San Diego Turns to Día de los Muertos
Old Town's free Día de los Muertos festival runs 31 October to 2 November, capping a fortnight of Halloween events across San Diego.
Anyone in San Diego over the next two weeks can swap costume-shop Halloween for Día de los Muertos in Old Town, and the main festival is free.
Old Town, 31 Oct–2 Nov
The San Diego Tourism Authority says more than 40 altars, art and activities fill Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, with a street market. According to the event listing from the Old Town San Diego Chamber of Commerce:
- Mercado: Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November.
- Catrina Contest: Sunday 1 November.
- Candlelit procession: Monday 2 November, kicking off at 17:00 San Diego time, from Immaculate Conception Church down San Diego Avenue to El Campo Santo Cemetery.
The San Diego Museum of Art holds a free community day with a shared ofrenda and free admission on Sunday 1 November. At Birch Aquarium, artist Maricruz Alvarado creates two animal-focused ofrendas on Tuesday 27 October, one for lost pets and one for threatened species such as the vaquita and axolotl.
Halloween, if the kids insist
| Event | Dates (2026) |
|---|---|
| HalGLOWeen, San Diego Zoo | Fri–Sun evenings to 31 Oct |
| Halloween Aglow, Birch Aquarium (family) | 23–24 Oct |
| Trick-or-Treat on India Street, Little Italy | 25 Oct |
| Witches tea, The Westgate Hotel | 24, 25, 31 Oct; 1 Nov |
| Brick-or-Treat, LEGOLAND California Resort | to 1 Nov |
Sources
- Press release from the San Diego Tourism Authority, Live the ‘Suite Life’ in San Diego: The Region’s Top Luxury Accommodations, 20 Oct 2026
- Press release from the San Diego Tourism Authority, Celebrate Fall in San Diego with Halloween, Fall and Día de los Muertos Happenings, 16 Oct 2026
- San Diego Tourism Authority, Old Town San Diego Día de Los Muertos event listing, accessed 19 Oct 2026
Casie Stewart is Senior Editor at Not An Atlas, usually found in a Toronto coffee shop in a cute outfit, laptop open, coffee in hand and phone (always) within arm's reach. Some of her warmest memories are of fishing and camping in New Zealand's Bay of Islands with her family as a kid. She's a New Zealand citizen, and it will always feel like home. She takes the window seat (she wants to see the world, not the beverage cart), swears by her Trtl travel pillow (comfort over cool, always) and orders whatever the locals are having. Waking up to the sounds of the rainforest in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle is her “this is why I travel” moment, and Arizona's deserts and sunsets are where she'd go back tomorrow. She covers the places, people, food and festivals that make a destination memorable. Friends say funny, effervescent and organized. Her mum adds cuddly. Next stop: Bali.
