Old Town's Día de los Muertos Now Runs a Week Past November 2

In 2025, Old Town's Día de los Muertos ran from October 24 through November 2, so it ended on the night of remembrance. The 2026 run is October 30 through November 8. That's still ten days, but the center of the event has moved. The procession nights now fall in the middle, and six more days of marigolds, ofrendas and plaza sculpture follow November 2. The run also ends on a second Saturday Family Day.

That later finish makes the event easier to fit around a neighborhood calendar. The three heaviest days are Saturday, Sunday and Monday, October 31 through November 2. The Old Town organizers list the daily features for every day of the run. So the second week has the same Marigold Mile and hidden ofrendas, plus a free movie night in the church courtyard on November 7.

The dates that carry the programming

The organizers haven't posted the full 2026 daily schedule yet. They say it will follow the structure of earlier years. The table separates what is confirmed for 2026 from what happened in 2025. Last year's times show the usual rhythm, but they aren't promises for this year. For the dates not in the table, the only confirmed program so far is the set of daily features.

The first Family Day falls on Halloween this year. The 2026 highlights say "Coco" will be projected inside the adobe walls of the church courtyard on both Saturdays. That gives families on and around the plaza two chances to see the screening, and only the first one shares a night with trick-or-treating.

Plaza de los Recuerdos is already full

For two nights, November 1 and 2, Old Town Plaza becomes Plaza de los Recuerdos. Community members set up their own altars across it. Each space is free and measures at least six by six feet. Spaces are marked with marigold garland and a number. In mid-October, the Plaza de los Recuerdos reservation page showed all 80 spaces reserved and 47 names on the waitlist.

Both numbers change as people cancel and sign up. When a space opens, the organizers email the waitlist, and the space goes to whoever finishes the form first. If you're still hoping for a space, these dates matter:

• Early setup: after 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 31
• Main setup: Sunday, November 1, from 8 a.m.
• Public display: November 1 and November 2, all day
• Evening of Remembrance: Monday, November 2, from 5 p.m.
• Take-down deadline: Wednesday, November 4, at noon

The guidelines encourage LED candles. Open flame is allowed only on the evening of November 2. They also suggest bringing copies of photos and keepsakes instead of originals, because participants accept the risk of loss or damage.

On Monday night, Dr. Mario Del Angel-Guevara will give a curandero blessing over the ofrendas. Then a candlelight walk will carry candles lit for loved ones to the plaza. The 2026 highlights set the candlelight procession for 30 minutes after sundown and say everyone is welcome. You don't need a reserved space to walk.

Sunday, November 1, has events in two neighborhoods

Two Día de los Muertos traditions share the Sunday before the Monday ofrenda night. The Muertos y Marigolds celebration and marigold procession in the South Valley is in its 34th year. Its parade starts at noon on November 1, and the celebration runs from noon to 4 p.m. at Westside Community Center, 1250 Isleta Blvd. SW.

In Old Town, the Catrina Procession is back for 2026. Participants dress in traditional Catrina skull attire and walk through the streets of Old Town. In 2025 it was held on November 1. Participants met at 5 p.m. in the San Felipe de Neri Church parking lot, stepped off at 5:30, and walked about half a mile. If 2026 follows that timing, you could see the South Valley parade at midday and the Old Town procession that evening.

The Matachines also return, and the 2026 highlights say this year's location gives a better view of the dance. Last year the dancers performed on North Plaza Street on both November 1 and 2. The new spot hasn't been announced, so don't assume they'll be on North Plaza Street again.

What stays up after November 2

From Tuesday, November 3, through Sunday, November 8, the event runs on its daily features. The organizers list five features that run every day of the event:

1. The Ofrenda Tour. More than 30 themed altars are set up in patios and portals throughout Old Town, and you find them by walking.
2. The Marigold Mile. More than 15,000 feet of marigold garland hangs from beams, vigas, lights and adobe walls.
3. The community ofrenda in the gazebo. Community members decorate it along with students from San Felipe de Neri Catholic School and Escuela del Sol Montessori.
4. The papier-mâché sculptures. The artists known as JOMO made La Catrina, the Tree of Life and El Xolo Dog over the past two years, and a new tall piece will be revealed during the 2026 event.
5. Street decorations. Papel picado, marigolds and fall colors are hung on the adobe buildings.

The Plaza de los Recuerdos altars come down by noon on November 4. The rest of Old Town keeps its decorations through the following weekend, and the second Family Day screening on Saturday, November 7, closes the run.

The sculptures also connect to a shop in Old Town. The organizers point people who want to see more of JOMO's work to Doublecat Oddities in the Plazuela Sombra patio. A newer stop sits on Old Town Plaza too. Albuquerque Business First reported that owner Rita Norris opened her New Mexican pastry bakery there on May 20 and bakes more than 100 pastries a day from family recipes.

The last Día season for Old Town Emporium

This will be Old Town Emporium's last Día de los Muertos. The gift shop at 204 San Felipe NW is closing. The Albuquerque Journal reported that the Henderson family bought the business in 2003 and that the shop is in a building first built as a home in the 1930s. It sells everything from lavender candles and chile socks to hot air balloon ornaments, with prices from under $5 to $600.

Reports on the closing date differ. The Journal said the owners had no firm date but planned to close after Balloon Fiesta, possibly around mid-November. KOB reported November 19 as the expected last day. Either way, the shop is expected to be open during all ten days of the event. Commenters on the owners' announcement remembered visiting during the Holiday Stroll, and the shop is expected to close before this year's Stroll on December 4.

Getting there on the evening nights

The City's Old Town surface lot charges $1 per 30 minutes. The lot is on Central between Romero and San Felipe. On a long evening like November 2, when the 2025 program ran from 5 to 11 p.m., parking costs add up by the half hour. All ABQ RIDE service is zero-fare, and Route 66 Central Avenue is one of its routes. If you live within walking distance of the plaza, walking avoids the parking question altogether, especially on the candlelight night.

Old Town has always mattered to me as a fourth-generation New Mexican, and seasons like this one are part of the reason. If you're thinking about what owning near the plaza looks like across a full year of events like this, I'm glad to talk it through over a pastry on the plaza. Let's Connect.