The Biggest And Best Day Of The Dead Celebrations Across America, According To Travel Experts

Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos in Spanish, is a big deal in Mexico. While it might sound ghoulish, the kind of thing that will scare onlookers and participants, it's actually a day of celebration. This is the day that is most widely honored in Mexico, though it's also celebrated in Central America. During Day of the Dead, families remember their dead ancestors by making a small altar, giving them small gifts and treats, and finally, going to their grave to clean it off, pay their respects, and maybe enjoy some food in the company of the deceased family member. 

But Mexico isn't the only place in North America where Day of the Dead brings crowds and cacophony to the streets. Across the United States, most predominantly in metro areas with strong Mexican populations, Day of the Dead recreates the fervor of celebrations south of the border. This means parades, music, and a host of great costumes and makeup. We've put together a list of the best celebrations of Day of the Dead across the country, using information from Viator and blogs.

Anyone who has visited Old Town Albuquerque will appreciate its architecture that gives it a sense of place. You'll see adobe buildings that have stood for hundreds of years, with Pueblo-Spanish lines, flat roofs, and spacious porches. During the Day of the Dead festivities, which take place in Old Town, you can enjoy some of those fine shapes. The event, running from late October to early November, is a smorgasbord of happenings. The two Saturdays are set aside as family days, with Mexican-influenced animated movies screened inside the courtyard of a church. 

There are model hot-air balloons also in the courtyard on select days, a nod to the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, New Mexico's best fall festival. A candlelight procession winds around the Old Town, with participants dressed in skull outfits and traditional costumes, and offerings appear all around the area. Visitors will notice the bright marigolds all over shops and homes, and there are also dances, and large sculptures as part of the proceedings. Travelers will be able to get a more rounded handle on the spirits of Old Town Albuquerque with a ghost tour with Viator. Expect to hear tales of hauntings, ghosts, and secret burial grounds that cover three centuries of eerie history in the city.

Viva la Vida Festival and Parade is the largest Day of the Dead event in this South Texas city, and it's organized by the city's Mexic-Arte Museum. It's also the oldest event to memorialize this significant celebration, and occurs on the last Saturday of October. The day's events are focused around the intersection of Congress Avenue and 4th Street, right by the museum, and begin with a large parade at noon. Flamboyantly costumed participants stroll along the short parade route, sometimes alongside large floats with intricate sculptures. 

Tourists can see people in traditional outfits, as well as others in more contemporary garb, and some in their own interpretations of what the day represents. Viva la Vida, which translates to "long live life," runs until the early evening, and also features vendors serving regional foods, gift items, artwork, as well as song, dance, and drumming performances, and art projects aimed at kids. More than 20,000 locals and visitors make this a truly lively event in the heart of Austin.

Another art museum is the springboard for the main Day of the Dead event in Chicago, a city with some of the world's best architecture. The National Museum of Mexican Art hosts the Día de los Muertos Xícago. Held from mid-afternoon until the late evening on the last Saturday of October, it is a time when the museum becomes a repository for memory, commemoration, and celebration. Some public spaces of the building, and areas nearby, are transformed into an arena where guests can immerse themselves in bright displays of colorful, and take the opportunity to enjoy some eating and drinking. 

There are live performances throughout the day, from traditional dancers to rousing music. To ensure that the Chicago event actually honors the real reason for its existence, the organizers allow participants to bring photos of their deceased relatives that can form part of an illuminated display, a way to celebrate the life of a loved one no longer with us. There is even a livestream of the event on YouTube. The departed are the focus on the Gangsters and Ghosts Viator walking tour. Join a group and you'll drop by haunted parts of the city, and learn about notorious criminals like Al Capone, the head of an crime empire in the Windy City.

The Florida Day of the Dead Celebration in Fort Lauderdale feels like a giant block party. That might be because part of it actually is a block party held on SW 3rd Avenue, and promising plenty of entertainment. It's just one piece of the day that commemorates the dead. The event begins with a festival at Esplanade Park, and you might see a parade of giant sculptures and puppets, or partake in some face painting. 

It features performances of Mexican song and dance, as well as food inspired by the flavors of Mexico. A procession heads along the Riverwalk in the middle of the evening, and represents perhaps the most solemn part of the proceedings, though the whole day is more about celebration and fun than sorrow and heartache. Visitors can expect to see plenty of people with faces made up like skulls, and wearing bold, dramatic, embroidered clothing.

There are a number of events in October and November that mark this special day. Longmont sits less than an hour's drive north of Denver, and it hosts the state's oldest Day of the Dead event, first started in 2001. While the numbers of visitors might not be huge — about 6,000 people usually show up — the event is a cherished part of the annual calendar, and is celebrated with gusto. The Longmont Museum is the headquarters for the event, and from mid-October it promises an exhibition in its Swan Atrium that features altars (known in Spanish as "ofrendas") that were created by local residents. 

Also in mid-October, there is a large, free festival in the town center with song, dance, arts, lots of food, and a bustling procession. This day is very much aimed at the whole family. Adults might be more interested in the Noche de Museo, or museum night. The paid event traces a grand sweep of music and dance from the era of the Aztecs to the rabble rousing of rock and roll. The museum also has resources online to. help anyone interested put together their own Day of the Dead event at home, with detailed information about the history of the celebration, and the significance of its different components.

It might not come as a surprise that in this sprawling metropolis, only a few hours drive from Mexico, has a number of Day of the Dead celebrations, in addition to its many other free activities. At Gloria Molina Grand Park and Downtown, visitors will be able to see a range of altars created by neighborhood artists, while a parade and free films ensure that this is a family-friendly event. Hollywood Forever is a cemetery where many celebrities are laid to rest, and it's also home to a huge Day of the Dead event. 

Expect many altars, DJ sets, live musical performances, and traditional Aztec dance shows. It takes place on the last Saturday of October. Elsewhere, you might find a pop-up dinner that leans heavily on the themes of the day for the inspiration behind the meal, the El Velorio event with mariachi bands and motorcycle displays, and outsized papier-mâché sculptures at the Third Street Promenade. Maybe the most involved event at the Día de los Muertos Festival in Olvera Street. Running for more than one week, it features nightly dance performances by Teatro del Barrio, and a procession every evening to respect deceased relatives. There are altars on view for one week, and on select days, families can enjoy live music and face painting that will help set the mood.

On the outskirts of Las Cruces, a short drive to the border with Mexico, this small town might not be high on the tourist circuit for visitors traveling through New Mexico. But it does hold a big event for this special holiday. To kick off the Día de los Muertos Celebration, candlelight procession begins at the main plaza in the town before rumbling along Mesilla's streets en route to the cemetery. After the procession ends, celebratory bread is broken as part of the commemoration. During the day on all days of the event, food and music are recurrent themes for marking this spiritual time of the year. 

Whenever you visit, expect to see plenty of altars made by residents of the town, performances by Aztec dance troupes, and a large piñata that is gleefully cracked open during the event. Old Mesilla Plaza is the hub of activity, and it's where you will watch participants dressed in bright costumes, perhaps with giant sombreros atop their head, plastic beads strung around their neck, and skull masks or make up on their faces.

New Orleans, a southern city with lavish mansions, is no stranger to tales of paranormal mystery, folkloric intrigue, spiritual machinations, and misunderstood sacrificial practices. That explains why Viator supplies a tour that uncovers the legends behind Voodoo, vampire, ghosts, and witches, an excursion that is only open to adults. But it's also home to Fet Gede, a unique hybrid event that combines the Day of the Dead with the traditions that underpin Voodoo. 

Held at the New Orleans Healing Center, the event takes place in the evening and has food, festivities, and a Voodoo ritual that summons spirits and pays homage to the deceased. The event takes its name from Gede, Haitian spirits that are linked to death and rebirth, understood to have the power to heal. The event is free, and all visitors are welcome. They can bring gifts for the Gede, and suggestions include figures depicting Day of the Dead spirits, coffins, skulls, skeletons, and even the finer things in like, such as cigars and rum.

Mano a Mano is an organization that celebrates Mexican heritage, and it stages a number of events in October and November for Day of the Dead. Guests are invited to help put together "ofrendas," or altars, that are made up of photos, letters, and even thoughts on notes about people that have passed away. The events are held at different venues during the span of the event, in varied spaces that are as rich and eclectic as the city itself.

These include the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, located in the northern echelons of Manhattan, St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery in the East Village, and even at the famed performing arts space of Lincoln Center. There is also a Día de Muertos Week at Rockefeller Center. New York is also filled with spirits throughout the year, and you can find out which ones at the ghost tour of Greenwich Village with Viator. On the trip, guests will learn of the famous ghosts in the area, and chilling tales of eerie happenings.

Pitched at anyone 8 years old and more, the haunted bus tour in this Texan city that is sold through Viator takes place on a cool, glow-in-the-dark passenger bus. It roams around some of the city's more macabre sites, from the Menger Hotel, to a former jail, and an old cemetery. Perhaps it is fitting then that San Antonio is home to the largest Day of the Dead celebration in the country. There are hallmarks of the event all over the city, most evidently through the proliferation of "ofrendas" throughout San Antonio. You will find them, both grand and intimate, covered in bright marigolds, lit by candles, and adorned with photos to commemorate deceased relatives. 

In the neighborhood of La Villita, where streets that are cobblestone speak to the area's rich history, there are many altars, some designed with amazing imagination and ingenuity. Hemisfair is home to the festival Muertos Fair, running for two days on the last weekend in October, and filled with more than 50 altars carefully constructed by locals. Even the San Antonio Zoo takes part in the event, with altars that honor animals that lived there but are no longer with us. 

Close to the Mexican border, you can experience a free weekend of food, music, and costumes around this Southern Californian city. You can also visit one of the best Little Italys in America while you're at it. There are actually a number of events across San Diego, from Sherman Heights with traditional altars, music, and food, to a mariachi band at the waterfront Jacobs Park, and a car show in Oceanside. A popular event, marking its 14th year in 2024, is the Day of the Dead celebration in the Gaslamp district. 

The event not only celebrates the spirit of the occasion, but also helps to bring life to the neighborhood. There will be fanciful decorations, lots of stalls selling artisanal products, plenty of places to order a margarita, and of course, food and live performances. In 2024, the band Grupo Marca Registrada is the musical highlight, and as with all the events during the celebration, entry to the show is free.

Visitors to the city by the bay can enjoy multiple events that celebrate Day of the Dead. For some fantastic visual imagery, and heartfelt creations that are at the core of the event, stop by the Festival of Altars and Ritual Circle in the Mission District. Visitors are allowed to bring items to create altars for their ancestors. Adults can let loose at the California Academy of Sciences, where the weekly NightLife event has a special version inspired by the Day of the Dead. 

The San Francisco Symphony even stages a special concert, with a live performance of the music from the movie "Coco" as a way to commemorate Day of the Dead. For something extraordinary, head to the Mission District for the annual Day of the Dead procession. It winds through the neighborhood's streets, following a large loop to return to its starting point at Bryant and 22nd Streets. The latest iteration of it, in 2024, will mark the 43rd year of the procession.

More than 150,000 people take part in the All Souls Procession, an event that takes over Tucson. While it's not technically staged specifically for Day of the Dead, that celebration is the driving force behind the festival. It was started in 1990 by an artist who mourned the death of her father, and led her to reach into the community to celebrate life and death. This is a huge spectacle, anchored in the center of the city by a procession that stretches for two miles. 

The highlight is when a giant urn is set on fire, a vessel that is suffused with memories of those that are deceased. But the event is also filled with altars, live performances, lots of artwork, and a general air of excitement in the city. Some of the marquee moments are the ceremony for honoring the altars, a concert on the first night, and a procession featuring children.

Winchester might not be a destination that comes with instant name recognition, but this town sits just north of Las Vegas' famous Strip. Each year it holds what is known as the Life in Death Festival, taking place in the Winchester Dondero Cultural Center. It's an event that celebrates Mexican culture through stage performances by dance companies, or the recital of "calaveras," poems that talk about the living in a humorous manner. 

Artwork on display commemorates the themes of Day of the Dead, and the representations on canvas treat death not as a grisly terminus, but very much a part of life, something that should not be filled with dread. Locals are encouraged to create their "ofrendas" and light candles next to them. They are often adorned with food and other items that are appealing to the deceased relative, a way to tempt them back to visit their descendants. For participants, these altars hold great meaning, for visitors, they are incredible works of creative expression.

There are Day of the Dead celebrations all around the U.S., which should come as no surprise given that Mexico is our neighbor, and the U.S. is home to an ever-growing Latino population. To find the biggest and best ones that are worth a visit, we started with the pages of Viator, a huge hub for travel adventures. We also looked at blogs like Thrillist to round out the list. To add a little bulk to the choices, we tied in tours on Viator that focused on the themes of ghosts and the spiritual world, allowing guests to get more out of their trip than just Day of the Dead celebrations.