Día de los Muertos Celebrations in San Diego 2024

As a neighborhood with large Mexican traditions, I love Old Town San Diego; it is one of the best places to learn about San Diego’s culture and heritage, especially during the holiday! As the largest festival in San Diego county, the multi-day Día de los Muertos celebrations in Old Town are by far my favorite, and I’ve made a point to attend with my family for many years.

In 2024, the Old Town festivities will begin on Saturday November 2nd and continue through Sunday November 3rd.

In past years, many businesses got into the spirit even earlier, decorating storefronts with skeletons and the traditional marigold flowers. Just walking down San Diego Avenue, where many of the festivities were, it was easy and free to check out the altars (known as ofrendas) seemingly everywhere!

Old Town’s Día de los Muertos celebrations spanned nearly the entire neighborhood, with the main event taking place at the State Historic Park’s Fiesta de Reyes. When you attend, you will be treated to live music and traditional Mexican dances.

I also always love how many booths there are for getting your face painted! This is a tradition my family loves, as we typically have dinner at one of Old Town’s many Mexican restaurants, then head over to get our faces painted before walking the festivity grounds. There are many face painting booths and it’s fun to spot the ofrendas as we explore the neighborhood before heading over for the annual candlelit procession.

The procession, which happens in the evening on November 2nd, begins at the Immaculate Conception Church to El Campo Santo Cemetery. For 2024, my family’s looking forward to visiting Old Town’s community altar and joining the parade to the cemetery to take part in this truly authentic holiday celebration.

What We Love Most About This Celebration

Since Old Town San Diego is so heavily influenced by Mexican culture, it’s no surprise that this is one of the biggest celebrations in San Diego.

From the face painting, ofrendas and overall decorations to the overall energy of Old Town San Diego, if I could only visit one celebration, this is one for me and my family!

A Bonus Tip

If you’re not a local, plan to stay at a hotel after the festivities. We suggest staying close at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, which is just a block from Fiesta de Reyes, so you can walk over and won’t have to worry about parking.

If a festival full of live music and dance sounds like your style, I recommend stopping by the Copley Plaza in Balboa Park for a Día de los Muertos celebration that will have everyone in high spirits - even the spirits themselves! In 2024, the celebration will be held on Sunday, October 27th from 11:00 am-1:30 pm.

The Old Globe Theatre is the ideal place to watch a live performance throughout the year and one of our favorite places in San Diego to take out-of-town visitors. While many plays bring the classics to life, others are written and performed from a multicultural perspective, offering insight into the lives and cultures of people from different backgrounds.

The Día de los Muertos celebration is no different, inviting attendees to either celebrate their own Mexican heritage or learn about the holiday and how their neighbors commemorate it.

If you were lucky enough to attend in 2023, you were treated to stunning performances by artists and groups including Danza Azteca Kuauhkoalt (DAK), an Aztec dance troupe; a staging of the play “Al Sonar las Doce”; a serenade from local musicians, and the Felix Drums Workshop drumline. 2024 promises to have an exciting lineup of musicians, dance troupes, and other live entertainment as well.

What We Love Most About This Celebration

Seeing the performing arts at this historic theater is always exciting!

Plus there are other spots within walking distance in Balboa Park that also regularly host holiday celebrations like Centro Cultural de la Raza, so you can easily visit those after the show.

A Bonus Tip

As part of The Old Globe’s art engagement program AXIS, attending this performance is free!

This makes it a popular event, so we suggest heading over at least half an hour before showtime to stake out a good spot at the front of the crowd.

Our Complete Guide to All the Holidays in San Diego wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Downtown Chula Vista’s unforgettable Day of the Dead celebrations.

Heavily decorated with marigolds, skulls, and dozens of photo op spots, the area is transformed into a center for cultural education, remembrance, and family fun!

What I always love most about this festival is that it’s completely free to attend, so families on a budget can enjoy the events stress-free. Live music and dance troupe performances are all free to watch, as is taking in the lively atmosphere and admiring the Davidson community altar.

I attended this celebration for the first time in 2023 with my family. While it’s not as large as what you’ll find in Old Town San Diego or even Barrio Logan, it has an amazing atmosphere with tons of people in costume and plenty of themed vendors. This made this my second-favorite celebration, only behind the event in Old Town San Diego.

The Chula Vista celebration always invites families of all backgrounds to learn about the history and importance of the Día de los Muertos. Last year’s celebrations included an altar decoration competition complete with prizes, a free screening of the family-friendly movie Book of Life by Guillermo del Toro, and many guided children’s crafts which are sure to make a return in the years to come!

What We Love Most About This Celebration

The Chula Vista event has a heavy focus on cultural connections that make it a great place to start even if you’ve never celebrated Día de los Muertos before.

Its folklore dance performances were especially fun, and you can’t beat that it’s FREE!

A Bonus Tip

Food options and getting the traditional face painting of la Catrina are two parts of the festivities that do come at a cost.

Chula Vista had numerous onsite food vendors in 2023 sponsored by Las Jefas Market, but it was also possible to pass on these and spend next to nothing while attending.

Espíritu de Xochimilco is an annual Día de los Muertos celebration held in the cultural district of Barrio Logan each year, where Logan Ave meets St. Evans Street. In 2024, it’s scheduled for October 27th from 12:00pm until 7:00 pm.

The event gets its name from Xochimilco in modern-day Mexico City, which is right where the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan once stood. The Día de los Muertos celebration is intended to call back to the “spirit of Xochimilco,” creating a connection between today and the traditions and heritage of the past.

This blend of history and the present makes it a favorite activity on our Complete Guide to All the Holidays in San Diego list.

Spread over two blocks in 2023, the Espíritu de Xochimilco celebration is a bit bigger than festivities in other parts of San Diego, like those held at Chula Vista. This is in part thanks to many of the vendors selling food and merchandise. While not all stands are directly related to the holiday, the street fair feel of this celebration ensures it’s still well worth a visit.

Once you’ve had your fill of shopping, it’s a great idea to head over to the mainstage, which hosts local musicians, DJs, and other performers.

I personally love Barrio Logan for grabbing some of the best tacos in San Diego 12 months of the year. The Día de los Muertos celebration in late October is just another reason to get your family and friends together to enjoy the area and its festivities!

What We Love Most About This Celebration

This is a really unique celebration thanks to its spirit of Xochimilco theme that stood out among the others I visited in 2023.

My family loved the food being sold by vendors and listened to a great performance by a local band up on the main stage.

A Bonus Tip

The Barrio Mágico event is an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the arts and culture scene with curated art displays, which highlight common Mexican and Día de los Muertos themes. I feel like this ‘emphasis on art’ was a real education that made this event special to me and my family.

Old Town San Diego may lay claim to the biggest Día de los Muertos celebration in San Diego, but it’s hardly the only one in the area! I’ve also enjoyed attending the festivities held in Encinitas.

The Encinitas Día de los Muertos Celebration began as a community outreach program in partnership with the Encinitas Library, so it has an educational focus that makes it ideal for families with younger kids.

Encinitas sets aside space at the library for the creation of altars a week prior to the event. These altars are the soul of the holiday, so stopping by to see them - or making one of your own - is highly encouraged.

Activities like the altar making workshop and sugar skull decorating station are excellent ways to learn about the holiday in a hands-on way. Other workshops that have made an appearance in past years include themed printmaking and a poetry station. Live performances from Mariachi Chula Vista and Ballet Folklórico de San Dieguito have brought these lessons to life in a series of festive songs and dances.

What We Love Most About This Celebration

This celebration is very kid-friendly with a heavy focus on education. Even little kids will enjoy the crafts and performances.

A Bonus Tip

The library has its own parking lot but it can fill up on the holiday, so consider using public transit to save yourself the hassle of needing to find street parking.

You can be part of a traditional gathering that’s as much about having fun as it is about honoring tradition when you attend the Día de los Muertos event in Escondido.

Like many Día de los Muertos celebrations, this party is filled with live music and dance performances. In previous years, Aztec Dance and Ballet Folklorico put on stunning performances that entertained while also paying homage to the musicians’ roots. Space is set aside for community altars so visitors can embrace the true meaning of the holiday and remember their loved ones.

Other popular activities like face painting, family-friendly crafts, and a Catrina contest are offered, plus plenty of food trucks and vendor stalls. Unique touches such as a car show and a Frida Kahlo museum exhibition make this event truly unique!

What We Love Best About This Celebration

The live performances here are incredible and embody the spirit of the holiday - just watching a show or two is well worth the visit.

A Bonus Tip

All of the performances during this event are free to watch, but don’t skip the live musicians in the Lyric Courtyard either, which is also where the Catrina costume contest is held.

If you’re looking for a truly unique experience for your Día de los Muertos celebrations for 2024, consider attending a performance by one of Musica Mexicana’s rising stars, Lupita Infante!

Held at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, Infante is set to perform on November 2nd, 2024 from 4:00-6:00 pm. She’s a two-time GRAMMY nominee who is quickly becoming one of the most recognizable female Mexican artists.

What We Love Best About This Celebration

While not strictly Day of the Dead themed, getting to watch an upcoming leader in Musica Mexicana is a unique way to celebrate the holiday and one we highly recommend.

A Bonus Tip

See our page on the California Center for the Arts, Escondido for more information about the theater, including parking and amenities.