Day of the Dead, Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Day of dead

What more do you need to celebrate your Halloween w/end? A festival called Day of the Dead at a cemetery! The Mexican El Dia De Los Muertos celebrates the lives of deceased loved ones with altars displaying traditional skeleton decorations, marigold flowers, fave food, beverages and photos of the dear departed - the idea being to remember them, honour their lives and invite them back to earth for a bit of a party .

The Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard between the Paramount Lot and the Hollywood Hills and is the final resting place for Rudolph Valentino, John Huston, Jayne Mansfield or Johnny Ramone.

I’d recommend going before dusk so you can still see all of the beautifully designed altars, wander the cemetery and catch some of the festivities on offer -  performers include  
La Santa Cecilia, The Mockingbirds ( Los Cenzontles ) and Javier Yxayotl  who uses traditional instruments and wears stunning feathered costumes of ancient Mexico.

Check out this promo film about the festival filmed at previous Day of the Dead festivals at the Cemetary - it really has to be seen to be believed - and you can even go home afterwards saying " I see Dead People' :)