SDBG’s Fall Festival connects visitors with harvest plants and autumn traditions from Halloween to Diá de los Muertos

Encinitas CA— The San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG), a 37-acre urban oasis that applies plant wisdom with people, today announced its Fall Festival/Festival de Otoño Event, open to the public from Saturday, Oct. 23rd through Monday, Nov. 1. The festive seasonal exhibit connects visitors with harvest plants and autumn traditions, from pumpkins and scarecrows to Halloween and Day of the Dead. The inclusive event at the Garden decorates and celebrates the changing colors of nature and cooler temperatures in the air. Patrons can enjoy live music, themed craft stations, fall-themed classes and more.
“Fall is a special time for plant lovers as it marks an important period of harvest and the coming rainy season,” said Dr. Ari Novy, SDBG President and CEO. “The San Diego Botanic Garden is excited to host a celebration that brings our community together to celebrate the new season and the different autumn traditions of our diverse community.”
For a special Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos celebration, SDBG has commissioned artist Katie Ruiz to create an ofrenda that will open to the public beginning on October 23. Katie Ruiz is a Xicana figure painter and sculptor who resides in San Diego and is best known for her colorful blanket series. The ofrenda will feature her signature use of handmade pompoms and will be dedicated to Yolanda López—one of the most important Chicana/o/x artists working in California over the past five decades and an activist and educator celebrated for her role in the Chicano art movement. The Garden will also have a community altar where the public is invited to bring items from home to commemorate loved ones.
The Garden will host special activities on two days during the festival: 10 am – 4 pm on Saturday, Oct. 23, and 10 am – 3 pm on Sunday, Oct. 31. Activities on Oct. 23 include face painting, crafts, a performance by the kids’ band Hullabaloo, and a performance by the band Mariachi Real de San Diego. Activities on Oct. 31 include crafts and a performance by the Cajun / Zydeco / Texas Swing band Billy Lee & the Swamp Critters.
Tickets to the Garden include the performances and can be purchased in advance on the website. Admission for one adult is $18, and this price is discounted for seniors, active military, and students. With the purchase of one adult ticket, one youth ticket (age 17 and under) is free during the month of October. To purchase tickets or for additional information, please visit: www.sdbgarden.org/fall-festival.htm.