WHAT
A large, public, non-motorized, multicultural parade celebrating the living and the dead. An opportunity to experience grieving, reverence, release, opening, joy, and closure with thousands of other participants in a safe environment, at the level you wish to participate. There is no formal distinction between participant and onlooker: people flow in and out of the parade. There is no fee, though as organizers, Many Mouths One Stomach accepts tax-deductible donations and sponsorships from select businesses and organizations to cover our costs so everyone can be a part of the festivities.

WHEN/WHERE
After months of preparation we assemble on Fourth Avenue, just South of University Boulevard, between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM on Sunday, November 5th. From there the procession will head downtown, ending at the Franklin St. docks, west of Stone, south of Sixth St. The finale will take place around 7:30-8:00 PM. Molehill Orkestrah will be playing a commissioned piece of music just for the burning of the URN, and will play a couple sets post-finale.


DO
Come and enjoy the experience in a way that works for you. Dress up, get out of your regular regiment and persona; make a mask, a puppet, an art installation, an altar; some way of honoring those who have gone before, who we remember, honor, release, and embrace. Allow yourself to flow into an experience of real community, where we interact in ways that are different, authentic to our nature, and open to our feelings.

DON'T
Be high, drunk, or in anyone else's space in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. This event should be safe to bring a newborn infant to, or your dear aging grandmother. What allows the magic to happen is for everyone to feel safe. It is your job to create this kind of space. The moment we require help from police or any other authority to make sure that happens, we have lost something truly precious.

DO
Recognize this amazing opportunity to interact with each other in the streets, in ways we would like the rest of the world to experience. This does not mean an abandonment of responsibility; just the opposite. The freedom we can express during this event is EARNED through our responsibility. Anybody with a different agenda needs to go do that someplace else.

WHAT TO BRING/HOW TO PREPARE/WHAT TO EXPECT
Bring your own water and hydrate.
Wear comfortable shoes.
We will be walking on streets that are designed for cars, not people. They are uneven, have trolley tracks in them, holes and bumps. If you want to push a float or a stroller, please do, but know that it takes a little work. The route is about a mile and a half, and we walk slowly.

It takes 60-90 minutes to walk that distance. It is an interesting phenomenon that no matter how slowly the front of the procession walks, the back seems to have trouble keeping up. Try to close gaps and keep moving at a comfortable pace. If there are stragglers, usually the police will remind them to keep up with the group. There are thousands of us, and people flow into the parade and back onto the sidewalks. This is okay: just be mindful, especially of traffic and obey the procession ushers and the police at all times, especially along Toole Avenue. There will be performances and art installations worth spending a little time with. We will have time to mill around for about 20-30 minutes between Sixth Avenue and Stone, before crossing over to the finale location.

We will be following the URN the whole way. Everyone is invited to make offerings, which will be burnt in the finale. People typically write down prayers and dreams, habits they are letting go of or initiating, the names of loved ones, pictures, trinkets, etc. Anything that isn't toxic (like plastic) is cool to put into the urn. The combined energy of all of our wishes, prayers and remembrances and the ritual burning of them is a defining part of the whole experience.



If you need more information, you can go to or AllSoulsProcession.Org