Día de los Muertos Returns to South 9th Street With Live Music, Memorial Altars, Procession, Vendors and More

Día de los Muertos Returns to South 9th Street With Live Music, Memorial Altars, Procession, Vendors and More

Día de los Muertos 2026  will honor departed loved ones and celebrate Mexican and Latin American culture, traditions, art, music and community on Sunday, November 1, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free, everyone is welcome, and the event will take place rain or shine.

The celebration is organized by AEM Philly, La Calaca Flaca and Fleisher Art Memorial as part of PHL250, the city’s commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary. Visit Philly, Indigo and Centro Cultural Mexicano are listed as supporters. The event spans the South 9th Street corridor, near Washington Avenue, Christian Street and Ellsworth Street, and Fleisher Art Memorial at 719 Catharine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147.

AEM Philly’s daytime programming begins at 11 a.m. on South 9th Street and runs until 5 p.m. Organizers describe three stages representing Mexican regions, with food and craft vendors, mariachi, traditional dances, a Catrinas show, children’s activities, a custom performance competition and free face painting. Catrina models will also be available for photographs throughout the event.

Each stage alternates performances with DJ music. According to the event program, which is subject to change, the performers appear in the following order:

Stage A, Mexico City (Washington Avenue and 9th Street)

• Opening ceremony with invited guests and Catrinas (Julieta Zavala)
• Ñuuxakun (Andrea García and César Rivero)
• Tonantzin (Pamela Plata)
• Hueyxolotl (Ángeles Ortiz)
• Mariachi Villaseñor
• Latin music dance (Robert and Marina)
• Custom performance competition
• Banda La Poblanita
• AEM committee closing

Stage B, Puebla (Christian Street and 9th Street)

• Hueyxolotl (Ángeles Ortiz)
• Latin music dance (Robert and Marina)
• Ñuuxakun (Andrea García)
• Tonantzin (Pamela Plata)
• Brisas de la Montaña
• Mariachi Villaseñor
• AEM closing

Stage C, Oaxaca (Ellsworth Street and 9th Street)

• Latin music dance (Robert and Marina)
• Catrinas (Julieta Zavala)
• Tonantzin (Pamela Plata)
• Banda La Poblanita
• Ñuuxakun (Andrea García)
• Brisas de la Montaña
• AEM closing

At 9th Street and Washington Avenue, César E. Viveros-Herrera will present a memorial altar representing Oaxaca, Mexico City and Puebla. The program describes memorial altars as a way for communities to come together through flowers, light, photographs and offerings to honor loved ones who have died.

Programming continues at Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine Street, with La Calaca Flaca and Fleisher presenting events through 9 p.m. Fleisher’s Stage D program, in order, includes:

• Children’s activities and face painting
• Procession gathering with Hueyxolotl (Ángeles Ortiz)
• Procession “La Calacleta / La Llorona” with Champion Low Riders
• Huey Xolot, a Mexica (Aztec) dance collective
• Ivonne Pinto, master of ceremonies
• Son Revoltura
• Baracutanga
• La China Sonidera

Key moments at Fleisher include:

• 2 p.m.: Children’s activities begin, including face painting.
• 4 p.m.: A procession and community bicycle ride begin. The program credits Centro Cultural Mexicano and Indego (listed as Indigo in other materials) for the ride.
• 5 p.m.: The opening ceremony and altar viewing begin. The Fleisher Sanctuary opens to “The Unforgettable Light,” a community memorial altar by artist Gina Pacheco Brito of Fleisher, which explores memory and hope through candlelight and marigolds and honors departed loved ones.
• 6 to 9 p.m.: Live concerts, with Ivonne Pinto as master of ceremonies.

El Mercado de las Calacas, an artisan market, opens at 11 a.m. in Fleisher’s parking lot. Family activities, including a children’s fair, will take place during the afternoon.