Puerto Vallarta’s Day of the Dead program for 2026 is out, and it starts on Wednesday, October 28, when 50 monumental catrinas go up along the Malecón. They stay on the waterfront through November 3. The main celebration runs from Saturday, October 31 to Monday, November 2, with more than 28 free events, according to the tourism board’s official Festival de las Almas page.
Puerto Vallarta is the only beach town among the 11 Jalisco cities hosting this statewide festival, so expect ofrendas (altars) facing the bay, marigolds everywhere and a lot of people taking photos next to very tall skeletons. Local businesses, organizations and artists made the catrinas, and each one tells its own story.
The dates worth circling
Friday, October 30: a public art gallery opens in Hidalgo Park at 6 pm, the Plaza de Armas altars open at 6:30 pm with pan de muerto tastings, and there’s a catrina fashion show at Los Arcos at 7 pm. Students from CUCOSTA project a video mapping show on the Malecón across from the main square from 7:30 to 10:30 pm.
Sunday, November 1: at 7 pm, the Monumental Catrina, La Guardiana del Océano, is unveiled at the Malecón lighthouse (El Faro). Puerto Vallarta’s giant catrina set the Guinness World Record for the tallest in 2022 and again in 2023.
Monday, November 2: the big parade leaves the 5 de Diciembre Municipal Cemetery at 6 pm and is scheduled to reach the Los Muertos Beach Pier around 8 pm. Organizers say last year’s parade drew more than 35,000 people, so pick your spot early.
The cemetery also hosts legends, theatrical tours and classic Mexican horror films from October 30 to November 2, all in Spanish only. On November 3, a pet memorial walk leaves from 31 de Octubre Street at 6 pm, followed by a pet altar on Cuale Island. Folk dance shows at Los Arcos and Lázaro Cárdenas Park carry on until November 8.
Before you go
Everything is free. The city’s Culture Department says the program may change, so check the official page before you head out. For background on the tradition, see our Day of the Dead guide, our Malecón guide and the new cemetery murals and Hidalgo Park gallery.
