Día de los Muertos
Desfile & Festival

SAVE THE DATE!

Join us in Downtown El Paso the Saturday of

OCTOBER 24th, 2026

Día de los Muertos Desfile & Festival: a celebration of life and those who have departed. DÍa de los Muertos is a holiday that has roots in Pre-Columbian Meso-American traditions and the observance of All Soul’s Day brought to Mexico by the Spanish in the early 1500's. It is celebrated on both November 1 and 2, with preparations happening on the days before as well. The holiday is centered on family remembrances where homes and cemeteries are decorated with altars and ofrendas (offerings) to the spirits of their loved ones who have passed away.

Video shot and produced by Acavius Largo.

A signature event of the Mexican American Cultural Center in the heart of the Downtown Arts District

Over 50,000 visitors participate in the day-long festival and parade.
The parade is over a mile long and features over 60 entries of floats, ballet folklorico performers, musicians, and community organizations.
Free public Día de los Muertos themed arts and cultural activities are held at MCAD’s Downtown Arts District leading up to and on the day of the festival, including the El Paso Museum of Archeology, El Paso Museum of History, El Paso Museum of Art, and the Mexican American Cultural Center.
The Market: El Paso Artisan and Farmers Market featuring local artisans and vendors.
Food Truck Placita featuring local eateries and antojitos.

Día De Los Muertos Parade

Begins at 4 pm

The parade begins at the corner of Campbell St and Mills Ave, and continues west through Mills Ave, turns north on Mesa St, and goes west on Franklin Ave until ending by going south on Santa Fe St.

View Map

IN SEARCH OF PARADE PARTICIPANTS!

We welcome performance arts groups, community organizations, and families to showcase their talents as offerings for our difuntos (passed loved ones) by participating in the annual Día de los Muertos Desfile on Saturday, October 24th. Participants are encouraged to create festive floats, themed group performances, or even walking ofrendas as a part of the procession through downtown El Paso. If interested in applying to participate in this year’s Día de los Muertos desfile, please take a look at our guidelines below to see if we make a good fit.

Applications will be available on this page until June 15!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to a growing festival and parade, the 2026 application process has been updated and will differ from previous years. The applications season begin in the spring (from April 15 to June 15), and selections will be reviewed by the parade committee in the month of June. Absolutely no late applications will be received. Accepted candidates will be notified by phone and email in the first week of July. Once the invitation has been extended to the applicant, an RSVP must be confirmed to ensure a spot in the parade. We thank you as we modify this process to ensure top tier safety during the parade for both participants and spectators. ¡Gracias!

Please review this year's rules and regulations:

2026 Parade Rules and Regulations

Parade Participant Application Process & Timeline:

April 15–June 15: Parade applications open
July 1: Selected participant point of contact notified through email and phone call
July 8: Deadline for selected candidates to confirm participation
July 17: Deadline for selected parade participating businesses to pay sponsor fee
August 14: Deadline to submit completed participant liability forms
August 29**: Initial in-person parade orientation
September 19**: Second in-person parade orientation
September 23**: Virtual parade orientation
September 30: Deadline for parade group leads who missed parade orientation to pay absence sanction fee and sign waiver"
October 24th: Event day, Día de los Muertos Desfile y Festival

APPLY HERE!

Parade Participants

General Guidelines

Appropriate attire and icons: Parade participants are expected to align with the theme of Día de los Muertos and to respectfully highlight the symbols and elements associated with this cultural celebration. Some culturally relevant symbols include calaveras, marigolds, monarch butterflies, pan de muerto, altars, and so on.
Any individuals participating, whether marching individually or accompanying a float, should be costumed appropriately and/or have their faces painted in a calavera style/be wearing a calavera mask.
Absolutely NO Halloween themed floats and entries are allowed.
Participants who violate the guidelines for appropriate attire/icons and instructions will be asked to leave parade lineup.
Floats, mojigangas, alebrijes, well-behaved animals, and individuals are invited to participate.
Each group is highly encouraged on providing a sustainable source of music during their procession in order to ensure engagement and liveliness. (Be aware that a large audience will make cell service signals spotty, so it is best to play music from a source that is already downloaded.)
Every PARTICIPANT entering animals in the parade must provide sanitation services for their animals.
Absolutely NO handing out candy, items, or giveaways as a parade participant, either from a float, horse, car, or walking.
Small businesses interested in participating will be asked to enter the parade as sponsors for a fee. This fee is required to be paid by July 17th, 2026 to secure a spot in the parade. Logos and official business name will be asked for at this time so to be featured on parade programming. Reach out to [email protected] for more info!
All parade participating groups and organizations must have a banner or sign identifying them at their time of procession for easy visibility.
All parade participants are expected to behave in an appropriate manner, follow MCAD staff instructions, and be good neighbors to fellow parade participants.
MCAD has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind. Participants failing to follow parade guidelines will be dismissed from the parade and barred from future participation in MCAD events.

Walking Groups & Floats

Walking groups are limited to a max of 50 walkers per entry.
All walking groups must carry a banner or sign introducing the group to the audience.
Walking groups must feature live or recorded music in the procession. WiFi or cell phone service-based playlists are mostly blotchy due to large population attendance. Please be prepared with a physically plugged in playlist or alternative.
Float entries must not exceed the following dimensions:
Length: 35 ft.
Width: 20 ft.
Height: 14 ft.
Low-rider cars and motorcycles welcome. Car clubs will have a limit of 5 entries, with a max of 6 vehicles per club. All car clubs must adhere to the Día de los Muertos theme and have automobile and motorcycle entries decorated appropriately. (Sport cars without relevance to theme will not be accepted.)
Floats under 14 Feet: Please expect arrival to be at 12 pm on the day of the parade.
The Parade will start at 4:00 p.m. with no delays.

Parade FAQs

Are animals allowed in the parade?
Yes, animals are allowed to be in the parade. All animals must be well-behaved and not a danger to the public.
Parade participants must clean up any accidents made by participating animals.
Failure to clean up after animals will result in cleaning fees assessed to the participant.
Is there a minimum age for participating?
There is no minimum age for participants, but minors must be accompanied by parents or guardians at all times.
Can I pass out candy, flyers, giveaways, etc.?
No candy or flyers are allowed to limit trash on the parade route, and no items are to be handed or thrown out to ensure participant and audience safety.
Are there vehicle restrictions?
Absolutely no revving of engines is allowed to help ensure safety. There are no vehicle restrictions, but all vehicles must be in working order and decorated for the event unless they are specialty vehicles like low riders. This also helps make your procession appearance more lively!
Can scooters, roller skates, and skateboards participate?
Riding on scooters, skateboards, and roller skates is permitted as long as participants are dressed according to the Día de los Muertos theme and wearing the appropriate safety gear.
How long will the parade last?
Depending on the number of participants, the parade can last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.
How long is the parade route?
The parade route is approximately 1.4 miles long, with slight inclines. Please pace accordingly.
What do we do if there’s an emergency during the parade among participants (i.e. injury)?
In case of an emergency, find festival staff (wearing STAFF t-shirts) and police officers, if necessary.

The Market at Día de los Muertos

Parade presented by

Festival Sponsors

Get Involved

We have multiple opportunities for you to get involved, whether its sponsoring a performance or learning activity. Please reach out to the festival team at [email protected] if interested in supporting as a donor or sponsor.

Volunteer

Experience Día de los Muertos as a part of the team! We are in search of volunteers that can participate during set up on the days leading up to the event, one or multiple shifts, as well as break-down. If interested, please fill out the MACC Volunteer form.

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