Edison Language Academy will celebrate the 12th Annual Festival de Otoño and Día De Los Muertos gallery in Santa Monica next Saturday, Nov. 3 from 1-5 p.m.
The free event combines art, theater, music, food, poetry, games and a multi-cultural celebration of the season.
The event, which attracts more than 1,500 people every year, features the largest Day of the Dead Exhibit on the Westside, a creative collaboration of altars by Edison students, teachers and parents in the Mexican and Central American tradition of remembering deceased loved ones.
Live music, authentic Mexican food, children’s entertainment, haunted house, rock climbing and arts and crafts make it a one-of-a-kind event for the entire family.
The event features cultural traditions designed to commemorate those who have passed away including a series of “alfombras,” beautiful displays made of dust, flowers and other native materials that are traditionally communally designed and prepared on the streets of villages and towns in many countries in Latin America.
There will also be a display of the community-wide “Cranes for Peace Project” to memorialize the thousands of people who have died in war, victims of natural disasters, people who have been great inspirations to others, etc.
One thousand hand-made Japanese origami cranes will be hung above the altars in a call for world peace.
The cranes are inspired by the crane project of Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old when the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and later died of leukemia.
A carnival of games, art-and-crafts plus hot Latin and dance tunes from DJ Alex Reyes and live Mariachi music will provide entertainment for kids and grown-ups alike.
Authentic tamales and pozole made by parents, as well as homemade baked goods, will be for sale. Prices for food and games range from $1 to $5.
Edison Language Academy, one of the most successful dual-language immersion programs in the country, is the only immersion Spanish elementary school in the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD).
It provides a Spanish/English language curriculum to 450 students in grades K-5 and is the foundation for the dual-language immersion K-12 program.
While Edison teaches in two languages, it follows the same state curriculum frameworks and grade level content standards as all public elementary schools in California.
SMMUSD continues to support Edison graduates in the full development of their language skills by offering outreach programs and immersion track at John Adams Middle School and Santa Monica High school.
Edison Language Academy, is located at 2425 Kansas Ave. (near Cloverfield), Santa Monica.
For more information about Edison Language Academy please visit www.edison.smmusd.org, www.edisonamigos.com or call 310828.0335.
