性视界传媒

Organizers of Decatur鈥檚 D铆a De Los Muertos Festival are cancelling the event for 2025. They say it鈥檚 because of concerns over safety and the current national climate surrounding immigration.

鈥婽he festival was set to return in November to downtown Decatur for its fourth year. However, organizers say they had to prioritize community safety and that canceling was the toughest call they鈥檝e made yet.

鈥淯nfortunately, with our current situation, we thought, do we want to put people potentially in harm鈥檚 way?" said Mari Juarez, the festival's organizer.聽"And weighing the options, we did not think it was a good idea.鈥�

鈥婽he festival celebrates Hispanic culture through music, food, dancing, and tradition - something organizers say they strive to put together every single year. Its cancellation is hitting organizers and the community hard.

鈥淚t hurts. We have worked very hard,"聽鈥媠aid Juarez.聽"We have a very strong committee. We have put together a very diverse board. We were ready to tackle this year with everything that it deserved.鈥�

鈥婰ocal vendor, Miguel Palomino, has brought his food truck every year and says, while it鈥檚 disappointing, he understands why the festival is cancelled.

鈥淲e have to pay attention to how some Hispanics are being racially profiled. There had to be a pause,鈥� said聽Palomino.

鈥婽he loss of the festival also means the loss of a brand new scholarship for one young lady's college education. Sophia Castillo, judge of the Catrina Quincea帽era competition of the festival, started a scholarship this year, where one girl would get the money toward her college education.

鈥淚 was a little bummed because I was really excited,"聽鈥媠aid Castillo. "I think it鈥檚 very important to invest in the younger generation and show them that there鈥檚 someone there and that people believe in you and that you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to.鈥�

鈥婳rganizers are now focusing on building a nonprofit, Coraz贸n y Cultura, to keep sharing Latino culture in Decatur and create more events in the future.