ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DAY OF THE DEAD IN OAXACA

Experiencing Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico, is something that I will never be able to stop talking about.

Rarely will a travel experience completely live up to your every expectation, but this multi-day festival was everything I imagined and more. The decorations, costumes, parades, and parties made for the best travel experience I have EVER had. I spent a week in Oaxaca and this was easily the highlight of my two months travelling through Mexico, and probably my highlight of 2023!

So, what is Day of the Dead?

Day of the Dead, or Dia de Muertos, is a Mexican festival on the 1^st and 2^nd December (although the event starts many days earlier in most cities) to remember friends and family that have passed away. However, far from being a sad occasion, this is a country-wide celebration. During these dates, it is believed that the souls of the dead can pass the gates between the underworld and the land of the living, allowing families to be briefly reunited with deceased loved ones.

To guide the souls of family members to the world of the living, altars, or ofrendas, dedicated to the dead are set up. These are offerings, containing flowers, photographs, candles and food. They will also normally feature an archway, to represent the bridge that the dead must pass over to enter our world, and many will have incense burning, to clean the souls as they pass through. They will be found in personal homes, but you can also see them in public spaces such as parks, restaurants, and hostels.

On the 31^st October, families gather in cemeteries, decorating graves with bright orange marigolds, hundreds of candles, photos of the deceased, and their favourite foods and drinks to guide the dead to their grave. It is at midnight on the 31^st that the gates to the world of the living are supposedly opened and the celebrations truly begin.

The 1^st November is the day dedicated to remembering children that have passed away, but it is also normally the main event for parades and parties. The 2^nd November is dedicated to adults that have died, and also marks the end of the celebration.

If you have ever watched Disney’s Coco, the film is based on this event. My walking tour guide told me that the film had great Mexican advisors and that the film truly represents the sentiment of Day of the Dead.

What to expect in Oaxaca

Oaxaca City is meant to be one of the best and most traditional places in Mexico to experience Dia de Muertos. I can’t explain it in any way other than an explosion of decorations, colour and culture. It can be hard to know where to look when you are walking through the city, I saw sand art covering entire streets, skeletons hanging from windows, incredible street art, themed food in café’s and restaurants, and both tourists and locals wearing flower crowns, face paint and costumes.

I arrived in Oaxaca on the 29th of October and my first walk through the city genuinely made me emotional because it looked so magical. The streets were already completely covered in decorations, so I would recommend arriving on the 29^th or even a few days earlier to make the most of your time.

31st October

From the 31^st October to the 2^nd November, the whole city feels like one big party, but most of the main events take place in the evenings.

The 31^st October is the evening to visit the cemeteries, and the best one close to the city is Xoxocotlan. There are so many flowers and candles that the whole area seems to glow orange as you walk through. Families arrive throughout the evening to make sure the graves of their loved ones are perfectly decorated before midnight. When midnight hits and the gates to the world of the living are opened, mariachi bands start playing, families are celebrating, and people hand out shots of tequila and mezcal to strangers. Walking through the cemeteries at this time was truly the most beautiful and moving experience I have ever witnessed.  

I have a blog post here explaining everything you need to know about visiting Xoxocotlan cemetery without booking onto a tour.

1st November

In the city centre, the 1^st November is the main event. I originally thought this would be the most sombre day of the festival as it is the day to remember children who have passed, however, this was the day of the main parade. Imagine thousands of people out on the streets, incredible parades moving through the city, multiple stages with all types of performances, and explosions of fireworks. In 2023 the parade finished by the cathedral, which is also where the main stage is located. Once the parade had ended, this area turned into one giant street party!

The 2^nd of November was much quieter in Oaxaca as the festival started coming to a close. 

I have never experienced an entire city decorated for an event like this before and it was such a magical time to visit Oaxaca. I planned my entire Central America trip around being in Oaxaca for Day of the Dead and I am so pleased that I did.

What to do in Oaxaca for Day of the Dead

Of course, my two main recommendations during these dates would be to visit the cemeteries on the 31^st and watch the parade on the 1^st. However, there is so much more to do including:

• Visit the flower fields that produce all of the orange marigolds you will see during every moment of your time in Oaxaca. These beautiful flowers will all be harvested by the 30^th of October, so this is a great activity to do if you arrive a few days early. The most popular is Cultivos el Viejo.

• Try some themed snacks, the most common and easily found is Pan de Muerto, which translates to Bread of the Dead. This sweet bread is recognisable as there will often be a small face or skull on the top, which is a part of the dough that has been painted. However, if you are gifted a sugar skull, don’t try to eat it like I did! These are mostly decorative, you may see them placed around altars, and they may contain non-edible ingredients!

• Take a themed walking tour of the city to learn more about Dia de Muertos. Doing this taught me so much I didn’t know about the celebrations, for example, I learnt that the 29th of October is the day dedicated to deceased pets and that it isn’t uncommon to see water bowls and pet treats out on this day!

• Admire the sand tapestries throughout the city. The two best places close to the centre in 2023 were Calzado Macedonio Alcala and Palacio de Gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca. If you fancy a day trip, you can visit the small town of Zaachila for the largest and most impressive sand carpets.

• Get your face painted and buy a flower crown.

• Go on a hunt for themed street art. You will see Day of the Dead decorations all over the city, but the two best neighbourhoods for street art are Jalatlaco and Xochimilco where almost every building has a painting. I even saw some people painting flowers and skulls onto their houses as I walked around. These areas also have lots of cute coffee and lunch spots.

• Experience all the normal attractions that Oaxaca has to offer, of course not everything you do has to be Day of the Dead themed! I have a guide on what to do in Oaxaca if you are not visiting during the festival here.

My Day of the Dead top tips

• Book your accommodation early, and I mean REALLY early! I booked my hostel in June and it was already the only one left on Hostelworld with dorm availability. If you leave it too late, you may find that extremely expensive hotels, or hostels an hour outside of the city, are your only options.

• Remember that it isn’t just accommodation that books up. If you are travelling by bus into Oaxaca from elsewhere in Mexico, these can also book up. I would recommend booking your bus at least a week in advance. The safest and most reliable bus company is ADO.

• Arrive into Oaxaca a few days early, and remember that although Day of the Dead is technically the 1^st and 2^nd November, there is no parade and not much going on during the 2^nd. I met people who arrived on the 2^nd and were so disappointed to find out that they had missed everything. The 2^nd is a day to really remember and honour the dead, not to party. I also think the celebrations are quieter because the 2^nd is a national holiday, however the 3^rd is not, people have to go to work as normal and so they don’t stay up partying on the 2^nd.

• If you want to get your face painted on the 1^st before the main parade, give yourself plenty of time. It will depend on who you go to, but if you get your face painted in the popular areas this isn’t a kid’s party five-minute job! They will take their time, so get a few drinks to have in the queue and know that you could be waiting for about an hour and a half. Don’t be like me and leave it late and then miss the first part of the parade!

• Thousands of tourists visit Oaxaca for Day of the Dead, and most will be leaving the city around the same date. This means that the rest of Mexico sees a spike in tourism and so buses leaving Oaxaca and accommodation elsewhere will also be sought after in the week following the event. Because of this, I recommend also pre-booking your next stop if you are continuing to travel in Mexico. I met people that hadn’t accounted for this and struggled to get accommodation in Puerto Escondido, a popular destination to visit after Oaxaca.   

Experiencing Day of the Dead in Oaxaca had the number one spot on my bucket list for many years and I am so grateful that I was able to finally visit. It is something that I believe everyone should experience and it is a week I will never forget. The traditions are magical, the decorations are beautiful, and the locals want everyone around them to be part of the celebrations.

If you can choose any time of year to visit Mexico, make it be the 31^st October – 2^nd November!