UC Merced Arts has announced its 2025/26 season of performances, exhibitions, and public art programs, beginning with the return of East LA’s electrifying band Las Cafeteras.
Their acclaimed Día de los Muertos-themed production Hasta La Muerte comes to Merced for one night only, Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Art Kamangar Center in the Merced Theatre.
Tickets are $15 for general admission and free for students (with ID) and children, and they’re available in advance online at arts.ucmerced.edu/boxoffice, and at the door starting 30 minutes before the performance.
“This season, we’re excited to celebrate artistry that is both homegrown and international — highlighting the extraordinary talent of Merced artists and presenting them alongside other world-class creators from across California and the United States,” said Collin Lewis, executive director for the Arts at UC Merced. “We’re thrilled to welcome Las Cafeteras back to Merced to celebrate Día de los Muertos and to open the season with Hasta La Muerte, a celebration of life and memory.”
In addition to Hasta La Muerte, the 2025/26 UC Merced Arts season will feature concerts, theater, dance, film, and exhibitions across multiple venues. Many programs are offered free of charge, including visual art exhibitions at La Galería, the annual UC Merced Children’s Opera, and the nationally recognized Shakespeare in Yosemite program with a new production of Love’s Labor’s Lost.
2025/26 Season
• 20 Years of UC Merced Art & Architecture – through Dec. 13, La Galería at UC Merced
• Merced Symphony: Side-by-Side Spectacular – Oct. 29, Wallace-Dutra Amphitheatre at UC Merced
• Central Valley Landscapes: Paintings & Photographs by Richard Gomez & Christopher Viney – Jan. 29 – March 13, La Galería at UC Merced
• American Patchwork Quartet – Feb. 6, Merced Theatre
• A Song for Cesar Screening & Concert – March 17, Merced Theatre
• PUSH Dance Company – April 3, Merced Multicultural Arts Center
• Shakespeare in Yosemite: Love’s Labor’s Lost – April 23–26, UC Merced &
Yosemite National Park
• If All the Sky Were Paper – May 1–3, Merced Multicultural Arts Center
• UC Merced Children’s Opera: The Ghost in the Opera Houseˆ– May 23,
Merced Theatre
Tickets for Hasta La Muerte and other season performances are available now at arts.ucmerced.edu/boxoffice.
About UC Merced Arts:
UC Merced Arts, a division of the Chancellor’s Office at UC Merced, is dedicated to enriching the cultural life of Merced and the Central Valley through diverse artistic programming, including concerts, exhibitions, festivals, and educational initiatives.