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Starting this weekend there is a slew of Day of the Dead activities going in Mexico City. As I have done for many years, I’ve put together a list that makes it a little easier for English speakers to know what’s going on and when for Day of the Dead in Mexico City 2023. You’ll notice on the days that are considered the most important of holiday — the 30th and 31st of October and the 1st and 2nd of November there’s nothing planned, that’s because this holiday is very much one spent with family, visiting the graves of loved ones, celebrating close to home and your own personal altar, or visiting the altars of friends and neighbors, and in the case of the city, public altars.
I’ve included at the end some basic Day of the Dead information — which days which altars are put up and the basic elements that Mexicans consider essential for a proper altar. There is also a little list of mega altars to visit in the city but this list is really a pittance compared to all of them that exists, so best to take a walk around Mexico City and discover for yourself. Let me know if I am missing anything!
October 21
Zombie March
Every year the capital’s residents get dressed as the living dead and march through the streets like it’s the zombie apocalypse. If the Halloween-y side of Day of the Dead and excessive costuming is what you are after, this is the parade for you. The Zombie March starts at the Monumento de la Revolución and heads down Juarez Street and into the Centro Historico until it ends at the Zocalo. The march starts at 10am.
Alebrijes parade
Alebrijes are fantastical and colorful creatures made out of paper mache, and in this case, are massive in size. This parade is organized by the Museo de Arte Popular which I HIGHLY recommend visiting if you like folk art and craft. The creativity and skill of these monster alebrijes will blow you away. If you miss the parade no worries, they will be on display on Reforma Avenue until the 5th of November. The parade starts at the Zocalo, goes down 5 de Mayo Street, and then the length of Reforma Avenue to the Angel de Independencia. That parade starts at noon.
October 22
Gran Desfile de las Catrinas
Catrinas are those high society skeletal ladies and gents whose image has gained some out-sized fame in the past decade. This is the parade to come to for a lot of glam and glitter and if you want to dress up as a catrina, join in! The parade starts at the Angel de Independencia at 6:30pm, heads down Reforma, and ends at the zocalo.
October 25
Noche de Museos
Another of my favorite things here in the city, Noche de Museos is when museums open up for free and they have special events to welcome the public. This is a great way to see the altars of many of the city’s best cultural institutions. See which museums participate here on their website.
October 26 – November 5
Calaveras gigantes de Tláhuac
Full disclosure, I have not been to see this, but the photos look amazing and I want to go this year. Jaen Cartonería is a family coop of artisans that make giant skeletons and set them up as a public art display along Francisco Santiago Borraz Street in the borough of Tláhuac. They look like they are emerging from the pavement, it’s super cool. This year’s event is dedicated to the Mexica god Quetzalcóatl and will run from the 26th of October until the 5th of November.
October 27 – 29
Festival Cempasúchil
This event is new this year and will take place in the main plaza of the Gustavo A. Madero borough. The festival will include traditional food like pan de muerto and the sale of cempasúchil (the Day of the Dead flower). There will also be a Day of the Dead Parade, altars, concerts, crafts, and more. Check the Festival Cempasúchil Facebook for more details. Every day from 10am to 8pm.
October 27
Night Run
Not sure that this event is specifically Dia de Muertos, but it is happening this month. There are two categories, either 5 or 10 kilometers, and its 600 pesos to sign up. (sign up here: https://asdeporte.com/evento/night-run-under-armour-2023-dia-de-muertos-t3yj). There is a 2500 participant limit.
October 28
Night Bike Ride
Quite possibly my favorite event in the entire season, the Day of the Dead night bike ride is an endless flow of ghouls, goblins, catrinas and plenty of more innocently-clad bikers, skateboarders, and rollerbladers, with a few strollers and segways thrown in for good measure. The bike ride is from 7pm to 11:00pm and the route is 20 kilometers long (see the map below), but most folks ride from the Estela de Luz on Reforma down through the Centro Historico and back. Follow them on Instagram for updates.
November 4
Dia de Muertos parade
This is the big one and no, I have no idea why the city plans it AFTER the Day of the Dead when most tourists have gone home, but asi es. This is the parade that was inspired by the Opening scene of the James Bond movie Spectre, we never had this event until that movie came out. People will come dressed to the nines so get your costume ready. Each year it starts at the gates of the Chapultepec park (on Reforma where the lions are) and heads down Reforma until it reaches the zocalo. This year’s parade starts at 2pm.
Here are some great Mexico City Altars you can visit
– UNAM, Mexico’s National University campus. The altar is at the B gate of the Estadio Olimpico on campus and will be up from 10am to 9am, November 1st and 2nd. It’s free to get in.
– Zocalo, I will say that the altars at the zocalo during my time in Mexico have been a little hit or miss, but it’s always good to go downtown to the center of the city and see what’s happening. The altar and Day of the Dead decorations will be up for a good week and are open and free to the public.
– Museo Dolores Olmeda, The Dolores Olmeda museum has been closed for several months due to renovations, but they posted on their Instagram that they will have an altar up this year, and theirs is always great. No details yet on times and dates. In the same vein, the Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo’s house also usually has a good one up.
– Museo Casa del Risco, the Musuem’s altar this year will be dedicated to dogs, and it’s always quite a site. YOu can see if from the 22 of October to the 12th of December, Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm, free to get in.
– Museo de Arte Popular, like I said above, is one of my favorite city museums, especially during this season, and they always have a great altar up during their open hours which are Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm
– Centro Historico businesses, Each year the city has a contest for creating the best altar and lots of Centro Historico businesses participate. There will be a map posted online closer to the holiday so check back and I will add a link, but the altars are generally up from the 27th of October to the 4th of November.
– Centro Medico Metro, at the metro stop on the Lopez Velarde park (there are several metro stops for Centro Medico in a block or so radius) local businesses set up altars a few days before the holiday and it’s open to the public. I am sure there are similar displays in other parts of the city, but since this is my hood, so I know this one particularly. It’s worth a visit, there are always a few really excellent ones.
Here are the days for each kind of altar
– October 27: Altars to honor and remember loved ones that have died violent deaths and dead pets.
– October 28: Altars for loved ones who have taken their own lives.
– October 29: Altars for loved ones who have drown
– October 30: Altars for loved ones who have died in an accident or for “lost souls” not sure what that even means
– October 31: This is a big one from what I have seen, it’s for children who died before they were baptized.
– November 1: This is All Souls Days or All Saints Day and it’s the day that loved ones come to visit their still-living relatives and loved ones at the altar or the graveyard at midnight, so this day is the altar for everyone else.
Here are a few vital elements to any good altar
– Salt – this is for the purification of the soul of the dead loved one so that they can move between the worlds.
– Water: It is said that the dead are extremely thirsty after their journey.
– Candles: The flames provide light to guide the dead back to the world of the living and to the altars where their families await.
– Sugar skulls: These can be made of sugar or chocolate and supposedly represent the dead
– Copal o incense: This is the same kind of incense that you smell in Catholic churches in Mexico, you can buy pieces of it at most markets with small little burners and it’s meant to cleanse the space of bad spirits.
– Flowers: They are there for their smell and their color, both of which are believed to lead the dead home. The most classic are marigolds (cempasuchil), baby’s breath, and purple cockscomb.
– Pan de muerto: This is a special kind of sugary bread that is made in Mexico during this season, for an amazing recipe click here.
– Papel picado: These are cut out paper flags you see on altars and honestly, all over Mexico for celebrations of all kinds. For the altar the specifically represent the air.
– Food: Crossing the boundary between the living world and dead is hungry work. Most families make their dead loved ones favorite food and often eat alongside them, but not the food that is left out for the dead, that’s considered over and done with after the altar comes down.
– A photo of your loved one: This one is pretty obvious, the whole altar is an homage to them. I usually put a dozen or so photos up so don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to a single soul.
Happy Day of the Dead!
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