River City Company in partnership with Art 120, the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, The Seed Theatre and the city of Chattanooga welcome families to celebrate Halloween and Dia de Los Santos on Oct. 28 with four events taking place in City Center of downtown.
Starting at 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Art 120 will kick off the day with a special Día de Los Santos celebration with amazing food, music and art made by Latin American neighbors and friends on Patten Square. Also known as "All Souls Day", this special holiday celebrates and provides space for families to fondly honor loved ones.
At the event, attendees can enjoy live traditional dance from Mexico and Brazil, plus Día de Los Santos art activities and food from Guatemala, Brazil and other South American countries. People are also welcome to bring a photo or item of a loved one to share on the Altar de Ofrendas on this special day. Additional information can be found on Facebook here.
Also, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., across the street from Patten Square at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, families are welcome to attend the 2nd Annual Bessie’s Halloween Bash. Alongside of trick-or-treating, the event will feature music, bounce houses, face painting, food trucks, and a touch-a-truck experience. Full details of the event can be found here.
Helping to move the party from Patten Square and the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, The Seed Theatre is hosting their first “Chattanooga Zombie Walk: Unleash the Undead for a Cause”. Lineup for the Zombie walk will start at 3 p.m. at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. This spine-tingling event isn't just about the walking dead, it's about the living making a difference. Proceeds from the Chattanooga Zombie Walk will go towards The Seed Theatre, aiding their mission to support marginalized communities in Chattanooga by providing resources, education, support and community.
If participants need assistance with an undead transformation, they will have a special “Zombification Zone” to help people look the part with gruesome makeup. Donations are accepted for the face painting with $5 for kids, $10 for adults, or reserve a slot with a professional makeup artist for a high fashion or super creepy look for $25. The zombie walk will start at 3:30 p.m. for participants to shuffle, stagger, and drag their feet in a staggeringly spectacular walk down Martin Luther King Blvd, through Patten Square and end at Miller Park. More information on this event can be found on Facebook here.
Once the participants arrive at Miller Park, they will be greeted with song and dance. At 4 p.m., the city of Chattanooga will be hosting a dance party in Miller Park with a Michael Jackson Thriller flash mob. The evening will continue with more music and entertainment on Miller Park stage, art vendors, food trucks and more trick-or-treating booths until 7 p.m. All events are free and open for the public to attend.