Event
Día de los Muertos in Central Oregon
Saturday, November 7, 2026
Día de los Muertos honors loved ones who have passed with ofrendas, marigolds, music, food, and gathering. In Bend, the community celebration Día de Muertos Bend moves to the Open Arts Center this year, and organizations across Central Oregon host, support, and volunteer at celebrations that share this tradition and bring neighbors together. These organizations are taking part and welcome volunteers and supporters.
Organizations taking part
Día de Muertos Bend is Central Oregon's community Día de Muertos celebration, organized by local volunteers to honor loved ones who have passed with a community ofrenda, papel picado, music, dance, food, and vendors. The 2025 celebration, themed Dignidad en la Vida y la Muerte, filled a street in downtown Bend on November 7; in 2026 it moves to the Open Arts Center.
Volunteers make the celebration happen: setting up and decorating, helping build the community ofrenda, supporting vendors and performers, and keeping the event welcoming and safe for everyone. Sign up through the volunteer form. In the weeks before the event, the Open Arts Center has hosted free family craft nights where anyone can help make decorations for the community altar.
The Open Arts Center is a nonprofit creative arts center in Bend's Central District, offering a community-driven space where teens and adults foster creativity, intergenerational learning, and belonging. Teens ages 13–18 get free and low-cost afterschool creative programming, open art hours, and mentorship. Adult artists can rent private studios, join a member co-working art space, and take or teach classes and workshops.
Volunteers help power a free creative space for teens. Trained, background-checked adult mentors support the afterschool teen program alongside staff, and working artists can share their craft through mentorship, workshops, and classes. Community members can also pitch in on events and on hands-on projects building out and furnishing the center.
The Latino Community Association (LCA) empowers Latino families in Central Oregon to thrive, serving more than 12,000 people a year from offices in Bend, Redmond, Madras, and Prineville. Programs include English and citizenship classes, immigration legal services, health and family support, and computer literacy, alongside cultural events like Latino Fest, Welcoming Week, Día de los Muertos, and Christmas Posadas.
Volunteers provide bilingual support across LCA's programs: translation and interpretation, front-desk and client services, English tutoring, and help at cultural celebrations like Día de los Muertos, Latino Fest, and the Christmas Posadas community dinner, plus flyer distribution in Bend, Redmond, Madras, and Prineville. Spanish/English skills are especially valuable, and board service is also available.
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