All Souls Procession

I had an amazing time meeting up with friends and experiencing All Souls Processions. Some of us carried photos and items from lost loved ones and some didn't. Our group wasn't dressed up as we had been part of some community conversations from varying view points around the appropriate-ness of the event. However after meeting and speaking with a lovely Mexican American couple at our hotel we changed our opinion. They were very inviting to us and encouraged us to join in the festivities. They told us they annually travel to the event from Mexico to celebrate and dress up with their family. We thought it would at least be ok to attend and check it out for ourselves.The costumes and floats/props people made were beautiful. There was a large metal basket and ornately costumed "characters" collecting hand written remembrances and depositing them in the basket. When everyone began walking some music broke out from time to time, people began to sing, sometimes protest and resistance songs. Groups of dancers performed as we moved down the streets - the curbs lined were with onlookers. It was solemn, peaceful and reflective. At the end of our walk a huge crowd gathered around a barricaded stage backlight by a mega screen. We had VIP passes and were allowed into the barricade for a warm meal. There were a few large tables to eat at or rows of seating to watch the performance. Wow! Stage acts, live drumming, wacky jellyfish costumes, fire jugglers, live rock band, aerialists and fireworks. The big metal cage got lit on fire and hoisted up on a crane to let everything burn. It turned out to be a very epic evening. Lots of great local after parties, live bands and specials at neighboring bars.

This is a must see/participate in Tucson event. Look on Pinterest to see how you should dress/ paint your face. The first time I went, I tried using the cheap Halloween face paint which looked awful. This year I bought the lightest coxed (porcelain) tinted moisturizer to make the light/whiteish background color for my face and it worked way better! There are also people who do professional face painting in the area (find on facebook).It gets cold at night so be sure to dress warm. I still haven't made it to the procession part yet but I want to next year. The walk ends in MSA Annex area and there are a bunch of performers and ALOT of food trucks. Then it's fun to go over to Mercado san Augustin courtyard. There is a live band and dancing here as well as food and drinks. If you want to go to Augustin Kitchen, you need a reservation.

Tucson's premiere showcase event! At least in my mind. Beautiful, soulful, entertaining, heartwarming, cultural...oh the adjectives could go on and on. I've been coming to the All Souls Procession for many years and love how it seems to grow every year, I just wish it still went down 4th Ave and more of Congress. But I understand that progress (street car) changes things and we all have to roll with it. Since it no longer goes under the street at the end of 4th where the participants all push together for an amazing, loud and exciting walk, I was very happy as I walked under the street at the the end of 6th Ave to get that same feel.If you are visiting Tucson during the 1st weekend in November, make it a point to attend the All Souls Procession. What is so unique (besides the whole concept itself!!) is that you can choose to sit on the sidelines and watch or hop in at any point and walk the route as a participant.Flam Chen dancers and performers always blow me away and the finale is pretty spectacular. It's a beautiful thing to see that urn hoisted in the air full of prayers, thoughts and names of loved ones and then lit on fire as the words on the papers ascend to the heavens. It's goosebump worthy.It bears mentioning that the annual event is only made possible through donations. If you love the All Souls Procession, I encourage you to make a donation - no matter how large or small - so this tradition can carry on. www.manymouths.org

What an amazing beautiful day! November 5th in Barrio Hollywood. So many faces, so many memories.

The All Souls Procession was one of the coolest things I've ever seen anywhere. I am shocked by how many people who've lived here for years have never gone!Last year was my first, and I was absolutely mesmerized by the papier-mache sculpture and costume artistry, the music and drum beats, the families marching together, the stilt-walkers.... The creativity and energy were unbelievable. I was so over-the-top enthused about this event that I convinced a close friend to come all the way from the Midwest this year just for the All Souls Procession. Can. Not. Wait.

This is one of the best events I've been to in ages- head downtown in the afternoon to check out the pre-parade events..most businesses are doing something to celebrate. We went to Borderlands Brewery where they crafted a special beer just for the event (with a portion of the proceeds going to the organizers of All Souls). There was live music and plenty of great costumes to check out. If you aren't talented with the face paint, most bars offer free face painting which is a great way to get everyone in the spirit of the event. Parking can be a challenge- arrive early (we managed to find free street parking around 3:00). The parade is great fun. It is open to anyone who wants to join- just jump in and walk along- or you can enjoy the sites from the sidelines. The parade ends just past the freeway where there is a huge after party. This was super fun, but we were unable to find food/drink here (maybe we just missed it?) so we headed back to Congress for a bit to eat. This event is also child/pet friendly which is really nice. This is something the entire family can enjoy. The creativity of the people who come out for the day is amazing- you will not be disappointing with this event...we're already planning ahead to next year's!

I look forward to this event every year. We stand by the 6th Ave. underpass. It was very dark this year, the street lights went on and off. It was hard to see all the marchers. Love the Mariachi dancers and players. Some great props, miss the UofA marching band this year. Great event!

Now this procession is in my Barrio which makes sense historically. Barrio Hollywood sits on the floodplain of the Santa Cruz river where the indigenous people irrigated crops as early as 1200 BC. When we march on this land we are communing with thousands of souls that marched before us.

ethnic culture + popular culture+ creativity + family + fun + skeletons + flowers + street roamingBEST thing about Tucson. :) I love when there's life on the streets!

So this was the first procession I actually walked in after standing on the sidelines for many years. I love this venue - it is totally the best. The only reason I gave it four stars is because of the excessively long dancing program and the excessively synthesized music that was used at the venue. I personally would have preferred a shorter program and music that was more soulful or beautiful perhaps Peruvian Andes music or something like that.