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Three Queens Organizations to Host ‘Day of the Dead’ Events Monday

Photo: Courtesy of Sunnyside Shines

Nov. 1, 2021 Staff Report

Three Queens organizations will be hosting a series of events Monday, Nov. 1 to celebrate Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

Sunnyside Shines, Friends of Diversity Plaza, and the Queens Economic Development Corporation are producing a simultaneous celebration in Bliss-46th Street in Sunnyside, Diversity Plaza (74th Street) in Jackson Heights, and Corona Plaza (103rd St.), respectively, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Karla Pérez, a local curator, community organizer, and co-founder of Manhatitlan Mexican Dance, is the lead organizer of the event, which is an expansion of an event she spearheaded in 2020 in partnership with the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District.

Pérez notes that the observance is part of a larger vision she has had since before the COVID-19 crisis.

“Despite the size of the Mexican community in Queens, our Día de los Muertos observations tend to be private; it’s very different than in Mexico City, where the citywide celebration is very much integrated into the City’s public spaces. It is gratifying to see that last year’s modest celebration in Sunnyside is blossoming into a cooperative, multi-neighborhood affair.”

Sunnyside Shines’ Executive Director Jaime-Faye Bean notes, “For some, this will be an opportunity to observe a beloved and familiar tradition, and for others it will be a way to learn more about the diverse traditions that find their way here to Queens. But it’s also an important way for us to acknowledge the tremendous contribution of the Mexican community to our borough.”

All are welcome to attend the festivities and especially encouraged to participate in memorializing loved ones by bringing items to place on the communal ofrenda.

For schedule of events, see below.