CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The annual Día de Los Muertos Festival in downtown Corpus Christi has turned into a well-known celebration throughout Texas.
Co-founder and festival director of the event Michelle Smythe said the national Mexican holiday brings the community together to celebrate, honor and remember loved ones.
She says this year's event will be the biggest one yet.
"We started the festival in 2008 and we took up one block, didn't even fill up the whole block," Smythe said. "And it just took off and kind of you know grew and grew, and now we take up 12 blocks of downtown."
With limited parking downtown, Rita Patrick with Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority said there will be free rides to the festival from TAMU-CC, Corpus Christi City Hall and the Nueces County Courthouse.
"We will have more than 10 buses going back and forth because we're expecting large crowds," Patrick said. "Last year, we had an excess of 4,000 people ride the buses, so we're expecting even more this year, so we'll have 10 buses. These buses will be going back and forth every 15 minutes or less."
Smythe said the festival is an economic boost for all downtown businesses nearby.
"Most of our, the bars and restaurants that are within our footprint, they see double or triple their usual numbers," she said. "Dia de los Muertos is one of their biggest days of the year for income."
Smythe said she believes the touching meaning behind the holiday is a big reason for the event's success and growth each year.
"I think it's a beloved holiday; it has an emotional value to it because people are celebrating their deceased loved ones and I think that endears it to people more than some other types of festivals," she said.
The festival will be on Saturday from 3 p.m. to midnight. CCRTA will also offer accessible ADA rides near City Hall. The free rides will begin at 2 p.m. and stop 30 minutes after the event ends.