After a night of trick-or-treating, dozens of families continued the festivities into Sunday afternoon at a Día de los Muertos celebration at the Redd on Salmon Street.

Women and girls dressed as La Catrina, in bright, poofy dresses and painted skull makeup for the Mexican holiday that honors the dead at the beginning of November. Ofrendas, dedicated altar tables, were adorned with marigold flowers and pictures of the deceased.

“The celebration itself is maintaining traditions,” said Elizabeth Perry, who started celebrating Día de los Muertos with her family in Oregon about two decades ago. It was a way for her to stay close to her Mexican roots as someone who grew up in El Paso, Texas.

“More friends showed up, and we eventually outgrew the spaces,” Perry said. Now, hundreds attend the annual Día de los Muertos festival hosted by Mandos Mundo Entertainment, the event production company Perry runs with her husband Armando Gonzalez.

Children sat for face paintings as Ollin Yolliztli, a Portland-based Aztec dance group, performed to a beating drum while wearing colorful regalia and feathered headdresses.

“The tradition of Día de Muertos predates the Spaniards,” Perry said. “We have always worked to ensure that the Indigenous roots of our community are represented.”

Volunteers passed out free hot chocolate and pan de muerto, a Mexican sweet bread typically baked during the holiday. Levity and joy permeated the atmosphere, even as people talked about loss.

Yetzia Bakle Aponte, who grew up in a Mexican and Puerto Rican family, said Día de los Muertos has taught her how to process grief after losing loved ones.

“It makes me feel like death is another life marker,” Bakle Aponte said. “Not something to be separated or feared.”

The festival also presented an opportunity to address inequities in Portland’s Latino community.

Mireille Martinez, a medical student at Oregon Health & Science University, was doing outreach to teach attendees how to measure their own blood pressure.

“In the Latino community, there’s a higher risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” Martinez said. “It’s a way to help community members realize that maybe they need to follow up with care before it’s too late.”

Mandos Mundo Entertainment asked for a suggested $15 donation at the door. The proceeds are going toward Immigration Counseling Service. The local nonprofit law firm provides legal services to immigrants who cannot afford representation.

Perry said the increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity has made some people in her social circles afraid to celebrate Día de los Muertos in public spaces.

“We felt very strongly that this is a part of our mission to support organizations that are resisting and standing in solidarity with the community,” Perry said.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/11/02/portland-dia-de-los-muertos-celebration-raises-funds-for-immigrants-legal-defense/