Self Help Graphics Dia de los Muertos East La

Self Help Graphics & Art’s Día de los Muertos Celebration in Boyle Heights

Every year in late October and early November, the streets around Self Help Graphics & Art in Boyle Heights, just west of East L.A., fill with ofrendas, papel picado, and marigold petals. The organization's annual Día de los Muertos celebration is one of the oldest and most respected in the country, rooted in the Chicano arts movement that took hold in this neighborhood decades ago. For anyone curious about Día de los Muertos in East L.A. at its most culturally grounded, this is the event to know.

What Self Help Graphics & Art Actually Is

Self Help Graphics & Art is a nonprofit printmaking and arts organization that has operated around East L.A. since 1970. It was co-founded by Sister Karen Boccalero and a group of Chicano artists who wanted a community-centered creative space. The organization is credited with helping revive and reframe Día de los Muertos as a living cultural practice in the United States, not just a religious observance but a community gathering point where art, memory, and identity intersect.

This year’s celebration is Saturday, Nov. 7, from 3 to 10 p.m., with a procession at 2 p.m. Check their official calendar closer to fall for confirmed dates and any ticketing details.

What To Expect at the Event

The celebration centers on community-built altars honoring loved ones who have passed. Artists, families, and neighborhood organizations contribute ofrendas that range from deeply personal family shrines to large-scale installations. There is typically live music, Aztec dance performances, and a procession. Printmaking demonstrations are a consistent feature, which fits the organization's identity as a working studio.

The event draws people from across the Basin, including Silver Lake, Koreatown, and communities throughout the San Gabriel Valley. Parking in the area fills up quickly, so arriving early or taking the 101 and finding street parking several blocks out is the more practical approach. Many attendees combine the event with a visit to other Eastside cultural spots along Cesar Chavez Avenue.

For more on East L.A.'s fall events and what makes the neighborhood's calendar worth following, our East L.A. parade and festival guide covers additional community gatherings in the area.

Planning Around the Event if You're Moving or Between Leases

Fall in L.A. is one of the busiest moving seasons. Leases turn over, apartments in dense neighborhoods like Koreatown and Silver Lake rarely time out perfectly, and the stretch between late October and December can leave people with more belongings than their next place is ready to hold. If you are attending the Self Help Graphics celebration and also in the middle of a move or transition, it is worth knowing that storage in East Los Angeles on Medford Street is close to the neighborhood and rents on a month-to-month basis.

Not sure what size unit fits your situation? A-1 Self Storage's unit size guide lays out the options clearly so you can match a unit to what you actually need to store, whether that is furniture from a one-bedroom or seasonal gear and boxes during a gap between leases. You can also browse all storage locations across the L.A. area if you need something closer to where you are landing next.

The Self Help Graphics Día de los Muertos celebration is the kind of event that reminds people why the Eastside’s cultural fabric is worth showing up for. Plan ahead, bring cash for the vendors, and give yourself time to spend with the altars rather than rushing through. It is one of the few events in SoCal that feels genuinely rooted in place rather than produced for an audience.