Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time to honor the memory of loved ones who have died. The holiday’s most beloved traditions involve building ofrendas at home or visiting cemeteries and decorating the graves of those who have departed.
The celebration, largely observed in Mexico and other Latin American countries, also brings colorful and vibrant events across several cities in the U.S. On or before Nov. 1 and 2, cempasúchil-covered altars, intricately designed sugar calaveras and pan de muerto will spring up around Los Angeles.
We’ve rounded up a list of mostly free events on LA’s Eastside and downtown to celebrate the cherished cultural holiday.
Oct. 18: El Sereno Día de los Muertos Festival
The El Sereno Community Arts presents its 16th Día de los Muertos Celebration with an evening full of altars, live music, traditional dance performances and local art. The event will also feature live poetry readings from Cal State LA’s Arts and Letters club, exclusive “Te De Muertos” herbs from Apothecary Organique, and apparel sold by LA Girl Apparel. Attendees can also take home a free California native plant provided by the LA Parks Foundation, while supplies last.
Cost: Free
Date: 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18
Location: Huntington Drive (Between Pueblo and Portola)
Find more information here.
Oct. 18: LEA’s Calavera LGBTQ+ Festival
A Catrina is pictured with a Pride flag at the Calavera LGBTQ Street Festival. (Photo courtesy of LEA)
The Calavera LBTQ+ Festival, hosted by the Latino Equity Alliance (LEA), is back in Boyle Heights after a one-year pause. The festival will celebrate the traditional holiday through a queer Latine/x lens, featuring community altars, vibrant vendors, DJ sets and musical performances. Catch performances from Mendez High School Folklórico and Danza Coatlicue Tonantzin. Attendees can also watch the iconic Mx. Calvera Drag Contest, where the winner will receive a $500 grand prize. Guests are encouraged to wear their best calavera look. Proceeds from sales at the event will support LEA’s programs for LGBTQ+ youth and families.
Oct. 25 – Nov. 2: Olvera Street Día de los Muertos Festival
Los Angeles’ iconic Placita Olvera begins their nightly program with a Danza de la Muerte presented by Teatro Del Barrio on stage to tell the story of Día de los Muertos. The performance will be followed by a novenario procession with a colorful parade to honor loved ones who have passed. Attendees can enjoy live entertainment, face painting and community altars that will be on display from Oct. 25 and will remain until Nov. 2. Guests can also register for the Los Muertos 5K race hosted on Saturday, Nov. 1.
Oct. 26: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes Día de los Muertos Family Day
A child draws at Día de los Muertos Family Day at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes on October, 2024. (Photo courtesy of LA Plaza)
Join a family-friendly afternoon at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes to celebrate Día de los Muertos. Attendees can enjoy traditional performances that honor the dead through live music, dance, and storytelling, including a procession, community altar, and playful Catrina comedy sketches. The program will be guided Blanca A. Soto. — actress, voice and acting coach, and emcee in Disney Pixar’s Coco. Guests are welcome to add images of their loved ones to the community ofrenda by emailing them to photos@lapca.org. LA Plaza will print and frame them for display at the event.
Oct. 25- Nov. 2: Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos
This two-week exhibition will open with a procession and blessings by Ohtli Yollotl Curanderismo Collective and live performances by Danza Artes Mexico, El Marchante, and Mariachi Las Divinas. Festivities include community altars, papier-mache art installations, family workshops, an artisanal mercado, and community resources, including CHIRLA and the Office of Immigrant Affairs. The closing celebration on Nov. 2 will feature performances by two-time Grammy nominee Lupita Infante, Boleros with Attitude and DJ Sizzle Fantastic.
Cost: Free
Date: Opening procession: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 25; Closing celebration: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 2; Altars are on display during the two weeks from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: Gloria Molina Grand Park
200 N Grand Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012
Find more information here.
Oct. 26: Las Fotos Project Día de Muertos Community Wellness Day
In collaboration with Polo’s Pantry and sponsored by Youth to the People, Las Fotos Project is hosting their bi-monthly community wellness day with a Día de los Muertos celebration. The event will feature family-friendly arts activities like candle-making, frame decorating, face-painting, a clothing swap and a photobooth. Along with community resources, attendees will be able to enjoy tamales and refreshments, and have the chance to take fresh produce home while supplies last. A community ofrenda will be on display during the celebration, courtesy of Self Help Graphics & Art.
Oct. 30: Los Angeles Community Hospitals and Southern California Hospitals Community Día de los Muertos Celebration of Life
This celebration will offer entertainment for all ages, including Aztec dance performances, arts and crafts, caricature drawings, face painting and food. Attendees are encouraged to bring photos of loved ones to participate in the community altar and light a candle in their honor. The hospital’s exterior campus will be transformed with decorative altars built with donations from Prospect Medical’s six Southern California hospitals and local businesses.
Nov. 1: Día de Muertos 1st Street Community Block Party
An attendee embodies a traditional Catrina at the Boyle Heights Community Block Party Día de los Muertos celebration on Nov. 1, 2024. (Photo by Jacqueline Ramirez/ Boyle Heights Beat)
The 1st Street Business Association brings back its community block party at 1st Street and Mariachi Plaza to celebrate Día de los Muertos. Bring the whole family and enjoy a night filled with music, color and tradition. The event will feature face painting, art activations and over 20 local artisan vendors. Attendees can stroll down 1st Street from Boyle to State, through rows of community resource booths, altars, and local restaurants. Live music, DJs, mariachi, and performances by folklórico dancers will round out the evening.
Nov. 1: Self Help Graphics & Art Día de los Muertos Celebration
Altar at Self Help Graphic’s 2023 Día de Muertos celebration. Photo by Thomas Rodas.
Self Help Graphics & Art has hosted free community art workshops honoring Día de los Muertos all October long. The sessions will culminate with the 51st Día de los Muertos celebration in partnership with L.A. County Supervisor Hilda. L. Solis. The celebration will kick off with a procession aboard the Metro L Line that begins at Mariachi Plaza and makes its way to the East L.A. Civic Center for a festival. The day will feature live entertainment, face painting, art activities, and a live danza blessing to honor ancestors. There will also be a Muertos Market with local artists and artisans vendors, prints by Self Help Graphics, and food for sale. The main celebration will honor community members lost to systemic violence and the recent LA fires. Altars will also honor activists who inspired social change through activism.
Cost: Free
Date : 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 (procession begins at 2 p.m. from the Metro L Line Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights to East L.A. Civic Center Park station in East L.A.)
Location: LA County Civic Center Park
4801 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90022
Find more information here.
Nov. 1: Plaza de la Raza’s Día de los Muertos
A truck is decorated at Plaza de La Raza’s Día de los Muertos celebration in 2024. Photo by Boyle Heights Beat.
Enjoy a family-friendly celebration with art workshops and live performances by the Plaza de la Raza youth, including folklórico and Danza Azteca. The community festival will also showcase altars throughout the venue, highlighting art, music, dance, and living tradition.
Nov. 2 Day of the Dead Celebration at Odd Fellows Cemetery
Odd Fellows Cemetery will host a full day of festivities for this year’s Día de los Muertos celebration. The day begins in the early morning with various food vendors, followed by an afternoon mass. Guests can also enjoy free face painting and live performances featuring folklorico dancers. The celebration will include competitions for best altar and best Catrina, with each winner receiving a grand prize of $300.
Nov. 8-9: Floricanto’s ‘Fiesta Del Dia De Los Muertos’
Celebrating its 25th Día de los Muertos event, the Floricanto Center for Performing Arts is hosting a Day of the Dead weekend production. Transforming the space into a local cemetery, the program will feature a community altar and a Chicano-style show that explores a series of social issues, from immigration, teen pregnancy, addiction, mental illness, love, and death — depicted with humor and respect. As the show explores a series of characters and stories through dance, the evening’s guide will be the iconic skeleton, La Catrina.
Cost: Presale tickets are $15 for general admission and $30 for VIP; $20 at the door.
Children (ages 5-10) $10 at the door only.
Date: 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9
Location: Floricanto Center for the Performing Arts
2900 Calle Pedro Infante, Los Angeles, CA 90063
Find more information here.