Día de Los Muertos, like Halloween, is connected to back-to-back Catholic holidays, All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Days on Nov. 2. (The night before, called All Hallows Eve, became “Hallowe’en.”) But Day of the Dead is empathically not Halloween, the holiday that leans into — and laughs at — Americans’ dread of death and fear of the unknown, confronting the worst supernatural monsters imaginable.
Integrating Indigenous rituals into Christian traditions, the Mexican holiday embraces the fall, when the “veil is at its thinnest,” because that means late loved ones may return, and in case they do, the living are going to throw them a vibrant music-and-food-filled party. Participants built tribute altars (ofrenda) for their dearly departed adorned with their favorite foods, sugar skulls (calaveras) and skeleton figurines (calacas) as well as bright orange marigolds and candles to help lead them home. It’s a tradition that faces grief head-on while celebrating the joys of life.
Here’s where you can join the Día de los Muertos festivities this week.
San Jose
Bring on the marigolds. Celebrations commemorating Día de los Muertos in this city will run from morning to night on Saturday, Nov. 1, culminating in Avenida de Altares, which will fill Alum Rock Avenue with altars honoring loved ones. During the day, both the Children’s Discovery Museum and the San Jose Museum of Art will present cultural events with arts and crafts starting at 11 a.m. Find giant puppets and family activities from the Multicultural Artists Guild at the children’s museum; the art museum will offer sugar skull-decorating, dance and music. At the SJSU King Library, the “Art of Remembrance,” an ofrenda exhibition by local artists, will be on view that day and through Nov. 4. The huge festival at the Mexican Heritage Plaza will run from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. and feature an art show titled “Catharsis,” plus a Catrina/Catrín costume contest — and altars, music and more lining the plaza and the blocks leading to Highway 101.
Details: The festival at the Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., is free. There is also free admission for Community Day at the San Jose Museum of Art, 110 S. Market St., but online registration is requested at https://sjmusart.org. Tickets for the Children’s Discovery Museum, 180 Woz Way, run $16-$18; www.cdm.org
Oakland
Fruitvale is still going strong on the 30th anniversary of its Día de los Muertos Festival, with roughly 100,000 people expected to attend this year’s shebang, according to local nonprofit Unity Council. Taking place Sunday, Nov. 2, the popular affair at Fruitvale Village includes live music, altar exhibits, Aztec rituals, arts and crafts — take a breath — tasty food, rides and games for kids and a parade of low-rider vehicles. This event has been inducted into the U.S. Library of Congress as a “local legacy” — and of course, it’s free.
Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at 3301 E. 12th St., Oakland; free, unitycouncil.org/program/diaoakland
Today, the Oakland Museum of California will also celebrate its long-running Día de los Muertos Community Celebration with a day full of programming and fun. A $10 ticket grants gallery access and admission to the festival, which kicks off with a formal procession to the central altar and leads into performances by musicians, poets and dance groups. There’s a vendor market for Day of the Dead crafts, sugar skull-decorating tutorials, calavera face painting and hands-on stations for creating altars and colorful masks. Food spans across the board from tamales to ice cream and tacos to warm-and-comforting atole drinks.
Details: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 26 at 1000 Oak St., Oakland; $10 admission, museumca.org
Mountain View
Again this year, the Día de los Muertos festival will take over the Civic Center Plaza for a day the city says “encourages remembering over forgetting.” On Saturday, Nov. 1, watch stage performances by Aztec and Venezuelan dancers and ballet folklorico, and listen to Veracruz musicians and mariachi while admiring — or adding to — the altar tributes. Children can get their faces painted, make flower headbands and decorate sugar skulls, all for free.
Details: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at 500 Castro St., Mountain View; www.mountainview.gov/our-city/departments/city-manager-s-office/multicultural-engagement-program/dia-de-muertos
Martinez
During the Festival of Altars, Plaza Ignacio Park in Martinez will display ofrendas built by local residents for those who have passed. If you missed the deadline to participate, you can still honor your loved one by placing a photo or object they loved on the community altar at the center of the event. Hosted by the city and the Martinez Arts Association, the family-friendly daytime gathering from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, will also feature live music and Aztec dancers. The Martinez Library will put on a special storytime presentation at 1 p.m.
Details: Noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Plaza Ignacio Park, 550 Henrietta St., Martinez; https://www.martinezarts.org/dia-de-los-muertos-2025.html
Redwood City
Face painting, sugar skull workshops, chalk art, live performances and art installations, altar contests and a procession are among the activities planned for this year’s Día de los Muertos celebration in Redwood City. Event organizers have announced this year’s theme to be “la cosmovisión de Tonantzintla,” a reference to the 16th-century Church of Santa Maria Tonantzintla in Puebla, Mexico, known for its lavish, unique artistic style formed from a fusion of Indigenous Nahuatl and Catholic influences.
Want to participate more fully? Consider entering an altar contest in which people set up displays that will be shown at the San Mateo County History Museum through Saturday, Nov. 8. There are also 12 spots saved for trunk ofrendas specifically to commemorate angelitos, or children who have died.
Details: 4-9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City. casacirculocultural.org/adult-initiative/dia-de-los-muertos
Half Moon Bay
Homemade altars are encouraged at this reflective affair at Skylawn Memorial Park, featuring a 10 a.m. chapel service followed by a presentation of the altars. Then, there’ll be dancing, music, food, vendors, prizes and face painting – plus, the Stanford Blood Mobile will be there in case you feel like donating blood.
Details: 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1-Sunday, Nov. 2, Skylawn Funeral Home and Crematory, 888 LifeMark Road, Half Moon Bay, skylawnmemorialpark.com
Antioch
The Antioch recreation department has big plans for its fourth annual celebration. On Friday, Oct. 31, handmade altars from businesses and community organizations will go up around the Nick Rodriguez Community Center. Then on Nov. 1, attendees can display their own altars as well as enjoy live music and dance performances, face painting and food and drink from various local purveyors. There is also a La Catrina Contest at 5:30 p.m. on the main stage. Contestants should have painted faces (no masks) and are encouraged to design their own dresses.
Details: 3-7 p.m. Nov. 1 at the Nick Rodriguez Community Center at 213 F St., Antioch; free, antiochca.gov/225/Da-de-Los-Muertos-Celebration
Gilroy
Gilroy’s La Ofrenda Festival, established in 2023, may be the Bay Area’s newest public Día de los Muertos celebration. Also a wellness fair, its stated mission is to celebrate and preserve “Latine and Indigenous traditions” and “bridge the gap between arts, culture and wellness.” Features include a street of altars, a Calavera Bike Cruise, live music and performances, and “lowfrendas” or ofrendas in lowriders.
Details: 1-7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, Downtown Gilroy; https://www.laofrendafestival.com/