If you’re already making plans for Day of the Dead 2026, here’s a list of all the themed parades taking place in Mexico City that you should add to your calendar.
In addition to the Grand Day of the Dead Parade, our city will be the epicenter of the Mega Procession of Catrinas and even the colorful Parade of Monumental Alebrijes.
Get your best costume ready and take note of all the details!
In this year’s edition, the suggested themes for participants pay tribute to great figures of Mexican culture, such as the centennial of the births of José Alfredo Jiménez and Blanca Estela Pavón, as well as the tenth anniversary of the deaths of Juan Gabriel and Evita Muñoz “Chachita.”
If you want to participate with a project or set aside the date to go out and watch the parade, it’s worth taking a look at the official call for entries before the schedules and final itinerary are revealed.
The Museum of Popular Art brings its traditional collection of fantastical creatures to the streets for the eighteenth edition of this event. Artisans from across the country create cardboard figures up to 2.6 meters tall that compete for cash prizes and fill the city center with color in the lead-up to the Day of the Dead.
At the end of the parade route, the monumental pieces are set up along the sidewalks of Paseo de la Reforma. You’ll have several weeks to explore this open-air gallery, appreciate the details of each work up close, and take photos without the rush or the crowds of the parade.
Zombies and sinister creatures will take over our city’s streets to fill them with terror as Halloween approaches!
Although admission is free, let’s remember that this is a charity event, so attendees are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items, which will be delivered to the organization Alimento Para Todos México.
The Mega Procession of Catrinas fills the streets with color during a nighttime parade that starts at the Angel of Independence and proceeds along Avenida Juárez and 5 de Mayo until it reaches the Zócalo. You can find a spot anywhere along the route to watch the parade go by.
The route brings together various themed contingents with concepts ranging from pre-Hispanic and classic Catrinas to circus troupes, theater groups, cyclists, and contingents wearing glowing masks. If you’d rather march in the parade instead of watching the show from the sidewalk, registration to join the procession is now open on the event’s official website.
In addition to the haunted houses, the Festival of Terror features live shows such as Cirque Du Grotesque, The Magic of Living, and the Sinister Procession. The latter is a parade where you’ll see traditional Day of the Dead figures, such as alebrijes, giant skulls, and evil witches.
