10 of the Biggest Day of the Dead Celebrations in the US

The largest Day of the Dead parade in New Mexico has only gotten more popular over the years—the organizers even decided to temporarily cancel the event a few years ago to make sure they could adjust to the influx of participants.

Since its return, Muertos y Marigolds has decorated the South Valley every first Sunday of November with a lively procession that features face painting, gigantic papier-mâché skeletons, and cultural events that both celebrate life and somberly reflect on those lost. (Recent thematic memorials have been those lost to COVID-19 or gang violence, for instance.) Despite the heavy topics at hand, you’re sure to have a great time though, thanks to the local food vendors and colorful floats.

San Antonio is one of the largest Hispanic-majority cities in the US, as more than half of the population claims Mexican heritage. At Muertos Fest, which spans two days, downtown San Antonio’s Hemisfair Park is decked out with altars, live music, and food vendors. Start your day with a San Antonio River Walk cruise to get your bearings before making your way to the festival grounds. There, just like at a music festival, you can use an app to get directions, find lunch, and identify those honored on the various ofrendas around the grounds.

This celebration offers the perfect excuse to explore the neighborhoods of Pilsen and La Villita (Little Village) in Chicago. Every year, the National Museum of Mexican Art hosts this Día de Muertos event ... but it’s not trapped behind glass. Rather, locals come and add their family members’ faces to the community ofrenda in adjacent Harrison Park and listen to live music. Afterward, visitors can explore the museum’s collection, which highlights art that spans Mexican history from pre-Hispanic times to contemporary Chicano civil rights struggles, or go on a walking tour of community art in the area.

Like with many celebrations, New Orleans puts its own spin on the Day of the Dead. Fèt Gede is the Haitian Day of the Dead, and the NOLA version of the holiday mixes the Haitian Vodou religion, Mexican American traditions, and the French celebration of All Soul’s Day.

The annual event is hosted by the New Orleans Healing Center, an organization that offers local services such as community food banks and HIV testing in addition to Vodou cleanses. Expect to see participants in purple and white (the favored colors of the mischievous deity Gede), and don’t be afraid to get involved. If you’re up for a closer brush with the haunted side of the city afterward, join an interactive ghost tour.

South Florida is a diverse mix of Latinx culture, and this event in Fort Lauderdale goes beyond celebrating Mexican heritage to include influences from all around Latin America. The day starts with Aztec and Maya dance performances as well as Peruvian troupes, Bolivian music, and even brass bands from New Orleans. No matter where you go in the sprawling event location, there’s something new to experience—from a puppeteering class to crafting booths.

Mano a Mano’s mission is to honor Mexican heritage in New York City, and one of its cornerstone events each year is its Día de Muertos celebration at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery in Manhattan.

For East Coasters, this is a perfect place to get acquainted with some of the typical aspects of the holiday, from papel picado (colorful thin paper with cutouts of skulls, marigolds, and skeletons) to pan de muerto, orange-scented bread rolls topped with bone-shaped decorations. It should also inspire you to explore the big city’s incredible diversity, borough by borough.

Los Angeles has such a robust Mexican American population that it’s home to two major Day of the Dead celebrations: one at Olvera Street in Downtown LA and the other at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It’s the second that’s the real star, a raucous celebration full of music and surrounded by gravestones of LA’s revered celebrities. The costumes are radiant, bursting with color even after sundown, and the food vendors include some of the most innovative taquerías in the city. Note that separate tickets are available for the daytime and nighttime events.

Related: 9 Places Where You Can Honor Latinx History in the US

A more modest event, Longmont’s Day of the Dead is a robust community gathering that’s been running since 2000. Local ofrendas are on show for much of October as the city gears up for the holiday itself. Then, on Nov. 2 each year, the Longmont Museum plays host to a night of concerts open to all ages, featuring Aztec-inspired dance troupes and contemporary Chicano funk music alike. Sitting halfway between Fort Collins and Denver, Longmont is also a perfect jumping-off point for a late-season hike in the Rockies.

The town of Mesilla (just outside of Las Cruces) hosts an annual Day of the Dead celebration, but the real reason you’ll want to come to this corner of New Mexico are the annual themed races called Dead Running. One of the more unique ways to mark the holiday, the race series was founded by a German immigrant who fell in love with the American Southwest’s blend of cultures.

These days, runners can sign up for various shorter races, a half marathon, or a full marathon. The course starts and ends at La Llorona Park on the banks of the Rio Grande—a park whose name honors the “weeping woman,” a vengeful spirit who haunts bodies of water.

Just off the Las Vegas Strip, the unincorporated community of Winchester is a hotspot for Latinx culture in the area where much of the population identifies as Hispanic. The Life in Death Festival has been happening for more than two decades and serves as a great way to engage in the local community—and perhaps take a break from the casinos.

Here, you’ll find ofrendas, craft vendors selling handmade souvenirs, and folkloric dance troupes showing off traditional dances from different parts of Mexico (while wearing skull facepaint, of course). It’s a good reminder that Vegas is more than just big hotels and Cirque du Soleil. After the celebration, go even deeper with a walking tour that shows off the city’s under-the-radar food scene.