Last Saturday the parade lined up at Campbell Street and Mills Avenue at 4 p.m. It went west on Mills, north on Mesa and west on Franklin, then turned south on Santa Fe to finish. The Mexican American Cultural Center says its Día de los Muertos Desfile & Festival draws more than 50,000 people. The parade runs over a mile, with more than 60 entries that include floats, ballet folklórico groups, musicians and community organizations. This year it was held on October 24.
On that same page, the MACC explains that the holiday is observed on November 1 and 2, with preparations in the days before. Families decorate homes and cemeteries with altars and ofrendas for loved ones who have died. So the city's largest celebration happened eight days before the first day of the holiday. The days left are the ones the tradition actually centers on, and their events are smaller, mostly free, and closer to home. For anyone living around El Paso High, Sunset Heights or Downtown, they start on Schuster Avenue.
Saturday Morning Belongs to the School on the Hill
El Paso High School's Día de los Muertos Festival turns 14 this year. It runs Saturday, October 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 800 E. Schuster Ave., and admission is free. It isn't a city production. The school's Dual Language Magnet Program and Spanish Language Department host it. The program, as listed on Visit El Paso's event page, includes student art exhibits, a Catrina and costume contest, folklórico performances, live music, trunk-or-treat, local vendors, food and prizes.
The festival works for the neighborhood because it lands right where two holidays overlap. It's Halloween, so trunk-or-treat and the costume contest give kids in costume something to do before dark. And the student exhibits and Catrina contest are the Día de los Muertos side of the same morning. The listing gives Angelica Rincon Luna as the contact, at [email protected] or 915-236-2500, for anyone with questions about vendors or the schedule.
The festival closes at 2 p.m., and Downtown is still open after that.
Downtown's Final Weekend Is the One About Family
Visit El Paso started a Día de los Muertos series this year, its first, at the Downtown Visitor Information Center and Pedestrian Pathway, 1 Civic Center Plaza. It runs three weekends from October 16 through November 1, and all activities are free. KVIA reported the launch as Destination El Paso's free celebration.
Each weekend has its own theme. The first, "Pawprints on Our Hearts," honored pets. The second, "Stars Remembered," honored celebrities and cultural icons. The third and final weekend is called "Always with Us," or "Siempre con Nosotros." Organizers dedicated it to family, friends and loved ones who have died, which is the center of the holiday. Its hours are different from the earlier weekends:
- Friday, October 30: 5 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, October 31: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sunday, November 1: 2 to 7 p.m.
The Saturday hours matter for anyone near El Paso High. On the first two weekends, Saturday ran from 2 to 10 p.m. On Halloween the Visitor Center opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 4. That puts its whole Saturday window in the daytime, overlapping the school festival for three hours and then running two more after it ends. A family can spend the late morning on Schuster and still reach Civic Center Plaza with time to spare. Visit El Paso posts vendor and schedule updates on its Instagram account.
Five Altars Built by Neighbors, Through November 1
Downtown has a quieter stop too. The MACC Community Gallery is showing "Tradiciones: Annual Community Ofrendas," five altars built by local organizations: Estrella Del Paso, Movimiento ChucanX, Villa Maria, Friends of El Paso Animal Services and Aliviane Inc. According to the MACC's exhibit page, it is free and on view through November 1, 2026.
Of everything on this list, the exhibit fits the holiday's center most closely. The MACC built its exhibit so visitors can learn about each organization and why its ofrenda matters, in the hope that they will build one of their own. One of the altars comes from Friends of El Paso Animal Services, which ties back to the pet tribute that opened the Visitor Center series. The exhibit closes the same day the Visitor Center series ends, so Sunday is the last day for both.
A week before the holiday, The Prospector wrote about pan de muerto. It reported that El Paso bakeries carry it for the season and that the MACC's director encourages people to buy from local bakers. Pan de muerto and café de olla were also served at the exhibit's opening reception on October 17. Picking up pan de muerto from a neighborhood bakery on the way home fits the season.
Friday Night at Chamizal Starts the Weekend
This last stretch actually starts the night before the school festival. On Friday, October 30, Chamizal National Memorial is hosting "Coco" at its amphitheater, 800 S. San Marcial St. Alebrije painting starts at 4:30 p.m. and the movie at 6:30. ToDoElPaso's listing says it's free, open to all ages and needs no ticket.
Friday evening has two options. The Visitor Center opens at 5 p.m. for the "Always with Us" weekend, and the Chamizal painting session begins half an hour earlier. If you have kids, the outdoor movie is the clear Friday pick. That leaves Saturday morning for Schuster Avenue and Saturday afternoon for Downtown.
The Weekend in Order
Here is everything from Friday through Monday, in date order:
| Day | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 30 | "Coco" movie night with alebrije painting | Chamizal National Memorial Amphitheater, 800 S. San Marcial St. | 4:30 p.m. painting, 6:30 p.m. movie |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | "Always with Us" opens | Downtown Visitor Information Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza | 5–9 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | El Paso High's 14th annual festival | El Paso High School, 800 E. Schuster Ave. | 11 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | "Always with Us," day two | 1 Civic Center Plaza | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | "Always with Us," closing day | 1 Civic Center Plaza | 2–7 p.m. |
| Through Sun., Nov. 1 | "Tradiciones" community ofrendas | MACC Community Gallery | Gallery hours |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | San Elizario Día de los Muertos Festival | Los Portales Museum and Information Center, 1521 San Elizario Road | 5–8 p.m. |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | Evergreen Cemetery East celebration | 12400 Montana Ave. | 4–8 p.m., Mass at 7 p.m. |
Sunday and Monday Move Outside Central El Paso
Once Downtown wraps up, the last two events are farther from home, and both fall on the holiday's own dates.
The San Elizario Día de los Muertos Festival is Sunday, November 1, from 5 to 8 p.m., at Los Portales Museum in San Elizario. KISS FM El Paso's 2026 guide lists admission as free. It starts while the Visitor Center is still open, until 7, so going to both on Sunday means leaving Downtown early.
On Monday, November 2, the holiday's traditional last day, Evergreen Cemetery East holds its annual community celebration from 4 to 8 p.m. at 12400 Montana Ave. The same guide says the event started in 2017 and draws about 2,000 to 3,000 people each year. That's a small crowd next to the parade's 50,000. The guide lists live music from Darlene & Armando and Ricki Mena, Danza Guadalupana, folklórico, lotería, face painting, raffles, a vendor market and food trucks. A community altar will be set up, and attendees are invited to bring a photograph of someone they want to honor. Father Mark Salas leads an open-air Mass at 7 p.m., with Mariachi Alba de Mexico.
When you're ready to talk about the blocks around Schuster Avenue, whether that's an older home with a history of its own or a property with room to grow, International Real Estate offers bilingual, broker-led guidance from David Torres. Schedule a Consultation / Agenda tu consulta.
