Weeks of altars, workshops, film, food, and a candlelight procession — the Day of the Dead as Sherman Heights has kept it since 1994.
The Día de los Muertos celebration at the Sherman Heights Community Center is a weeks-long community festivity that preserves the Day of the Dead tradition, itself a millennial practice.
It began in 1994, when Sr. Domingo Sandoval, a local resident, approached the Center asking for a space to build an altar in honor of his loved ones. Over the years the festivity has grown to include onsite community altars, front-yard altars throughout the neighborhood, craft workshops, online tutorials and videos, student tours and food tastings, a procession, and a fundraising event.
The tradition is a joyous occasion, when the memory of our ancestors and the continuity of life are celebrated. Festivities run from mid-October through November 2nd and are open to the public.
October
The night that opens the season. Regional mole tastings, drinks, live entertainment, and a first look at more than 25 community altars before they open to the public.
Guided morning tours of the community altars for school groups, paired with a hands-on workshop. Two weeks of daytime slots — October 20–23 and October 27–30. Teachers, reserve your class early; slots fill fast.
Community altars fill the Center, and front-yard altars go up across the neighborhood. Walk through at your own pace, or book a guided tour for your class.
A hands-on workshop led by an artisan baker. Learn the history of pan de muerto and what it means on the altar, then shape your own pan from scratch. Taught in Spanish and English.
Three more hands-on workshops join Pan de Muerto this season. Dates, times, and sign-up details are still being finalized:
November
The season closes with a candlelight procession in honor of our ancestors and the loved ones who have passed. Danza azteca, copal, and drums lead the way. Together as a community we keep traditions that might otherwise be forgotten.
Every year families, students, and community groups build ofrendas inside the Center and in front yards up and down the block. Admission is free and the tour is self-guided — come when it suits you.
Teachers: we host guided student tours with a docent, and we can pair a tour with a food tasting. Ofrendas are closed on October 31st.
En video · KPBS News
KPBS came to the Center for the 30th season and filmed what these weeks actually look like — altar builders, danzantes, and the families who return every year. A good way to see it before you come.
We invite you to become an SHCC sponsor. Your support sustains the Center and its year-round programs — cultural celebrations, youth and seniors programming, and a range of community-focused services. To learn more, contact Daniela Kelly at daniela@historicbarriodistrict.org.
Download the 2026 sponsorship packagePast sponsors & supporters
Y a cada vecino que armó un altar. Gracias.
“San Diego County’s longest-running event of its kind.”
Times of San Diego · October 2024
Día de los Muertos has been held at the Center every year since 1994 — three weeks of programming each fall, thousands of visitors, and altars still built by the same neighborhood that started it.
Every year for the past 30 years, the Sherman Heights Community Center transforms to honor loved ones who have passed on for Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos in Spanish.
KPBS · October 2024
We’re still keeping true to those initial ideas about how to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in the Sherman way.
Daniela Kelly, Executive DirectorTimes of San Diego · October 2025