sonoma County and now teaches full time at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She also led a mask-making workshop at the museum on Sept. 6.
- La Calavera Catrina dressed as a lucha libre wrestler. The holiday's elegant skeleton appears here as a Mexican pro wrestler.
- "Spellbound" by Tracy Ferron.
- Work by Mario Uribe, Cristina Briano, Jesus Bravo, Ruben Guzman, Daniela Hernandez, Peter Perez, Alejandro Salazar and Martin Zuniga, along with artists from Petaluma's Life on Art collective.
The Press Democrat describes the palette as marigold orange, hot pink, red, yellow and purple. That is a sharp contrast to the orange and black of the Halloween displays going up on porches around town this week.
Bread for the Ofrenda, Two Ways Across Town
An ofrenda usually includes pan de muerto, and Santa Rosa has a panadería that has been posting about it all season. Tía María, at 44 Sebastopol Ave., announced on Instagram that pan de muerto season was "officially BACK." A later post said the season is "in full swing" and mentioned the bread's hint of orange blossom. The shop is open 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. That makes an early stop before Sunday, Nov. 1, easy to fit in.
On the north side of town, Don Luis Craft Bakery opened its second store at 1915 Mendocino Ave. in Redwood Plaza. The Press Democrat profiled it in September. Baker Luis Tierrablanca is third generation. His grandfather opened the family's first shop in Uruapan in the 1960s. According to co-owner Soto, conchas, teleras and bolillos are the best sellers. One Healdsburg customer told the paper she drives down every week for the capirotada, a bolillo bread pudding. Call ahead before you go for seasonal bread, since the shop hasn't posted its holiday offerings.
If You Want a Crowd This Weekend
Santa Rosa's own events are over, but you can still find a celebration within a short drive this weekend:
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Dia de Muertos de Windsor on the Windsor Town Green. Somos Windsor is hosting altars, a memory wall, a blessing, an electric-candlelight procession, free sugar-skull decorating for kids, music and dance, a food and artisan market, and a lowrider show. The organizer lists 3 to 7 p.m. A September newspaper roundup printed 4 to 8 p.m., so check the organizer's page before you head out.
- Sunday, Nov. 1, 1 to 4 p.m.: Monte Rio Community Center. This free, family-friendly celebration has a community ofrenda, traditional music, kids' activities and a shared tamale meal, according to Happening Sonoma County.
- Sunday, Nov. 1, 4 to 7 p.m.: Art Escape, 17474 Sonoma Highway. A free community altar, hands-on activities, sugar skulls, traditional food and Grupo Folklórico Quetzalén.
- Sunday, Nov. 1, evening: Sonoma Community Center. Activities start at 6 p.m., the altar is lit at 6:30 p.m., and Grupo Folklórico Quetzalen Sonoma performs at 7 p.m., followed by food at 7:30 p.m.
Two other ofrendas end before Santa Rosa's does. Jack London State Historic Park shows a Legacy Ofrenda and a participatory Community Ofrenda at the House of Happy Walls Museum in Glen Ellen through Nov. 6. The Petaluma Historical Library & Museum runs its free exhibition through Nov. 8. Three weeks later, the Seventh Street galleries are still open.
Planning a November Visit
- Where: Museum of Sonoma County, 425 Seventh St., Santa Rosa
- When: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Nov. 29
- Admission: $12 general, $10 for ages 62 and older, $6 for students, free for ages 13 and younger
- Contact: 707-579-1500 or museumsc.org
The exhibition hours run Wednesday through Sunday only. A Sunday visit pairs well with a morning stop at Tía María, which opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m. on Sundays.
Traditions like this one, now in its 30th year, are a big part of why the Borrall Hodes Team loves calling Santa Rosa home. If you're new in town and want to hear about the local traditions we look forward to every season, Book an Appointment and we'll share our favorites.
