San Antonio Is Turning Día de los Muertos Into a Month-Long Celebration

In San Antonio, Día de los Muertos is stretching well beyond a single weekend this year.

From October 2 through November 2, the River Walk, La Villita, and other downtown destinations will host a month of altars, alebrijes, food, live performances, river cruises, and community events centered around remembrance.

The expanded celebration brings together Visit San Antonio, GO RIO, and Day of the Dead San Antonio at La Villita for the third year, with programming designed to give residents and visitors several ways to experience the tradition throughout October.

That means you don’t have to wait until Día de los Muertos to start celebrating this special holiday.

Beginning October 2, the River Walk’s Tradition Trail will feature altars and art installations created by participating hotels, restaurants, and businesses.

Calaveras and colorful alebrijes will also appear throughout the area, turning a walk downtown into something closer to an open-air Día de los Muertos exhibit. The installations will remain up through November 2, giving people the chance to explore them on their own time. 

GO RIO is also bringing back Rio de la Vida, a one-hour river cruise focused on alebrijes, their history, and their cultural significance. The special tours will run Tuesdays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. from October 4 through November 1.

Food is also a big part of the programming! A new experience called Culinary Spirits will run throughout the month, with participating River Walk restaurants creating dishes and cocktails inspired by seasonal memories, flavors, and traditions.

The biggest celebrations arrive October 23, starting with the Day of the Dead River Parade, in its eighth year. Illuminated barges, performers, music, and Día de los Muertos imagery will travel along the San Antonio River as part of what has become one of the city’s signature fall events.

That same weekend, La Villita will host Chef Johnny Hernandez’s free Day of the Dead Festival from October 23 through 25, with live music, food, face painting, cultural demonstrations, family activities, and artists from San Antonio and Mexico.

Visitors won’t have to wait until the festival weekend to see some of its biggest installations, though. Nearly 40-foot-tall Catrín and Catrina figures are scheduled to arrive at La Villita on October 9, while additional programming will continue through November 2.

There’s also a more personal way to participate. The Calaverita Run 5K and Family Walk take place October 24 at Pearl, with participants invited to walk or run in memory of someone who continues to inspire them. 

Día de los Muertos has long been part of San Antonio’s cultural landscape, rooted in remembering loved ones while maintaining connections across generations.

This year’s calendar makes that tradition especially visible. For a full month, remembrance will show up along the river, inside restaurants, across public spaces, and throughout some of downtown San Antonio’s most familiar landmarks.