A Lively Weekend in Store for Day of the Dead : Festival: A number of events commemorate the 20th anniversary of Dia de los Muertos’ rebirth in the local arts community.

A busy weekend is in store for celebrants of the traditional Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos, known in English as Day of the Dead. The holiday seeks to affirm life by remembering the dead through joyous depictions, including altars filled with photographs and mementos and artist-designed calaveras (skeleton figures) dressed to resemble those who have passed away.

A number of this year’s events commemorate the 20th anniversary of the holiday’s rebirth in the local Chicano arts community in 1972, when East L.A.’s Self-Help Graphics held its first Day of the Dead celebration as a form of healing following the East L.A. riots.

Several events are planned today through Monday, which is the holiday’s official day of observance. Calavera attire is suggested. Among those scheduled:

* Self-Help Graphics’ 20th annual “Dia de los Muertos Exhibition and Celebration,” Sunday from 2-10 p.m., features works by more than 200 artists, a daylong slate of entertainment headlined by the comedy trio Culture Clash (scheduled for 9 p.m.) and a series of commemorative 20th anniversary silkscreen prints by top artists including Patssi Valdez, Gronk and John Valadez. A communal altar will be erected for the public to add a small ofrendas , or offerings, for those who have died.

Additional performance highlights include the Delgado Brothers Blues Band, and the comedy group Chicano Secret Service. Admission is free. Information: (213) 264-1259.

* For the ninth straight year, the L.A. Photo Center holds its popular Day of the Dead Celebration, with free festivities from 3-9 p.m. on Saturday. Highlighted by a multimedia exhibition curated by artist Margaret Garcia, the event includes entertainment by Aztlan Underground, Cranky Doll y Su Conjunto, Teatro MeXicano de Miguel Delgado and the traditional Cahuilla Indian Bird Singers.

Also featured is face painting, traditional Mexican food and booths of folk art, jewelry and other items created by local Chicano artists. Information: (213) 383-7342.

* Immediately following the Photo Center’s celebration will be a “Day of the Dead Ball” at the nearby Park Plaza Hotel Saturday from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.

To commemorate the 20-year anniversary, 20 individual coffin installations have been created by artists including Michael Amescua, Diane Gamboa, Margaret Garcia, Yolanda Gonzalez, Frank Romero, Arturo Urista and Patssi Valdez. Also featured is a 40-foot-long collaborative altar installation called “Urban Limbo Martyr,” San Francisco performer Peter Stack’s theatrical performance of “Dead Marilyn . . . 30 Years of Tears,” plus DJ dancing and lasers.

Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Information: (213) 243-9488.

* At Olvera Street, annual celebrations include a free two-day festival Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., beginning with a Dia de los Muertos funeral procession lead by “La Muerte (Death),” who weaves through crowds and laughs as she calls them to join her in the procession.

Continuous entertainment includes folklorico, Aztec and flamenco dancers, mariachis and children’s puppet shows, along with artesano booths where artisans will make, exhibit and sell their crafts.

In addition, an exhibition including an altar created by local children and dedicated to children who have died in Los Angeles, is on view at Galeria Olvera. Information: (818) 768-8373.

* Beginning with a gala reception at 6:30 p.m. featuring performances by Ballet Folklorico del Pueblo, the quincentenary-themed exhibition “What Columbus Wrought: The Day of the Dead” opens Monday at Cal State Dominguez Hills’ University Art Gallery.

The show ends Nov. 7 with a free 10 a.m. conference on the historical roots of Dia de los Muertos.’ Information: (310) 516-3326.

* The Santa Barbara Museum of Art celebrates on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. with a free Family Day featuring salsa music, mural painting, storytelling, children’s workshops, gallery talks and refreshments. The museum is also exhibiting Day of the Dead-themed prints by famed Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913), who created skeleton caricatures as scathing comments on contemporary society and politics. Information: (805) 963-4364.

* The third annual Day of the Dead celebrations at Pasadena’s Art Center feature altar installations and a one-day multimedia exhibition on the theme “Death of a Culture: The Affects of American Assimilation,” tonight beginning at 6. Pre-Columbian music, folklorico dancers, mariachis, Chicano performance artists and authentic Mexican food is also planned at the free student-organized event. Information: (818) 584-5052.

* Students from Cal State L.A. and Pasadena City College unite to hold two free daylong celebrations, at CSULA on Tuesday and the Pasadena campus on Thursday. Festivities include the creation of an Oaxacan sand mural by L.A. artist Bernardo; re-creation of a Mexican cemetery with the graves of dead Mexican artists including Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and Rufino Tamayo; tribal dancing; processions; lectures; video presentations and a traditional altar. Information: (818) 585-7238.

* On the club scene, Santa Monica’s At My Place joins the celebrations tonight and Saturday night with Day of the Dead concerts featuring the Andian Jazz fusion ensemble Huayucaltia.

The 8 and 10:30 p.m. performances will be augmented by a Day of the Dead window installation by artists J. Michael Walker and Patty Sue Jones, plus Mexican food and a costume contest. Tickets are $12.50. Information: (310) 451-8596.

* Additional Dia de Los Muertos exhibitions are on view at Occidental College’s Arthur Coons gallery, Melrose Avenue’s La Luz de Jesus Gallery, the Fullerton Museum Center and Long Beach’s For Rent Gallery (where the exhibition is sponsored by the United Nations Assn. of the U.S.A.).