La Llorona Festival creates a bridge between Hispanic Heritage Month and Dia de Los Muertos.

The mesmerizing storytelling event pays tribute to the legendary Weeping Woman better known as La Llorona.

The 5th annual La Llorona Festival 2024 at Corky Gonzales Library at the close of Hispanic Heritage Month in time for the upcoming Dia de Los Muertos season.

Host Charlene Garcia Simms, a well-known Southwest genealogist has brought together some of the state’s well-known storytellers to explore the mysterious world of the woman behind the myth. “ We are doing this at the close of Hispanic Heritage Month to highlight the extraordinary contributions of our cuentistas. They honor an art form that adds a rich cultural presence to  who we are as a people.” Said Garcia. “As we prepare for our Dia de Los Muertos celebrations, these stories  preserve a tradition of oral history that  our families can cherish for a lifetime.”

Festival 2024 – featuring some of the state’s most celebrated cuenteros, as they recount tales and legends surrounding the Weeping Woman-La Llorona.

Featured teller Karen Gonzales, the author of the short story Finding the Lady Llorona, set in the 60s along Denver’s  West Colfax Neighborhood, where three friends in disguise, seeking to find the truth about La Llorona. Other tellers include Kristopher Garcia-Simms a Denver-based writer and filmmaker originally from Pueblo, Colorado, and author of Red Moon Night: An  Epistolary Telling of One Family’s Encounters with La Llorona: Also featured is Kimberly Sanchez, a 6th generation Colorado native from San Luis, author of Love & Legacy: Amor Eterno and famous for her role as La Lorona in the play “La Llorona Del Valle”.  Geraldina Lawson, Sherry Coca Candelaria, and Esther Acosta, well-known regional storytellers recognized for their compelling La Llorona stories will also join the festival.

Open to the Public

For more information visit La Llorona Festival
Sponsored by the Chicano Humanities Arts Council, Corky Gonzales Library, MSU Denver Journey Through Our Heritage, and Colorado Folk Arts Council.
Contact: Renee Fajardo jtoh2016@gmail.com; Asia Fajardo eventcordinator@chacgallery.org