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It was the first time in the event鈥檚 31-year history that a crowd that most years tops 150,000 people did not march the nearly 2-mile procession route from Barrio Hollywood to the Mercado District, which was a bit of a relief for All Souls Artistic Director Nadia Hagen.

鈥淔or us to have a break in that grinding wheel, it gave us a chance to stop and step back and to reflect,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t gave us this opportunity to step back in time to how the event felt when it was just the organizations and just a few people. It was very intimate. It was really nice.鈥�

Many Mouths One Stomach, which puts on the annual event, is ready this year to welcome back the crowds at the 32nd annual All Souls weekend Nov. 6-7.

The festival actually launched Oct. 18 with the introduction of the All Souls Mausoleum, a space in the back end of the MSA Annex at 267 S. Avenida del Convento where people can leave prayers and mementos of loved ones to be burned in the urn. The mausoleum, which is open nightly from 6 to 9 p.m., also features a projection wall displaying images of families鈥� ancestors and a community altar.

鈥淚nstead of having only one moment in time where many, many people are gathering in a small space, we decided to lengthen the time that people can interact with the different aspects of the procession that are meaningful,鈥� Hagen said, adding that the mausoleum was created in response to the pandemic and all the grief and heartache it wrought on the community since March 2020.

The All Souls weekend kicks off on Nov. 6 when 蜜柚直播鈥檚 popular cumbia rock band XIXA 鈥� fresh off a European tour 鈥� headlines 鈥淟uz de Vida II,鈥� a benefit concert for families impacted by homicide. Soda Sun and Hannah Yeun are also on the lineup at the MSA Annex beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 through .

The All Souls Procession, which will be live-streamed, begins at 6 p.m. from Grande Avenue and proceeds down city streets and along the Santa Cruz River Walk to the MSA Annex. Most of the people in the procession make up their faces in colorful skeleton skulls and carry mementos of their lost loved ones including family photos. The procession is mostly somber, although some walkers, reflecting the personalities of their loved ones, have been known to skip and dance along the route.

The procession ends at the Mercado District, where participants can walk across the main stage before the urn-burning ceremony takes place.

鈥淔or us, it has always been extremely important for people to dig deep and ask themselves these questions: Who are your ancestors and who are you walking for? What makes this meaningful for you?鈥� said Hagen, who has been involved in All Souls since 1996 and took it over in 1998 when founder Susan Johnson stepped aside.

Hagen said the community鈥檚 shared experience with the pandemic adds a deeper need for reflection at this year鈥檚 event.

鈥淲e are forced into a situation of internality and self contemplation. I think people used it in different ways however they decided to use that time. But also to look at our fears and our mortality,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 hope that (through) our shared experience that we can transform those into fertilizer that helps us grow into more fulfilled beings, deeper beings; more thoughtful beings.鈥�

An 8-foot tall puppet from Red Herring Puppets will loom large on the finale stage, where 蜜柚直播 cirque troupe Flam Chen and the all-woman folklorico/mariachi group Las Azaleas will perform.

All Souls will be Las Azaleas鈥檚 biggest performance since 蜜柚直播 voice teacher and opera singer Diana Olivares formed the quintet in June 2020. The group is devoted to performing works made famous by women or composed by women.

The All Souls Procession launched in 蜜柚直播 in 1990 with a ceremonial performance piece created by local artist Susan Johnson. Johnson was grieving the passing of her father, and as an artist, she found solace in a creative, celebratory approach to memorializing him, the All Souls website says.

鈥淔rom the beginning, it was different people鈥檚 ethnic groups, different cultures, but also it was all these different art forms put together,鈥� Johnson said.

After that first year, many artists were inspired to continue, growing the procession into its modern incarnation 鈥� a two-mile long human-powered procession that ends in the ceremonial burning of the urn.