Day of the Dead 2026 in pictures

a woman dressed up in a glow in the dark skeleton costume holding a candle — Image caption,
People celebrate it all over the world, but it's biggest in Mexico

2 November 2026

At the start of November, a celebration called the Día de los Muertos, takes place in Mexico, and also in many other countries around the world.

It's Spanish for the Day of the Dead, and it's a time for families to celebrate and remember their ancestors and loved ones who have passed away.

It takes place over two days - the 1 and 2 November - and over that period there are lots of parades and parties as well as visits to cemeteries to tend graves.

It's a very colourful festival, with people dressing up and painting their faces, as well as wearing lots of bright flowers.

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Image source, EPA
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It's very common for people to dress up as La Catrina, the iconic skeleton feature associated with Dia de los Muertos, like this girl in Atlanta, USA
Image source, Getty Images
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As the Day of the Dead is a time to honour lost friends and family, people will go and decorate their loved ones' graves as part of the celebrations, and as a way to try and convince their spirits to come join them for the party
Image source, EPA
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The decorations will often include these orange flowers you can see here called marigolds - that's because they were thought to help guide the souls of the dead back to the living as far back as the Aztec times
Image source, Getty Images
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Xoloitzcuintles - a Mexican hairless dog - are popular symbols for the Day of the Dead, so you might see people's pet Xolos dressed up for the occasion too!
Image source, Reuters
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People really go all out with their costumes - look at these light-up Catrinas in Madrid, Spain!
Image source, Reuters
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But the biggest event is usually the parade that takes place in Mexico City
Image source, Getty Images
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Reportedly, 1.6 million people attended the parade this year, to watch dancers, musicians and big floats
Image source, Reuters
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The parade always takes place on a weekend near the Day of the Dead, so this year, it was on Halloween (Saturday 31 October)

The costumes and skull makeup aren't meant to be scary though - they're meant to represent people's friends and families who have passed away.

The skulls, along with the time of year, is why the festival is often mistaken as being like Halloween, when in fact they're two very distinct events.

Check out these amazing photos from celebrations all over the world!