“The All Souls Procession is the best thing about Tucson!” is what a good friend told a San Franciscan who rolled into town just in time for the huge event. Anticipation was building as happy Processioners-to-be diligently worked on cardboard and papier-mâché masks at a pre-All Soul’s party.

Though there are actually quite a few great things about Tucson, the now 7000+ strong yearly All Souls Procession is one of the biggest and most uniquely Tucson of events. Chances are, quite a few of you were there or have been at one in the past 16 years. The Procession is easily one of the most vibrant displays of creativity one might ever experience. And the best thing about it is that there is almost no such thing as a spectator. Sure, there are people watching from the sidelines, but not only do participants outnumber them vastly, but those spectators generally find themselves inspired to jump right in. It’s hard not to.

It started out as mostly artists, but has since expanded to include a mélange of Tucsonans – all ages, all walks of life. For many, it’s a fun opportunity to dress up and frolic; for some it’s the ideal opportunity to express themselves creatively and others see it as an opportunity to honor the dead and pay homage to departed loved ones. But for most people, it’s all of the above.

Though I think that this event gorgeously embodies Tucson’s rich creative tradition, there are a few suggestions that have been eating away at me.

This year, the post-Procession party was switched from after the event itself, to the Friday before, apparently due to low turnout from the previous year. But with all of the excitement, buildup and thought that goes into preparing for the event, who wants to dress up twice and spoil the excitement and surprise of debuting your Procession look beforehand? And with all of the energy and spirit that the event stirs up, it seems like the best thing would be to carry it over the same night. So why not have the event and after party on a Friday or Saturday instead of splitting them up? I showed up at the party at the Rialto late on Friday. Is it wrong to admit that I spent the majority of the night trying to get into a screening of “Borat” on its opening night (well worth the two failed attempts, by the way)? So by the time I arrived at the Rialto, things were very quiet, though Black Cherry Burlesque was still going strong onstage. There’s got to be a better way to plan the events so that both can be successful and lively.

Though it is obviously a huge undertaking putting together such a massive performance art spectacle, and there may have been technical issues, if the purpose of the long wait between participants’ arrival at the lot used for the finale and the beginning of the performances was that of building anticipation, it would be much easier to keep up the energy and mood if there wasn’t such a long wait. There’s a lot to be said for momentum.

Other than agreeing with my comrades’ observation of Procession finale performers’ difficulty staying in character on stage and thus creating a distraction, there wasn’t too much to complain about. Which is nice.

Needless to say, an event that involves several workshops, closing off several downtown and Fourth Avenue-area streets, police presence, and a massive grand finale complete with performances involving cranes, suspended acrobats, projections and a massive burning “urn” suspended high above thousands of heads requires a lot of planning and money. So if you were one of the several thousand people who reveled in one of the most inspiring and spectacular celebration of life and death around, keep this in mind when you hear about the many fundraisers and events that are necessary to keep the All Souls Procession going. Stay in the loop by joining up at myspace.com/allsoulsprocession.

It would be easy to go on about the costumes, creations, music and performances that took place, but the All Souls Procession is really about the spirit of the experience, so let’s just let the photos speak for themselves.