How to Celebrate Day of the Dead in Mexico: Festivals, Vigils and Resort Stays
Day of the Dead in Mexico runs Oct 31 to Nov 2. See where to find the parades and candlelit vigils, and how to mark the holiday at a resort.
Valentina Cruz
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Key takeaways
The main days of Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) are Oct 31 to Nov 2. In most of Mexico, Nov 1 honors children who have died, and Nov 2 honors adults.
Mexico City's Day of the Dead parade is scheduled for Saturday, Oct 31, 2026, along Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo.
Oaxaca, Lake Pátzcuaro and Mérida each hold several days of events, from costumed comparsas to all-night cemetery vigils.
Resorts in Los Cabos and the Riviera Maya have run their own Day of the Dead programs for guests, built around an ofrenda and a themed dinner.
Punta Mita is about 45 minutes from Puerto Vallarta's airport and a short drive from the celebrations in Sayulita and Puerto Vallarta.
How Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico
Day of the Dead is a family holiday for remembering relatives who have died. UNESCO describes festivities that run from the end of October to the beginning of November. In most of Mexico, Nov 1 is set aside for children who have died and Nov 2 for adults. UNESCO inscribed the tradition on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008, under the name "Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead."
Most of the holiday happens at home and in cemeteries. Families build ofrendas (altars) with photos, candles, water and the favorite foods of the people they're honoring, and scatter orange cempasúchil (marigold) petals to lead the souls back. Bakeries sell pan de muerto, a sweet bread decorated with dough shaped like bones. There are two ways to join in as a visitor: travel to a city known for its public celebrations, or stay somewhere quieter that marks the holiday on a smaller scale.
Celebrating Day of the Dead at a resort
A resort stay suits travelers who'd rather not spend three days in a crowd. Resort programs usually pair an ofrenda with a themed dinner, and many add Catrina makeup or live music. In 2025, Rosewood Mayakoba in the Riviera Maya ran a Catrina makeup workshop and a ceremony in which guests set candlelit boats on its lagoon. Pueblo Bonito's resorts in Los Cabos split their 2025 program across properties, with mariachi and folkloric dance at one and a parade of alebrijes (brightly painted folk-art figures of fantastical creatures) at another.
Programs change every year, so it's worth checking a resort's events calendar before you book. A resort also makes a good base for a day trip to a nearby town celebration.
Punta Mita during Day of the Dead
Punta Mita, a gated peninsula at the northern end of Banderas Bay in the state of Nayarit, is about 45 minutes by car from Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Early November comes at the tail end of the rainy season, which the Riviera Nayarit tourism board puts at late June to early November.
The peninsula itself is quiet, and the larger celebrations aren't far. Sayulita, just up the coast, has held its Day of the Dead festival from Oct 31 to Nov 2 in recent years, with ofrendas on the plaza and a midnight walk to the cemetery. In Puerto Vallarta, the 2025 Day of the Dead parade drew an estimated 35,000 people, and the city holds the Guinness World Records title for the tallest Calavera Catrina, set with a 28.15 m (92 ft) figure on the Malecón in 2023.
Where to go for Day of the Dead festivals
Mérida's main procession falls on Oct 30, Mexico City's parade on Oct 31 and the Janitzio vigil on the night of Nov 1, so the dates decide which of these you can fit into one trip.
Mexico City's Gran Desfile and the Mixquic vigil
The Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City first ran in 2016, a year after the James Bond film Spectre opened with an invented Day of the Dead parade through the city center. The 2026 parade is scheduled for Saturday, Oct 31, at 2 p.m., running along Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo, where a large public ofrenda stands from Oct 29 to Nov 2. For something more traditional, San Andrés Mixquic, in the borough of Tláhuac, holds La Alumbrada on the night of Nov 2, when families light candles across the town cemetery.
Oaxaca's comparsas and cemetery vigils
In the city of Oaxaca, events run from late October through Nov 2. Comparsas, costumed processions with live bands, move through the streets at night, and the cemeteries reopen for family vigils from Oct 31 to Nov 2. It's also when artists lay large carpets of colored sand, called tapetes, in honor of the dead.
Pátzcuaro and Janitzio, Michoacán
On Lake Pátzcuaro, the vigil doesn't end until morning. It runs through the night of Nov 1 into Nov 2, as people from the villages around the lake paddle canoes to the island of Janitzio, each boat carrying a lit candle, and keep watch in the cemetery.
Mérida's Festival de las Ánimas
Mérida's city government organizes the Festival de las Ánimas, which runs from Oct 24 to Nov 2 in 2026. Its main procession, the Paseo de las Ánimas, is on Friday, Oct 30, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., and night tours of the Cementerio General run from Oct 24 to 27.
Frequently asked questions
When is Day of the Dead in Mexico in 2026?
The main days fall from Saturday, Oct 31, to Monday, Nov 2, 2026. Nov 1 honors children and Nov 2 honors adults. Some cities start earlier: Mérida's festival opens Oct 24, and Mexico City holds its alebrijes parade on Oct 17.
Where is the best place in Mexico to celebrate Day of the Dead?
That depends on the trip you want. Mexico City has the Gran Desfile parade and the Zócalo ofrenda, while Lake Pátzcuaro is known for its candlelit vigil on Janitzio. If you'd rather spend the week at the beach, you can pair a resort stay with a town festival such as Sayulita's.
Can tourists take part in Day of the Dead?
Yes. You don't need an invitation for parades, comparsas or public altar displays. Cemetery vigils are family gatherings, though, so keep a respectful distance from the graves and ask before photographing anyone.
How far ahead should I book a Day of the Dead trip?
Book early. In 2025, city officials told the newspaper Excélsior that 82% of Mexico City's hotel capacity was already reserved by mid-October, and that they expected more than 5 million visitors for the holiday.
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