Ozomatli Headlines Making Memories Festival on November 12, 2023

Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, the oldest community-based organization serving families living with Alzheimer’s, is celebrating its 40+ years of service to the Los Angeles community with the Making Memories Festival. The annual event, in its third year, will take place during Alzheimer’s Awareness Month on Sunday, November 12^th at L.A. State Historic Park.

The multicultural event, featuring performances from celebrated musical groups including Grammy Award-winners Ozomatli, accomplished turntablist J.Rocc, seven-piece cumbia group La Misa Negra and more, will additionally feature an array of food trucks and vendors as diverse as the community it serves.

The Making Memories Festival was created in 2021 to honor and celebrate Alzheimer’s LA’s 40 years of service to the Los Angeles community. This year, with new treatments and innovations into Alzheimer’s detection and care, there’s more reason to celebrate and educate the community on how Alzheimer’s LA can support families affected by this disease. This event raises awareness in these communities and helps people access programs and resources. 100% of funds raised stay local, and provide free care and support for individuals and families. 

“In our unwavering commitment to families living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, we are proud to bring together the very communities that bear the heaviest burden of this condition while facing the toughest obstacles in accessing care,” says Alzheimer’s Los Angeles President & CEO Heather Cooper Ortner. “It’s time to shatter the silence, dispel the myths, and rise above the stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s. This is not merely a challenge; it’s a disease that can be understood, managed, and met with support. The Making Memories Festival is our most effective vehicle to spread awareness, and ignite the light of hope for our most vulnerable communities.”

Alzheimer’s is the 4^th leading cause of death in California and 1 in 3 seniors dies from the disease or another dementia. Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s is hard. Alzheimer’s Los Angeles continues to meet the challenge of providing essential programs to their vulnerable clients and their caregivers. Services are always free for families. Until there is a cure, Alzheimer’s Los Angeles will provide the care. 

In addition to informational booths and experiences focusing on brain health and other healthy lifestyle resources, the festival will feature performances from a number of celebrated music and cultural groups, including Grammy Award-winning music collective Ozomatli, accomplished turntablist J.Rocc, blues-folk soul band Beaux Gris Gris & the Apocalypse, cumbia/Afro-Latin group La Misa Negra, Amoeba music’s Monalisa, and more. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early at L.A. Historic Park to take in one-of-a-kind cultural performances and early bird opportunities reserved through VIP ticket add-ons. 

“We have had a great relationship with Alzheimer’s LA,” Ozomatli saxophonist Ulises Bella told KCRW’s Madeline Brand on Press Play. “Unfortunately, myself and our trumpet player have had hands-on experience caring for family members with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Taking care of an ailing family member really changes you. Alzheimer’s Los Angeles has been an incredible resource and wonderful support system for both our families and the LA community as a whole.”

Event attendees will find sponsor booths, as well as vendors from across several sectors, including healthcare, retail, service, food & beverage, and nonprofit. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at an array of food trucks, including Baby’s Badass Burgers, Seoul Mates, VCHOS, and Drizzle, on-site. 

Tickets are available for $35 online and $40 at the festival. Be sure to take advantage of VIP ticket add-ons, which include early access to the park for sound check, Meet & Greet with photo op with Ozomatli, and a 20% discount on all Headliner merchandise.

About Alzheimer’s Los Angeles

 For more than 40 years Alzheimer’s Los Angeles has served people throughout Los Angeles County. 100% of funds raised stay local, providing free care and support for individuals and families. Low-cost training and education are also offered for professionals. Alzheimer’s Los Angeles focuses on care, support, advocacy, and local research. Alzheimer’s is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that weakens the memory and other cognitive and emotional functions. For more information, call the Helpline at 844.HELP.ALZ or visit www.alzheimersLA.org 

About Ozomatli 

Ozomatli’s music is as multifaceted as its members and influences. Meeting as young political activists and musicians, the original band formed in Los Angeles in 1995 to play a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga— all while following a key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around Los Angeles. 

Over the course of Ozomatli’s 25-year career, the group has sold hundreds of thousands of albums, won two Grammys, consistently sold out concerts around the world, and performed on high profile TV shows like The Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Austin City Limits. The band also stars in Drew Barrymore’s Never Been Kissed and has been featured on PBS Kids.

Land Acknowledgment

The event will take place at LA State Historic Park, which is located in the known territory of the Tongva people. One large Tonvga village, Yang Na, sat within a mile of today’s park. The Tongva were renamed Garieleño after Mission San Gabriel was founded in 1771. Learn more at https://lastatehistoricpark.org/history/