Morris Center Marks Día de los Muertos in South Bend

The sixth annual celebration displayed five ofrendas across South Bend and featured a free concert.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Cultural

Photograph of a marigold-draped altar with lit white candles and hanging cut tissue paper on a stone plaza, with a brick civic building blurred behind it. — South Bend's Morris Performance Art Center marked its sixth annual Día de los Muertos observance with five public ofrendas across the city and a free concert featuring Notre Dame's Mariachi Band. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Morris Performance Art Center held its sixth annual Día de los Muertos event in South Bend, Indiana. Five ofrendas honoring deceased individuals were displayed at public venues across the city through November 8.

Why it matters

The celebration brings a traditional Mexican observance to public spaces in South Bend, giving residents access to community art and cultural programming. It reflects the city's Arts Equity and Public Art efforts.

The event is the sixth annual iteration, with five ofrendas on display across public South Bend venues. Attendance and participation totals were not provided in the source.

The players

Morris Performance Art Center

The South Bend performing arts venue that organized the sixth annual Día de los Muertos celebration.

Marvin Curtis

The coordinator of Arts Equity and Public Art for the City of South Bend, who sought to bring the celebration to the city after attending one in Texas.

The details

Each ofrenda was created by a local artist working with South Bend students and was displayed at the South Bend Museum of Art, the Raclin Murphy Encore Center, the St. Joseph County Public Library Main Branch, La Casa de Amistad, and Howard Park. A free concert featured the University of Notre Dame Mariachi Band, Ballet Folklórico Azul y Oro, and Sones de México Ensemble.

Six years ago: Marvin Curtis attended a Día de los Muertos celebration in Texas, inspiring the South Bend event.
November 8, 2026: The last day the ofrendas were on display across South Bend.

Cultural Roots

The South Bend celebration grew from Marvin Curtis's experience at a Texas Día de los Muertos event six years earlier. Its public ofrenda model carries that Texas precedent into a Midwestern city's public art program.

Residents could view the ofrendas in person at five public South Bend locations until November 8. The free concert offered an open-admission opportunity to experience the performances without cost.

The takeaway

Public art installations like these offer free, accessible ways to experience cultural traditions close to home. Checking local arts organizations can reveal similar community events.