Personal Altar Guidelines

We invite you to participate in…

Building an altar to commemorate an ancestor. Please follow the guidelines below when assembling your altar. To select a location in the park please contact us at rosa@themarigoldproject.org or fill out the Signup Form on the Festival of Altar’s page.

• INFORMATION TABLE will be at the benches in front of the playground. Please check-in and help us build an amazing event.

• SET UP 8 am – 2 pm please make sure that your altar is set up by 2 pm, if possible. We understand some people are coming from work.

• NAME AND ORGANIZATION PLAQUES should be no larger than 12 inches long and 4 inches tall. This is a noncommercial event.

• ALCOHOL IS NOT ALLOWED during the event. We are making an effort to cut down police intervention during the event. 

• NO AMPLIFIED SOUND. 

• ELECTRICITY is not supplied. If you need electricity you will need to bring a silent generator. Please notify us in advance if you will be bringing a silent generator.

• FIRE is not allowed, unless in the form of glass 8 inch prayer candles.

• CANDLES must not be directly under the trees to avoid spreading fire. Candles must be 8 inch prayer glass candles.

• STAKING into the ground is not allowed. It damages irrigation lines hidden in the grass.

• NO DIGGING.

• WATER must be present at each altar. A minimum of one gallon is required just in case something catches fire.

• PLAYGROUND RULES children and adults supervising children are allowed on the playground. No altars or candles in the playground.

• TREES are very old and dry from the recent drought. Only string is allowed to be hung from the trees anything else causes irreparable damage. No tacking or nailing into the trees.

• CLEAN UP begins promptly at 11pm.

• TRASH, COMPOST, AND RECYCLE BINS are available for you to discard items. Please know where they are before you setup. The park and trash collectors fine us for anything left behind or placed in the wrong bin, so be mindful and considerate of those who stay late to ensure the park is left how it was found.

• SCRAPS a nonprofit store, 801 Toland Street, San Francisco 94124, (enter at Newcomb), takes donations and uses them for art. Donations are accepted Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm. We encourage you to recycle your usable art materials and candles.

• CONCERNS from the police, rangers, or any attendee can be addressed at the Marigold Project Information Table.

Thanks for participating in this years event. This is a unique and transformative community event and the entire community is grateful for your collaboration, creativity, and love for making it a night to remember. We are looking forward to celebrating and creating Dia de los Muertos with all of you!

Sincerely,

Marigold Project