This time of year, marigolds start turning up everywhere. Orange petals in grocery store buckets, on gallery floors, in bakery windows. Día de los Muertos is close, and all over North Texas people are getting ready to remember the ones they have lost.
If you did not grow up with the holiday, you are welcome here. So is everyone else. A quick word on what it is, for anyone who wants it.
Día de los Muertos is a Mexican tradition observed on November 1 and 2. Families build ofrendas, altars filled with photographs, candles, marigolds and the favorite foods of the person they miss. The color and the scent and the music are meant to guide loved ones home for a visit. November 1 is Día de los Angelitos, set aside for children who have died. November 2 honors adults. It is a holiday with its own history and meaning, and it leaves room for tears and laughter at the same table.
Here is what is happening around DFW, in the order the calendar gives it to us.
It starts tomorrow in Dallas, when the Bath House Cultural Center opens its 40th annual Día de Muertos exhibition. This year’s show is called They’re Having a Party, with altar installations and art in many media from local, regional and national artists. It runs through November 7 at 521 E. Lawther Drive, with a reception for the artists on Sunday, October 11, from 5 to 7 p.m. It is also a good fit for a quiet afternoon when you want time to look closely.
On Saturday, October 17, Crown Hill Memorial Park and Mausoleum opens its 12th annual celebration at 9718 Webb Chapel Road. It runs on select days through November 2, so check the schedule before you go. Admission is free. The opening night features an art exhibition called Pathways of Past Lives, and the celebration includes live mariachi, Grupo Pakal, Teatro Dallas, the Herrera Dance Project, vendors, food, children’s activities and catrina designs by Alfa de las Catrinas.
The Latino Cultural Center at 2600 Live Oak St. shows altars built by community members, artists and organizations from October 20 through November 6. The Center’s website lists its festival for Friday, October 30, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On Friday, October 30, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra brings its annual Día de los Muertos concert to the Meyerson at 7:30 p.m. Enrico Lopez-Yañez conducts, with Mariachi Los Unicos, Mariachi Lone Star and Mariachi Pegaso, plus two ballet folklórico groups, pan de muerto and hot chocolate. The Symphony invites you to bring an offering for the community ofrenda.
The big public party is Saturday, October 31, when the 7th annual Dallas Día de los Muertos Parade and Festival takes over City Hall Plaza at 1500 Marilla St. The festival runs from 4 to 10 p.m. with live music, concessions and crafts, and the parade is listed for 7 p.m. The organizers say they want everyone there, no matter who you are or where you come from, and they will honor several respected Dallas leaders. If you plan to march, they ask for authentic attire, so do your homework before you buy a costume.
Sunday, November 1, brings a neighborhood celebration to Oak Cliff at CocoAndré Chocolatier and Horchateria, 423 Centre St. Co-owner Cindy Pedraza founded it, with art, music, dance, food, face painting and altar displays. Over in Fort Worth the same day, the Botanic Garden holds its Día de los Muertos Procession with half-price admission all day and processions starting at 3:30 p.m. The Garden is at 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.
Fort Worth also has a longtime tradition on the Historic North Side, where Artes de la Rosa presents a free parade and festival every year. The 2026 date has not been posted yet, so keep an eye on diadelosmuertosfortworth.org.
Then there is the food, which is half the reason to go. Pan de muerto is a round, sweet loaf with strips of dough across the top that stand for bones, and the circle stands for the cycle of life. The traditional version is covered in sugar, though you will find ones with sesame or almonds, and some bakers fill theirs with cajeta or cream. From mid-October into early November, bakeries across the region bake it. Look for Del Norte Bakery at 5507 Lindsley Ave., San Martín Bakery & Restaurant at 3120 McKinney Ave. and Guanajuato Bakery at 3301 E. Belknap St. in Fort Worth, among others. That list is from 2023, so call before you go. Your own neighborhood panadería may already have a rack of them by the register.
A few things worth keeping in mind. The altars are personal, and many were built by families for someone they love, so take your time and ask before you photograph people. Face paint and traditional dress are welcome at the public events. And if you have lost someone yourself, you do not need to be Mexican or Catholic or anything else to sit with an ofrenda for a while.
If you have someone to remember, bring a small offering to the Symphony’s ofrenda and leave it with the others.
