This Is How U.S. Cities Are Getting Ready to Celebrate Day of the Dead 2023

Like much of Mexican culture, the Day of the Dead is not a day of sadness but of joy and celebration. Increasingly celebrated around the world and in the U.S., the Day of the Dead sets a date on Mexican calendars to honor the memory of family members who have gone to the other world, the realm of the dead.

On those dates, Mexicans go to cemeteries to celebrate with their dead family members, filling pantheons with flowers, candles and the favorite antojitos (snacks) of their late loved ones.

The fiesta includes typical dishes, sweets, tequila, mezcal or beer; without forgetting the aromatic pan de muerto, a spongy sweet bread flavored with orange blossom water and shaped like a bun, decorated with bone-shaped pieces. In homes, altars are prepared with photographs of the departed, candles, marigold flowers, and decorations with papel picado, a traditional paper-cut folk art found in Mexican celebrations.

With the Hispanic community advancing rapidly, the U.S. has also become a field for this celebration. Every year, the distinctive catrinas, skeletons, and marigolds of this holiday can be seen among Latino communities. Being also close to Halloween, the Day of the Dead is a celebration easily assimilated by North American culture. In 2008, the ritual was added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Many cities in the U.S. are already anticipating this celebration, with a wide range of festivals and cultural proposals suitable for all audiences.

In Atlanta, the Day of the Dead Festival will be held Sunday, Oct. 29 from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The festival is a free, family-friendly celebration to honor the Day of the Dead. There will be live mariachi performances, folk dancing, stilt walkers, face-painting stations, altar displays and traditional Mexican games. Additionally, the Atlanta Symphony Hall will have a performance of dancing skeletons and music to celebrate life. While admission to the festival is free, tickets are required for both performances at 1:30 and 3:00 Atlanta Symphony Hall. Tickets start at $15.

Also in Atlanta, on Sunday, November 5, there will be a Day of the Dead Festival at Oakland Cemetery, with a display of altars decorated with flowers, food and drinks in honor of lost family and friends. There will also be a Catrinas y Catrines Costume Contest with cash prizes for first places (children and adults). This free event is organized by the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta and the Institute of Mexican Culture. There will be dancing, music and entertainment, crafts and face painting.

In Roswell, the Roswell Day of the Dead Festival will be held at City Hall in partnership with the Consulate General of Mexico, on Saturday, October 28, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 3 p.m. Participants will enjoy a traditional Day of the Dead celebration with Mexican food, crafts, entertainment and dancing. Address: 38 Hill St, Roswell, Georgia.

In Los Angeles, Olvera Street is one of the most popular destinations to celebrate the Day of the Dead for nine days for 30 years, with events from October 25 to November 2. Community altars are displayed. Processions are held every night and visitors can even have their faces painted.

As every year in Los Angeles, on the Saturday before November 2, Hollywood Forever welcomes the community to the cemetery to celebrate Día de Los Muertos. At Hollywood Forever, participants arrive in costume to enjoy a day at the cemetery with a joyous celebration with Aztec ritual dancers. People can see more than 100 altars (or memorials) created by community members in memory of their relatives. Visitors can also enjoy musical events from artists on five stages.

Muertos Fest returns to Hemisfair located in downtown San Antonio, Texas for an 11th year to celebrate the Day of the Dead with a two-day in-person festival, this year October 28-29, 2023. The two-day event is free. There will be art exhibits, live music and entertainment to celebrate the Day of the Dead, including original artwork, dance, drum and processions, live poetry and the largest open altar exhibit in San Antonio. Grammy-winning group Ozomatli, is one of 40 musical acts scheduled to play in this event at Civic Park.

In Fort Worth, Texas, Artes de la Rosa will host its 20th annual Day of the Dead parade and festival on October 28. The parade will begin on North Main Street and continue south through the Stockyards to Marine Park. The festival includes mariachis, folkloric ballet and opera performers. Location: Marine Park, 303 NW. 20th St.

In San Francisco, the Day of the Dead has been celebrated in the Mission District of San Francisco since the 1970s. Every November 2nd, Marigold Project produces the Dia de Los Muertos Festival of Altars and the Ritual Poetry Circle in Potrero Del Sol Park, located at 25th Street and San Bruno Avenue. The annual Festival of Altars invites participants to bring flowers and candles for their loved ones to place them in offerings decorated with Mexican folk art. On this day a candlelight procession begins at the corner of 22nd and Bryant streets around 6 p.m.

The San Francisco Symphony will also carry out a Day of the Dead performance on Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. at Davies Symphony Hall. It will be directed by Miguel Harth-Bedoya and will feature vocalist Edna Vázquez and artists from Casa Círculo Cultural.

In San Diego there will be celebrations in the city's Old Town. This year's Día de Muertos will be celebrated on October 28–29 and November 2. There will be different activities such as a "Mercado"during the first weekend (10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.), where participants will find craft vendors, face painting, and performances. On October 28, there will be a free screening of Disney Pixar's "Coco" at 7 p.m. at Plaza de las Armas. On November 2, a parade will begin at 6 p.m., where visitors will be able to view over 40 offerings.

In Costa Mesa, California, Grammy-winning singer Lila Downs will celebrate Día de los Muertos at Segerstrom Center, tomorrow Oct. 11. Downs will perform at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa for a special Día De Los Muertos concert in a one-off -night-only performance.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Albuquerque Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Navarro Group's First Annual Albuquerque Day of the Dead Festival and Parade this year. Celebrations will take place on Saturday, November 11 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center with a festival (2pm-6pm). Later on, a parade will begin on Fourth Street and end at Albuquerque Civic Plaza at 8 pm.