Día de los Muertos is a traditional Mexican holiday that varies in length of celebration but is customarily observed on November 1 and 2. Día de los Muertos is a time to honor loved ones who have passed by visiting and elaborately decorating gravesites; creating altars with flowers, commemorations, and offerings; and expressing oneself as a Catrina (skeleton figure).
This year Mercado on Fifth holds their inaugural Día de los Muertos Parade in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Organizations and families in the parade on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. in downtown Moline, Illinois, will show appreciation for the traditions that surround the holiday with their Dia de los Muertos themed floats and parade entries.
Beginning on 12th Street and River Drive, near Vibrant Arena at The MARK in downtown Moline, the parade will head east down River Drive, south on 19th Street and west down 5th Avenue to end at the starting point. In a fun tradition, the parade will end with a Second Line. This means that following the last parade participant, the public is invited to join the parade and walk the remainder of the route. (Please wait until the end of the parade and Second Line reaches your viewing spot to join.) For more information, visit www.mercadoonfifth.org
Right after the parade, Vibrant Arena at The MARK and Mercado on Fifth hosts the Día de los Muertos Food Truck Festival from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. in the Vibrant Arena parking lot, 1201 River Drive in Moline. Admission is free to the public and will include local food trucks, retail vendors, a beer garden, and music from Chicago’s Tamborazo Chanillos.
Among the food trucks participating will be: Cocina Verde, Raulito Tacos, Tacos al Vapor, Restaurante el Mariachi, Rob’s Smokin J’s, Tamales for Hope, Mi Chelita, and Miguel’s Street Tacos. Retail vendors participating include: Adolfo’s Imports, Yaya’s Boutique, Rosarios, Michelle’s Mobile Fashion Boutique and La Luz. For more information, visit www.mercadoonfifth.org
To cap off the day is the Luis Coronel Concert with Special Guest Banda La Super Ranchera performing at 7:00 p.m. at the Vibrant Arena at The MARK, 1201 River Drive in Moline. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Luis became the youngest solo artist in 13 years to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums, a feat made possible with “Quiero Ser Tu Dueño,” which has already been certified gold, and approaching platinum status. Tickets for the concert start at $25 and can be purchased at the Vibrant Arena Box Office and www.ticketmaster.com
