Desfile de Dia de Muertos
Desfile de Dia de Muertos takes place Oct 31 - Nov 2, 2026 (main parade usually the Saturday) in Mexico City, Mexico. The dress code is Catrina face paint, skeleton and traditional costumes are the norm and welcomed; comfortable shoes for hours of standing. Typical cost ranges from 150 to 500 EUR per person.
A grand Day of the Dead parade down Paseo de la Reforma with towering skeleton floats, catrina costumes and giant puppets, held alongside the Nov 1 - 2 holiday. Inspired partly by a James Bond film scene, it has become a signature Mexico City spectacle layered onto the ancient tradition of family ofrendas. The parade and the monumental altar in the Zocalo are free.
- When
- Oct 31 - Nov 2, 2026 (main parade usually the Saturday)
- Where
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Dress code
- Catrina face paint, skeleton and traditional costumes are the norm and welcomed; comfortable shoes for hours of standing
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 150 to 500 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 12 - 23C, mild and mostly dry highland autumn, cool evenings
- When to book
- No tickets needed for the parade; book Reforma or Centro hotels 2 - 3 months out as the weekend sells out
- Getting there
- MEX (Mexico City Benito Juarez), 30 - 45 min to Paseo de la Reforma
- Where to stay
- Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City (on Reforma), The St. Regis Mexico City, Hotel Carlota
- Official site
- https://www.cdmx.gob.mx
How to attend
Completely free and open to all. The main parade typically runs on the Saturday afternoon of the holiday weekend from near Chapultepec along Reforma to the Zocalo - arrive early to line the route; the city confirms the exact date a few weeks ahead. Pair it with the free monumental ofrenda in the Zocalo and neighborhood celebrations in Coyoacan and Mixquic.
The parade is free and open to everyone - there is no ticket, you just line the route early.
Insider tip
Claim a spot near the Angel de la Independencia two hours early - the floats pass close and the crowd is thinner than at the Zocalo end.
Get inside Desfile de Dia de Muertos
Booking matters here: no tickets needed for the parade; book Reforma or Centro hotels 2 - 3 months out as the weekend sells out. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
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