Day of the Dead 2026 in Mexico City: Dates and Parade

Mexico · Culture · Mexico City

Updated 21 October 2026

Day of the Dead 2026 (Día de los Muertos) falls on Sunday, 1 November, and Monday, 2 November, and Mexico City’s free Grand Day of the Dead Parade runs on Saturday, 31 October, at 2 p.m. local time, or 4 p.m. US Eastern, from the Diana Cazadora fountain along Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo. The season began with the Alebrijes Parade on 17 October, the Mega Procession of the Catrinas follows on 25 October and the giant ofrenda in the Zócalo opens on 29 October.

In Spanish this is Día de Muertos 2026 en la Ciudad de México, or CDMX.

When Is Day of the Dead 2026?

The main days are Sunday, 1 November, devoted to children who have died, and Monday, 2 November, devoted to adults, following the Catholic feasts of All Saints and All Souls. UNESCO, which inscribed the festivity on its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2008, describes a wider season from the end of October into early November.

In Mixquic, the village in Mexico City’s Tláhuac borough known for its cemetery vigils, the city’s guide gives a local calendar. Children’s souls are welcomed on 31 October, adults on 1 November, and La Alumbrada, when candles light the graves, takes place on the night of 2 November.

The Grand Day of the Dead Parade on 31 October

Mexico City’s tourism portal lists the Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos for Saturday, 31 October, at 14:00, which is 4 p.m. in New York and 1 p.m. in Los Angeles. The culture ministry’s call lists the parade as free to attend, Chilango reported, and the route runs along Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo, the main square.

The parade departs from the Glorieta de la Diana Cazadora on Reforma and arrives at the Zócalo, according to the English version of the city portal, and Expansión, Récord and Eje Central reported the same start. The 2025 parade started at the Puerta de los Leones in Chapultepec, ADN40 reported.

This is the parade’s tenth edition, and the city announced on 20 October more than 4,000 participants, 12 floats and two giant balloons, Eje Central reported. The homages include the singer Juan Gabriel, the film director Emilio “El Indio” Fernández and the writers Nellie Campobello and Juan Rulfo, and the tourism portal also lists the Red Queen of Palenque, an ancient Maya noblewoman.

The parade began in 2016, inspired by the opening scene of the James Bond film Spectre, according to ADN40. Reforma and the historic centre usually close to traffic on parade day, and Expansión reported on 14 October that a closure is planned, although we found no official traffic plan by 21 October.

Mexico City’s 2026 Calendar, Event by Event

The city’s official programme runs from mid-October into November:

• Saturday, 17 October, noon (2 p.m. ET): the 18th Monumental Alebrijes Parade, run by the Museo de Arte Popular, from the Zócalo, with a finish at the Diana Cazadora fountain after a route change reported on 14 October; the giant figures stay on display until 8 November.
• 18 October to 1 November: a cempásuchil (marigold) flower festival on Reforma between the Ángel and the Ahuehuete, with 140 growers.
• 23 October to 8 November: “El Camino”, a light installation on Reforma from the Ángel to the Puerta de los Leones.
• Saturday, 24 October, 7 to 11 p.m.: a 19-kilometre night bike ride from the Fuente de Petróleos to the historic centre.
• Sunday, 25 October: the Mega Procession of the Catrinas, a citizen-organised march in skeleton costume from the Ángel to the Zócalo, with reported start times of 6 to 6:30 p.m.
• 29 October to 2 November: the Monumental Ofrenda in the Zócalo, plus community altars at 12 sites across the city.
• 29 October to 4 November: lighting on the Zócalo’s façades, and the “La Puerta entre dos mundos” festival in Chapultepec’s Second Section, per the tourism portal.
• 31 October to 2 November: the cemetery celebrations in Mixquic and, Eje Central reported, staged performances at the Xochimilco docks including La Llorona.

This year’s Zócalo altar honours La Catrina, the elegant skeleton created by the printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, and features a 32-metre papier-mâché sculpture. The 32-metre Catrina is already under construction, Milenio reported on 20 October, when city officials presented the display as an attempt at a Guinness World Record.

The Catrinas procession, organised by citizens rather than the city, is in its 13th edition this year, Milenio reported. It leaves the Ángel de la Independencia on Reforma, and reports put the start at 18:00 to 18:30, so check the organisers’ channels on the day.

Your Day-by-Day Plan, 31 October to 2 November

• Saturday, 31 October: the Grand Parade at 2 p.m. (4 p.m. ET); in Mixquic the children’s souls are welcomed, and the Xochimilco performances begin.
• Sunday, 1 November: Mixquic welcomes the adults’ souls, and the Zócalo ofrenda is open.
• Monday, 2 November: La Alumbrada lights the graves in Mixquic at night, banks are closed, and the Zócalo ofrenda ends.

Mixquic, Xochimilco and the Zócalo are in different parts of the city, so choose one for each day. Arrive early at the cemetery, where crowds build for hours before La Alumbrada.

Mixquic, Ofrendas and Etiquette

For the cemetery vigils, the city’s guide points to San Andrés Mixquic, on the south-eastern edge of the capital, where the ritual cycle starts on 29 September with the Call to the Souls. Visitors are asked to arrive early, ask before taking photographs, keep silent during La Alumbrada and never sit or step on the graves.

Home altars, or ofrendas, usually carry candles, water, the dead person’s favourite food, pan de muerto and cempásuchil marigolds, according to the Mexican broadcaster ADN40. UNESCO describes the festivity as a fusion of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Catholic feasts.

Practical Notes for US Visitors

Mexico City keeps UTC-6 all year, so it is two hours behind New York until US clocks go back on 1 November, then one hour behind. Neither 1 nor 2 November is a mandatory rest day under the Federal Labour Law, but banks close on Monday, 2 November, under the banking regulator’s 2026 calendar.

Use the Metro or Metrobús rather than a car on parade days, because Reforma and the historic centre usually close for hours. The US State Department rates Mexico City at Level 2, “exercise increased caution”, and tells its own staff to use app-based or regulated taxis rather than cabs hailed on the street.

What Is Not Known

Official road closures, Metro and Metrobús measures and the route beyond Reforma had not been officially published by 21 October, and the 2 p.m. start comes from the tourism portal rather than a ministry statement. The Chapultepec festival dates also differ between the tourism portal, which gives 29 October to 4 November, and Publimetro, which reported 30 October to 1 November.

Event times can change at short notice in a city of this size. We will update this guide when the city publishes the final parade route.

Our explainer When Is Day of the Dead 2026? covers the meaning of each day in more depth, and an earlier expat guide adds neighbourhood tips. For the rest of the month in the capital, see what to do in Mexico City in October 2026.

More: Mexico news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Related guide: Mexico City Grand Prix 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Day of the Dead 2026?

The main days are Sunday, 1 November, for children and Monday, 2 November, for adults. Mexico City’s public events start earlier, with parades on 17, 25 and 31 October.

When is the Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City in 2026?

The Grand Day of the Dead Parade is on Saturday, 31 October 2026, at 2 p.m. Mexico City time, or 4 p.m. US Eastern, according to the city’s tourism portal. It is free to watch and runs from the Diana Cazadora fountain along Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo.

What is the route of the 2026 parade?

The parade departs from the Glorieta de la Diana Cazadora on Paseo de la Reforma and ends in the Zócalo, according to the English version of the city’s portal. Road closures and streets beyond Reforma had not been officially published by 21 October.

When is the Catrinas parade in Mexico City in 2026?

The Mega Procession of the Catrinas runs on Sunday, 25 October, from the Ángel de la Independencia to the Zócalo, and reports put the start at 6 to 6:30 p.m. The Monumental Alebrijes Parade came first, on Saturday, 17 October.

Is Day of the Dead a public holiday in Mexico?

It is not a mandatory rest day under the Federal Labour Law. Banks close on Monday, 2 November 2026, under the banking regulator’s calendar.

Is the Zócalo ofrenda free to visit?

The city’s monumental altar in the Zócalo runs from 29 October to 2 November and features a 32-metre Catrina, according to the tourism portal. Milenio reports it can be visited at any hour of the day and is free, but the city had not published official visiting hours.

Where can I see the cemetery vigils near Mexico City?

San Andrés Mixquic, in the Tláhuac borough, holds its celebrations from 31 October to 2 November, ending with La Alumbrada on the night of 2 November. Ask before taking photos, keep quiet during the vigil and never sit or step on the graves.

What is the difference between Day of the Dead and Halloween?

Day of the Dead is a remembrance of dead relatives, not a trick-or-treat festival. UNESCO describes it as a fusion of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Catholic feasts.

Sources: Mexico City tourism portal, Día de Muertos 2026 programme (Spanish and English versions); El Financiero (13 October 2026); Excélsior, parade and ofrenda tenders (13 October 2026); Chilango, tenth parade and homages (27 July 2026); UnoTV, Alebrijes parade (12 June 2026); Milenio, Catrinas procession (14 October 2026); Publimetro, Chapultepec festival (5 October 2026); ADN40, 2025 parade and origin (1 November 2025); ADN40, ofrenda elements (27 October 2025); UNESCO, Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead; Expansión, CNBV bank holidays 2026 (10 December 2025); US Department of State, Mexico travel advisory. Eje Central, programme (20 October 2026); Milenio, Zócalo Catrina (20 October 2026); Expansión, parade route and time (14 October 2026); N+, Alebrijes route change (14 October 2026); Récord, parade and ofrenda (20 October 2026); N+, Catrinas procession (16 October 2026); Mega Procesión de las Catrinas, organiser; UnoTV, bank closing days 2026; Mexico City tourism portal, English.
Accessed 14 and 21 October 2026.