Where in Santa Clara can you put a photo of your grandmother on a public altar this week? You have two choices: the city's cemetery on Winchester Boulevard and the lobby of the Central Park Library on Homestead Road. Both are running a community ofrenda, the altar of photos, marigolds and mementos made for Día de los Muertos to honor people who have died. On Nov. 1, a third set of altars goes up along Santa Clara University's palm-lined walk. Those are built by campus departments and community groups for visitors to see.
Santa Clara's Día de los Muertos is a set of public altars run by its civic institutions, each with its own rules about what you can bring and when. Halloween events fill the gaps between them. Here is how the stretch from Friday, Oct. 23 through Friday, Nov. 6 fits together.
Three Altars, Three Sets of Rules
The ofrendas are what make this calendar different, and they don't work the same way. Before you pull a frame off the mantel, here is how each one takes contributions.
| Ofrenda | Where | What you can add | Open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission City Memorial Park | 420 N. Winchester Blvd. | Labeled, framed photos up to 5x7 inches and small mementos. No candles, food or glass | 2 p.m. Mon., Sept. 28 through Fri., Nov. 6 |
| Central Park Library | 2635 Homestead Rd., first-floor lobby | Photos of loved ones or pets. Bring them in or email them, and the library supplies 4x6 frames | Photo drop-off Oct. 15 to Nov. 2 |
| Santa Clara University | Palm Drive and Alviso Mall | Altars from SCU departments and community organizations | Sun., Nov. 1, 3 to 8 p.m. |
The cemetery altar has been up the longest and stays up the longest, so it frames everything else. The library altar is the easiest to join. You don't need a frame, and you don't even need to stop by. The university's altars come from departments and community groups, so you visit those rather than add to them.
Friday at the Cemetery: Coco in the Evergreen Section
The week starts Friday, Oct. 23, at Mission City Memorial Park, the city-run cemetery. This Sunset Cinema night pairs Disney Pixar's Coco with the community ofrenda and storytelling. The cemetery is putting it on with the Santa Clara City Library.
The city is showing the film in the open Evergreen Section, a part of the grounds with no graves. Its stated top priority is that everyone stays safe and respectful. Coco fits the night well because the whole film is about family and remembering the people who came before.
According to the city's September bulletin, activities start at 5 p.m. and the movie begins around 6 p.m. The film is rated PG and runs 105 minutes, so expect it to end around 7:45 p.m.
Some practical details:
- Food: 3 Hermanos Mexican Grill and Churros El Guero will be on site.
- Books: The Santa Clara City Library Bookmobile will be parked at the event.
- Parking: There is limited street parking along Winchester Boulevard and Dolores Avenue. The city asks people to walk, bike or carpool, and on a busy evening that will probably be faster anyway.
- The ofrenda: If you plan to add a photo, bring it already framed and labeled, no larger than 5x7 inches. Leave candles, food and anything glass at home.
The Silicon Valley Voice previewed the film night and ofrenda in its Oct. 8 weekend roundup. For questions, call the Community Recreation Center at 408-615-3140.
Saturday at Central Park, Around the Construction Fencing
The calendar switches to Halloween the next day. Children's SpooktaClara runs Saturday, Oct. 24, from noon to 4 p.m. It is set in Central Park's Meadow Area by Bob Fatjo Field and is free for children 10 and under.
Local organizations sponsor much of the day. Edgecore presents Trick or Treat Row, where kids walk from station to station, so bring a goodie bag. Star One Credit Union presents the Pumpkin Walk, where a winning number takes home a pumpkin. Silicon Valley Power presents the SpooktaClara Express, a ride for the youngest costumes. Blue Anthem Cross presents the entertainment stage.
| Time | On the stage |
|---|---|
| 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. | Santa Clara Library Story Time |
| 1 to 1:45 p.m. | Coventry & Kaluza |
| 2 to 2:45 p.m. | Dante Magician |
| 3 to 3:45 p.m. | Python Ron |
Carnival games, obstacle courses, crafts and food round out the day. The city's listing names 3 Hermanos Mexican Grill and BBQ Kalbi among the food vendors, so the taqueria from Friday night shows up again on Saturday.
Parking takes more planning this year because Central Park is under construction. The city's entrance, accessibility and parking project is adding a new entrance, updating the traffic signal, bringing pathways up to ADA standards and installing EV chargers. The project page was last updated Sept. 3. At that point it said the Pavilion lot was closed and Phase 1 was expected to finish by the end of September. Phase 2, a new entrance and signal improvements at Kiely Boulevard and Kaiser Drive, has begun and is expected to run through summer 2027.
The SpooktaClara page lists three free lots: the Central Park Pavilion lot at 909 Kiely Blvd., Patricia Drive at 2625 Patricia Drive, and the Community Recreation Center lot at 969 Kiely Blvd. Start with the CRC lot and Patricia Drive, since the city also points visitors to the CRC lot during construction. Treat the Pavilion lot as a bonus if it's open. During Phase 2, the Magical Bridge Playground, the basketball courts and the Creek Trail stay open. If you live along the trail, walking in is the easiest way to arrive.
The Library Holds the Middle of the Week
The library, the city's Friday-night partner, carries the stretch between the two weekends. Its Día de los Muertos altar and its Halloween programs share one building. The Central Park Library community ofrenda sits in the first-floor lobby at 2635 Homestead Road and takes photos of people and pets who have died. If you can't come in, email the photo to [email protected] with your name, your phone number and your loved one's name, and the library will frame it in a 4x6.
The event title lists photo drop-off from Oct. 15 to Nov. 2. The description says the display runs from Oct. 15 to Nov. 3. Plan to get your photo in by Monday, Nov. 2.
The same building hosts two Halloween programs that week:
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, 4 to 5:30 p.m. "Beware! Scary Stories and Scary Craft" in the Margie Edinger Room offers age-appropriate scary stories and a take-home craft for grades 2 and up.
- Thursday, Oct. 29, starting at 10:30 a.m. "Halloween Storytime & Trick or Treating" begins with outdoor storytime, weather permitting, and then moves to trick-or-treating through the library. All ages are welcome.
On Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, Mission Branch Library hosts a Halloween Picnic in the Park from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. It has spooky crafts, treats, games and a 10:30 a.m. storytime. The listing gives the branch address, 1098 Lexington St., but the description puts the activities at City Plaza Park. Head for the park.
So the library runs an ofrenda, a craft hour, a costumed walk through the stacks and a picnic, all in the same eight days, across two branches. It also shows up at both of the other big events, with story time on the SpooktaClara stage and the Bookmobile at the cemetery.
Sunday on Palm Drive: The Altars Come From Everyone Else
The third ofrenda turns up on Sunday, Nov. 1, from 3 to 8 p.m., when Santa Clara University hosts its free fourth annual Camino de los Muertos on Palm Drive and Alviso Mall. SCU organizes it with Bay Area's Univision and the Mexican Consulate of San Jose.
The format is a walk. Visitors move along the campus past altars built by SCU departments and by community organizations from around San Jose and Santa Clara. Performances, music, crafts and food trucks fill the evening, and there is a contest for the best Catrina or Catrin costume, so dress up. At 5 p.m., a special All Saints Day Mass takes place in Mission Church.
The city's two altars ask residents to contribute photos. The Camino asks local organizations to build the altars, and the public comes to see them. Between Oct. 23 and Nov. 6, you can add your own photo to an altar and then walk past altars that other groups have built.
The event calendar lists free parking in the North Campus Garage off Benton Street. A separate SCU page about the event points to the Main Garage, so check the event listing before you leave.
The Order That Fits the Calendar
Here is the whole stretch in order:
- Fri., Oct. 23: Coco and the ofrenda at Mission City Memorial Park. Activities at 5 p.m., film around 6 p.m.
- Sat., Oct. 24: SpooktaClara at Central Park, noon to 4 p.m.
- Wed., Oct. 28: Scary stories and crafts at Central Park Library, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
- Thu., Oct. 29: Halloween storytime and trick-or-treating at Central Park Library, 10:30 a.m.
- Sat., Oct. 31: Halloween Picnic in the Park with Mission Branch Library at City Plaza Park, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sun., Nov. 1: Camino de los Muertos at SCU, 3 to 8 p.m., with Mass at 5 p.m. in Mission Church.
- Mon., Nov. 2: Last listed day for photo drop-off at the Central Park Library ofrenda.
- Fri., Nov. 6: Last day of the community ofrenda at Mission City Memorial Park.
Families may want to bring the library photo on Oct. 28 or Oct. 29, when they're already there for a Halloween program, rather than making a separate trip. The cemetery ofrenda closes last. If you add a frame on Friday the 23rd, you have two weeks to come back and see it with the full altar around it.
If you'd like to talk about Santa Clara, whether it's which part of the city keeps the Creek Trail or Palm Drive within walking distance or anything else on your mind, Naoko Amaya would be glad to hear from you, in English or Japanese. Let's Connect.
