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Remembering our dearly departed and honoring the relationship between life and death is what Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is all about. Observed on Nov. 1 and 2, this annual tradition with roots in Mexico and Central America is also celebrated by many in the United States and beyond.
Its blend of indigenous Mesoamerican and Spanish Catholic practices lend an otherworldly feel to this popular fall custom of welcoming the dead back to the world of the living.
And at the heart of this symbolic homecoming are altares (altars) and ofrendas (offerings) that honor the dead with their photos, favorite foods and drinks, and a variety of personal mementos. Candles, incense, and cempasúchiles (marigolds) decorate these spaces to help the spirits find their way home.
But it’s the gathering of family and community that gives Day of the Dead special meaning. From a neighborhood altar-building session to a weekend-long city festival, you’re sure to find a favorite Día de los Muertos event in San Antonio — day or night.
San Antonio Public Library: Calaveritas Garland
Oct. 13 | 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Location: Collins Garden Library, 200 N. Park
Admission: Free
Join this family-friendly event and create calaveritas (little skulls) garland to decorate your home for Halloween or Día de los Muertos. Supplies will be provided while they last.
Learn more here.
Día de los Muertos Tradition Trail
Ongoing through Nov. 2 | day and evening
Location: Downtown River Walk and participating destinations
Admission: Free
The Día de los Muertos Tradition Trail turns the San Antonio River Walk into an extended cultural exhibition.
Visitors can find ofrendas, calaveras, alebrijes and other installations at River Walk hotels, restaurants, museums, La Villita, Hemisfair and additional downtown destinations.
Because the installations are spread throughout the district, the trail encourages visitors to explore different sections of the River Walk while learning about the cultural meanings behind the art.
Learn more here.
Day of the Dead San Antonio River Parade
Oct. 23 | 7 p.m.
Location: Downtown River Walk
Admission: Ticket information
See elaborately decorated floats with altars, catrinas, and costumed riders all celebrating life and loved ones.
Decorated barges will parade down the river that runs through the heart of our magnificent city along the River Walk. Each barge represents a different figure or tradition associated with the Day of the Dead.
The parade begins at 7 p.m. from Lexington Avenue, and the first float is expected to travel through Arneson River Theatre at 7:45 p.m.
Learn more here.
Oct. 23 | 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Oct. 24 | 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Oct. 25 | 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sensory-friendly hours from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday
Location: Hemisfair, 630 Nueva Street
Admission: Free
From its beginnings as a small outdoor altar exhibition in 2013 to an internationally recognized festival welcoming more than 135,000 people, Muertos Fest continues to capture the attention of local and national media.
For three days, the San Antonio community brings powerful visual storytelling to Hemisfair through 80+ handmade altars, two processions, live music, art, culture and community—establishing Muertos Fest as one of the nation’s largest Día de los Muertos celebrations.
Learn more here.
Day of the Dead San Antonio at La Villita
Oct. 23-25 | day and evening
Location: La Villita San Antonio
Admission: Free
Celebrate Day of the Dead with two days of free family fun in the heart of downtown San Antonio! Enjoy live music, delicious food and vibrant festivities — plus kids’ face painting, altar kit and painting workshops and more.
Highlights include the largest catrina and catrín in the United States, a giant alebrije exhibit, and a calavera collection.
Learn more here.
Calaverita Run 5K & Family Walk
Oct. 24 | 7 p.m.
Location: La Gloria at Pearl, 100 E. Grayson St
Admission: Registration information
Lace up for this family-friendly evening event that blends fitness, culture, and remembrance into one unforgettable evening along Museum Reach. Run, walk or cheer from the sidelines in your best calavera-inspired outfit and help fill the course with color and spirit.
Enjoy local vendors and music, and take a moment to visit the community altar, where you can place photos of loved ones in a collective display of remembrance and honor.
Plus, the family walk (1 mile) will explore the lovely Pearl area with curated ofrendas throughout the route.
Learn more here.
Oct. 24 | 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Location: Mission Marquee Plaza, 3100 Roosevelt Ave.
Admission: Free
The City of San Antonio World Heritage Office and its partners will honor the legacy of the descendants of San Antonio’s historic Missions. The local community and several generations of family members will share their family histories and memories.
Attendees are invited to contribute photos in honor of past loved ones, family and friends as part of the remembrance tribute at Mission Marquee Plaza. A remembrance slide show will be displayed on the big screen during the event.
The celebration will include a procession and dance at Mission Marquee Plaza.
Learn more here.
Día de los Muertos at Historic Market Square
Oct. 24 & 25 | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: 514 W. Commerce St.
Admission: Free
Enjoy two days of celebration featuring traditional altars, cultural activities, face painting, live entertainment, mariachi performances, local vendors and more.
This family-friendly event is open to all ages and offers a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community while experiencing the traditions, music, art and culture of Día de los Muertos.
An event highlight is “Las Monas Cultural Dance Procession,” a captivating display of dance, colorful costumes and storytelling (both days 1–2 p.m.). Experience the procession as dancers bring the spirit and traditions of Día de los Muertos to life through rhythmic movement and cultural expression.
Learn more here.
Día de los Muertos at the Pearl
Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 | day and evening
Location: 312 Pearl Pkwy
Admission: Free
This annual community event will feature vibrant ofrendas curated by local artists, a community altar, live music and performances, local vendors, children’s activities and the Catrin & Catrina contest.
On Nov. 1, the evening will culminate in a communal procession across Pearl’s campus around 7:15 p.m., bringing guests together in a luminous celebration of remembrance, artistry and connection.
New this year, Pearl will partner with five local artists to create 4-foot calaveras, each sharing a personal story through art. Guests can watch the artists paint live at Pearl beginning in October, with the works on display from Oct. 23 through Nov. 5.
Learn more here.
San Antonio Botanical Garden: Jardín de las Catrinas
Ongoing through Nov. 2 | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: 555 Funston Pl.
Admission: Free with Garden admission and membership
Enjoy fun activities inspired by this cultural holiday, including nature-based art, live music and themed drop-in tours.
"Jardín de las Catrinas" brings art, plants and tradition together across the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Explore eight larger-than-life Catrinas, more than 10,000 marigolds, and hundreds of living plants in this colorful fall exhibition.
Created by San Antonio artist Regina Moya, each Catrina is inspired by nature, Mexican traditions and refranes—traditional sayings that share wisdom passed down through generations.
Learn more here.
Recuérdame: Campanas at Stable Hall
Nov. 1 | 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: 307 Pearl Pkwy
Admission: $31+
Join Campanas de América for "Recuérdame," a special Día de los Muertos celebration honoring the memories, traditions and music that connect generations. This heartfelt performance blends the vibrant sounds of mariachi with cultural storytelling in a moving tribute to loved ones who live on through memory and song.
Learn more here.
Día de Muertos 2026 at Rinconcito de Esperanza
Nov. 1 | 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Location: 816 S. Colorado
Admission: Free
This free, family-friendly celebration features over 20 unique community altars, cempasúchiles planted by la comunidad and the beautiful community tapete.
Dance to live music and walk with the procession. Bring friends and family to enjoy la cultura and rich heritage of the Westside, with poetry and calavera readings!
Bring flowers, candles and reprinted photos of those you want to remember this year for the community altar at the corner of Guadalupe and S. Colorado.
The community procession will travel from the Rinconcito to the Alázan-Apache Courts, joined by the danzantes Kalpulli Ayolopaktzin. Dress up like a calaca and bring instruments and noisemakers.
MujerArtes Cooperativa de Esperanza will have its annual Día de Muertos exhibit and sale starting Oct. 26.
Learn more here.
Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center: La Vida de Los Muertos, a Community Celebration
Nov. 2 | 5 p.m.
Location: Plaza Guadalupe, 1327 Guadalupe St.
Admission: Free
Sponsored by AARP San Antonio, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center will celebrate 30 years of “La Vida de Los Muertos” with a new and enhanced production featuring the Guadalupe Dance Company, Mariachi Academy and Dance Academy. Please bring your lawn chairs!
5 p.m.: sugar skull decorating/paper flower-making workshops
6 p.m.: procession and performance by the Mariachi Academy
6:30 p.m.: music and dance featuring the Dance Company and Dance Academy
Learn more here.
URBAN-15: Carnaval de Los Muertos
Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Elmendorf Lake Park, 3700 W. Commerce St.
Admission: Free
Join Westside Stories Magazine and URBAN-15 to remember friends and loved ones who have passed on. Illuminated in brilliant handmade costumes, URBAN-15’s dance and drum ensemble will continue an annual tradition that began 40 years ago.
Dressed in lights and carrying banners with photos of the dearly departed, this procession will evoke floating spirits passing through the city. Come out for a magical evening with vendors, music and spectacles!
Expect a more intimate evening, with a smaller crowd than the larger city events.
The lantern release is at 6:30 p.m. and the procession at 7:30 p.m.
Learn more here.
Centro Cultural Aztlan’s 49th Annual Día de los Muertos Exhibit: “Altares y Ofrendas”
Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: 1800 Fredericksburg Rd #103
Admission: Free
This event illustrates the artistic, cultural and religious facets of the popular pre-Columbian Mexican tradition where death is a natural part of life, and this reality is approached with humor and celebration. Photographs of the dearly departed grace altars with ofrendas of food, marigolds, incense, candles and other traditional offerings.
Galería Expresión I features the 49th annual “Altares y Ofrendas” exhibit, with altares by local artists and community members celebrating their loved ones.
In addition to the exhibitions, participants will be able to enjoy the annual “Avenida de los Muertos Arts and Crafts Mercadito” with over 25 artists and artisans, live music, pan de muerto y mas!
Learn more here.
Additional Día de los Muertos events in San Antonio
- Día de los Muertos Live Experience – Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m. cocktail reception & 7:30 p.m. runway experience. An extraordinary evening where couture, live music, art, and monumental visual production transform The Monarch San Antonio into an immersive celebration of Mexico’s most iconic tradition.
- Día de los Muertos at Mezquite – Oct. 23 to Nov. 2. We are honoring the Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, with a four-day celebration that includes costume contests, live DJ sets, mariachis and face painting at Mezquite. Tell your friends that Pullman Market is the place to do Día this year.
- Hotel Emma dinner at Pearl – Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m. Enjoy cocktail hour and a four-course dinner inspired by Chef Jesse Kirk and Live Music.
- Día de los Muertos at Nicosi – Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, 5:30 p.m. & 8 p.m. Celebrate Día de los Muertos at Nicosi with a special eight-course dessert tasting menu featuring a mix of Nicosi classics and new creations that capture the spirit and flavors of the holiday. Reservations are required.
- Sabores de México at Pearl: A Día de Muertos celebration – Nov. 1, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Join us for the exclusive VIP experience at Pearl’s Día de los Muertos event, where founder of the Mexican Society of Grillers and internationally recognized Grill Master Alejandro Gutiérrez will host an unforgettable event celebrating Día de los Muertos in grand culinary style. VIP & general admission tickets on sale soon.
If you know of other Día de los Muertos events and celebrations, let us hear from you at letters@tpr.org. Make sure your subject line is “Día de los Muertos events.”
