Emerge’s annual fall fiesta returns Nov. 2 to Coeur d’Alene.

The Day of the Dead Festival: Celebrating Ancestry and Artistry begins at 6 p.m. at the Human Rights Education Institute, 414 W. Fort Grounds Drive, Coeur d’Alene.

Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is most strongly associated with Mexico where the tradition originated, and honors the dead with festivals and lively celebrations that combine indigenous Aztec ritual with Catholicism.

“It’s a chance to celebrate the richness of cultural diversity and of human experience. We’re really fortunate to have artists with diverse backgrounds collaborating on this event, and sharing their art and ancestry with the local community,” said Emerge board chair Jennifer Drake, in a news release.

Guests at this year’s event can sample from a chef cook-off with 12 of the area’s best chefs and restaurants serving up traditional foods from the American Southwest, Latin America and Mexico. There will be live performances from Spokane Aerial Acrobats and Latin fusion band Milonga: 5 Piece Special, along with silent and live auction items to bid on. Art pieces will be created during the party.

Tickets are being sold in advance for $55 per guest and can be purchased by visiting emergecda.com.

A sell-out since its inception in 2015, the festival this year closes out six weeks of art programming focused on Hispanic and Latino culture in collaboration with the Human Rights Education Institute.

The series kicked off at Emerge’s summer INK! Print Rally where artists created six-foot wood-carved prints with bedsheets and an asphalt roller. Those pieces – and – more will be displayed at the Festival. The six-week series has included Aztecan pottery and Nicaraguan jewelry workshops, salsa dancing lessons, tamale cooking class, and more.

The Day of the Dead Festival benefits the Emerge community arts program. Emerge provides high quality artistic development and opportunities made accessible to the whole community, while supporting up-and-coming artists who wish to pursue the arts as a career with a platform to show work and cultivate their talents.