SANTA BARBARA BOWL
More than 2,200 students from across Santa Barbara County gathered at the Santa Barbara Bowl to experience the vibrant traditions of Día de los Muertos through an unforgettable blend of music, dance, poetry, and visual storytelling. The featured performance, Vivan Los Muertos, by the acclaimed East L.A. band Las Cafeteras, was adapted from their full-stage production to create a powerful, immersive celebration of Indigenous heritage and community.
Presented by Santa Barbara Bowl Outreach and the Children’s Creative Project, this special Kids at the Bowl event welcomed middle and high school students from Carpinteria to Santa Maria and everywhere in between.
Several Santa Barbara High School students participated in a post-show workshop titled The Art of Remembering with Las Cafeteras following the performance. In the spirit of Día de los Muertos, the workshop invited students to engage in the sacred act of remembrance. Through storytelling, poetry prompts, and collective sharing, participants explored how honoring the past can help shape their future.
Santa Barbara Bowl Outreach’s Kids at the Bowl series offers educational, culturally relevant performances that bring thousands of K–12 students together each year. These events spark a love for live performance and introduce young people to one of our community’s most iconic landmarks—the Santa Barbara Bowl.
The Bowl is grateful to the Mosher Foundation and AEG Community Foundation for making this year’s Kids at the Bowl possible!
