Día de Muertos in Tijuana 2026: altars, a downtown parade and five free nights at Parque Morelos

Día de Muertos falls on Nov. 1 and 2, and in Tijuana the altars go up well before. Here is what has been announced so far for the week of Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, with the times we could confirm. Organizers can change plans, so check the linked pages before you go.

Open now: Mercado Hidalgo’s altar

The Zona Río market opened its traditional ofrenda on Oct. 15, dedicated this year to the 58 street vendors who founded the market 71 years ago. It is free to visit through Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends, El Imparcial reported, and the stalls around it sell sugar skulls, ceramic xolos and the rest of what goes on a home altar. Details are in our story and on the market’s profile.

Thursday, Oct. 29: two openings

At the Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT), the Monumental Altar de Muertos opens on Oct. 29, honoring Margarita Maza Parada 200 years after her birth. Its opening coincides with the Fiesta de las Ánimas, held on the center’s esplanade through Nov. 1 with a catrina runway, workshops and film, according to CECUT’s anniversary program as published in September. Daily times had not been posted in the program reports we found.

The same evening, Parque Morelos is listed to start México Eterno: Noche de Ánimas, five nights of Día de Muertos traditions for families, from 6 to 11 p.m. daily through Nov. 2. The only listing we found, on Tijuana Eventos, names the city government as organizer, with its economic development office (Sedeti) and the business institute IDVE, and describes free entry for all ages, cempasúchil flowers and candles; a detailed program had not been published. See the event listing and the park’s profile.

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30–31: Halloween weekend

Halloween lands in the middle of it all. On Oct. 30, María Daniela y su Sonido Lasser play the show at Marko Disko that was moved from September (details). On Oct. 31, the Orquesta de Baja California plays Sinfonía de terror y ritmo on Avenida Revolución, and Bar Espina’s Latigazo Halloween goes until the early hours. Pumpkin fields, a haunted walk-through and more shows are in our Halloween planner.

Sunday, Nov. 1: parade day, and the clocks change

Downtown’s fourth Desfile Tradicional de Día de Muertos is free. A food and art festival with a Catrines and Catrinas contest starts at 11 a.m. at the Mercado Benito Juárez (Av. Melchor Ocampo 1037), and the parade steps off at 1 p.m. from Calle Quinta and Ocampo for a loop of about 3 kilometers that ends back at the market, organizers said in September (event page).

Check the time before you head out: Baja California’s seasonal time ends at 2 a.m. that Sunday, El Imparcial reported, so clocks go back an hour. Phones update on their own; a car clock or a wristwatch may not.

Also on Nov. 1, Café en el Mar fills the Rosarito Beach Hotel with about 40 stands of coffee, food, books and art, free to enter (our story has the two different sets of hours published so far). It is also the last day of CECUT’s Fiesta de las Ánimas and of the Tijuana Book Fair at Parque Morelos.

Monday, Nov. 2: El Trompo and a last look at Mercado Hidalgo’s altar

The call for designers for El Trompo‘s “Fashion Catrinas” runway says the show will be part of the Día de Muertos festival on Nov. 2, with outfits inspired by José Guadalupe Posada’s La Calavera Garbancera, Uniradio Informa reported. Designers have until Monday, Oct. 19, to enter; the museum had not announced times. Nov. 2 is also the last night of Noche de Ánimas and the last day to see Mercado Hidalgo’s altar.

Tips for the week

• Carry pesos in small bills for market stalls and food stands.
• Xolos fans have a seasonal option: the club’s black alternate jersey inspired by the road to Mictlán (our story).
• Crossing back on Sunday night? Check the live waits before you leave; our alert kit lists where to look.

More events for the week are on our calendar, and more ideas are in our guides.