Dia de Muertos Celebration at Nashville City Cemetery Centers Hispanic Experience
This year Nashville will have its first free community Dia de Muertos celebration at the Nashville City Cemetery, which is the oldest continuously operated public cemetery in the city.
The idea to host the celebration was a collaboration between Kaden Otte, a maintenance worker for the Metro Historical Commission who serves as an on-the-ground caretaker at the cemetery, and Council Members Terry Vo and Sandra Sepulveda. On Nov. 1 from 1-4 p.m., anyone in the community can come to the celebration at the cemetery.
Vo says once they started talking about how to make the event happen, folks in the community stepped up with excitement to be involved in the event. In addition to Otte and Sepulveda, multiple other folks are involved in getting the inaugural event off the ground, including Chestnut Hill Neighborhood Association, the Silent Book Club, La Mision ConArte and Live Nation. Vo says Live Nation felt a connection to the event as Harland Howard is buried there and they’ve named their latest venue The Truth, borrowing from his assessment of what makes a good song: “three chords and the truth.”
The celebration will be both educational and filled with entertainment. Two ofrendas will be set up on site: one will honor community members’ family and loved ones and will be decorated traditionally. The other will be a community ofrenda to honor the late Dolly Parton.
“Anyone in the community can come and honor loved ones, pets, family,” Vo said. “The Dolly ofrenda will be focused on items to honor her and will be separate, but nearby. We’re really looking for this to be a hands-on, education approach and we want to keep it all accessible and free.”
In addition to the ofrendas, the event will feature free face painting for children and adults, food trucks, storytelling and more. Children can paint their own sugar skulls to take home. A storyteller will be on site for three shows highlighting history. The Master Gardeners of Davidson County, who help maintain the cemetery throughout the year, will be on deck to talk about the significance of marigolds in Hispanic culture, the varieties of marigolds in our area, and they will send some seeds home with folks.
Vo said the event felt like a good way to represent the large population of Hispanic community members in Nashville. She and others wanted to lay the groundwork to make this an annual festival. There are many young families moving to the area, and she wants them to feel supported.
“We want the kids that go to school near here and their families to know that the community supports you,” Vo said. “These events should always represent the people who live in the area and we’re doing something that’s really been missing.”
The Silent Book Club will have a place of reverence set up for book reading and learning more about hispanic culture. BookEm has also provided a number of books that will be on hand for folks to take home with them. There is free parking nearby at the Adventure Science Center as well as at 1001 6th Ave South, but Vo encourages anyone who can walk, bike or take the bus to do so.
“My hope is that the Latino community will come out, they were the reason we wanted to put something like this together,” Vo said. “We want an event where they feel seen, where they are the center, and we really want them to feel comfortable being our neighbors and in our community.”
Cheekwood Hosts 27th Dia de Los Muertos Celebration
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens is slated to host two days of celebration in honor of El Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
This year marks the 27th year Cheekwood has put together the festival, which brings guests to the gardens the chance to experience the holiday that honors deceased loved ones and celebrates the bonds of family and community. This year, the two-day festival is slated for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Each day has its own lineup of events, which features everything from community ofrendas to large-scale murals created by Nashville-area middle and high school students, traditional food and artisan vendors, hands-on art activities and a stacked roster of dance and musical performances.
“Day of the Dead at Cheekwood is a meaningful celebration that invites everyone to learn about, appreciate, and experience the rich cultural traditions of Mexico,” said Arcelia Vázquez, a member of the Advisory Committee for Día de los Muertos at Cheekwood.
El Día de los Muertos will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days and tickets are required for each day of the celebration.
Cheekwood said in a release the celebration began in recognition of the growning Hispanic community in Nashville in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Throughout the event’s history, Cheekwood has collaborated with an Advisory Committee of members of the Hispanic community to help guide the festival and ensure it is presented with respect for the traditions it celebrates.
“At its heart, this is a celebration of family, community, love, and remembrance. It honors the tradition of welcoming back, for a brief reunion, the souls of ancestors and loved ones who have passed away,” Vázquez said. “Through memories, stories, and shared traditions, we celebrate their lives and keep their spirits close. We invite everyone to join us in honoring loved ones and experiencing the beauty and enduring traditions of El Día de los Muertos.”
Cheekwood Dia de Los Muertos Performer Honored to Take Part in Tradition
For the past five years, singer Rosa Rodriguez has been performing at Cheekwood’s annual Dia de Los Muertos Celebration. Over these years, she’s enjoyed how aligned the organization is with her and the community. Rodridguez answered a few questions ahead of the celebration about her experience with performing and with Dia de Los Muertos traditions.
Tell me a bit about how you got involved with performing at Cheekwood.
I love Cheekwood. I used to visit the gardens a lot. I love flowers, nature and how calm it is over there. You can breathe fresh air and just take it in. Have a snack and sit for a while. Then keep walking and seeing the beautiful sceneries. I think someone told me to apply to perform there via their website, and I’ve been so grateful to have received an invitation from the committee to perform every year there for Dia de Los Muertos since 2021. I also got to narrate the Spanish audio guide in the mansion, available there on site. Very honored to be part of Cheekwood through music and voice-over. The team there is always so kind.
I know Dia de Muertos celebrations can vary quite a bit. What should folks expect at this celebration and from your performance?
It’s wonderful to see how different Latin American countries honor their loved ones who have passed with their own traditions. In this celebration you get to see how we have similarities and differences. But at the core, you can feel the love and honor, the life that transcends time and space. In my performance I try to include songs of remembrance, celebration, peace, encouragement in transitions, both originals and covers. We can expect to have fun together singing, dancing, enjoying nature, the festivities, trying food from all over the world, and checking out amazing vendors.
The celebration has been going on at Cheekwood for 27 years this year. What does it mean to be part of this longtime celebration?
Wow, that’s incredible. I’m very honored to be part of this celebration. I have felt very aligned with Cheekwood over the years, I also enjoy coming to Cheekwood Holiday lights with friends and their artistic exhibitions throughout the year. It’s beautiful and inspiring.
Can you talk a bit about the rituals around Dia de Muertos that extend beyond the event?
Absolutely. In Honduras, where I’m from, our tradition is more about just bringing them flowers. We call it “Dia de las Coronas” (Wreath Day). We place flower wreaths in their resting place. We say prayers to God, share memories about our loved ones with each other and have a quiet moment together. We don’t believe they visit us, but I believe in eternal life, and I think it’s so precious how in a way they stay with us through the food recipes they taught us, songs we sang together, poems, experiences shared together like trips or daily life, photos, our memories and in our hearts forever.
Día de los Muertos Events
Middle Tennessee Día de Los Muertos Celebration
Oct. 31
West Court Square, Springfield, TN
This festival in downtown Springfield will offer a space to learn about and celebrate Día de Los Muertos. It is presented by Multicultural Events of Middle Tennessee, and includes a parade, street fair, face painting and a live DJ.
Día de los Muertos at Nashville Ballet
Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 2026
TPAC’s The Martin Center for Nashville Ballet
3630 Redmon Street, Nashville, TN 37209
This performance pulls inspiration from the paintings of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Choreographed by Maria A. Konrad, Día de los Muertos “bridges tradition with Nashville’s cultural landscape, promising an unforgettable journey into the heart of this beloved holiday,” according to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
Dia de los Muertos Night
Oct. 21 from 6-7:30 p.m.
St. Ann’s Catholic Church
5101 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, TN 37209
St. Ann’s Catholic Church is hosting a night to honor this tradition and to learn the meaning behind how Día de los Muertos connects to the Catholic faith and the way they remember and honor loved ones. The event will have activities, crafts and games.