Dia de los Muertos in Old Town - Draft Schedule of Events & How to Participate

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

in Old Town

Oct 25th - Nov 3rd

Before we get into the details of this event, a couple important reminders:

This event is being organized by us! Volunteers made of up merchants, residents, and property owners in Old Town.
We are NOT associated with the City in any way. This is unlike all other city events that are in Old Town.
The primary goals of events hosted by us in Old Town are as follows:
- Bring locals to Old Town
- Bring foot traffic to ALL of Old Town, not just the plaza
- Be culturally significant and respectful. Lean into the history of Old Town and New Mexico.

The events committee has been hard at work planning the details for this event. The following is a draft schedule of some of the main events. We need you to start thinking about how you can participate!

The Feel: Imagine strolling through Old Town in the week leading up to Día de los Muertos (October 25th, 2024 - November 4th, 2024). Joyful live music drifts from patios as you pass shops and plazas adorned with orange and yellow marigolds. Nicknamed the "Marigold Mile," over 30,000 marigolds stretch across Old Town, while hidden patios reveal ofrendas honoring loved ones with calaveras and photos.

As night falls, a candlelight procession from San Felipe de Neri Church bathes the streets in a warm glow while Globitos—model hot air balloons—lend their own light, flickering puffs of vibrant color. Along the way, you’re greeted by a larger than life Catrina sculpture and a glowing Tree of Life, standing side by side as tributes to the connection between the living and the departed.

As you take it all in, the rhythmic dance of the Matachines echoes through the night, their movements telling a story as old as New Mexico itself. Each step is in harmony with the ancient drumbeat, filling the air with a sense of reverence and celebration. This journey through Old Town offers more than just sights—it’s an immersive experience that brings the rich traditions of Día de los Muertos to life.

Draft Schedule of Events

Saturday 10/26 Family Day

10am 79’s Truck Club @ North Plaza

3pm Papel Picado workshops

6pm Coco movie night @ San Felipe de Neri Courtyard

Sunday 10/27 Day of the Tread walk/bike through Old Town 8:15 AM - 10:00 AM

3pm Lowrider Bicycles @ Plaza

3pm Globitos (10-20ft tall Model Hot Air Balloons)

Monday 10/28

Enjoy Old Town decor

Tuesday 10/29

Enjoy Old Town Decor

Wednesday 10/30

Enjoy Old Town decor

Thursday 10/31

Enjoy Old Town decor

Halloween - candy in Old Town (no changes from previous years)

Friday 11/1 (Day of the Innocents | All Saint’s Day)

4pm Papel Picado workshop @ San Felipe Portico

5pm PM Plaza don Luis event: Mariachi, hot chocolate and pan de Muerto by Flying Roadrunner bakery, community ofrenda and celebratory dress encouraged, and prizes gifted by Plaza Don Luis merchants

5pm Globitos Candlelight Glow @ San Felipe de Neri

6pm Book of Life movie night @ San Felipe de Neri Courtyard

Saturday 11/2 (Dia de los Muertos)

9am Old Town/Lowrider Car Show @ North Plaza

10am Mass

11am Matachines

5:30pm Poco a Poco Day of the Dead event & Catrina parade around Old Town

9pm Candlelight Procession around Old Town

Sunday 11/3 (Daylight Savings)

No events from 12-4pm to promote South Valley Marigold Parade

How to Participate in Dia de los Muertos in Old Town 2024?

Decorate your Old Town property. Sign up and we will again provide you with marigold garland (5ft strands of artificial flowers in orange & yellow) as decorations and/or to build an ofrenda. You saw how impactful the decorations were last year - let's see if we can do even better! We encourage EVERYONE in Old Town to participate so that Old Town is the place to be during that week! If enough people participate, Old Town will be stunning!!
Build an ofrenda (altar) All ofrendas will be featured on the DDLM printed marketing material and visitors will be encouraged to explore. See how to build an ofrenda.
Host an event during the week! All events are coordinated by shops, plazas, and groups for their own areas. Join in and host live music or dancers, a craft for family day, makeup artist, photographer, etc.! The association will help promote your events on our website, social, and printed materials.
Create a Dia de los Muertos themed item for your shop/restaurant: Are you going to have a special menu item or a product in your shop that is themed for Dia de los Muertos? Such as: Pan de muerto, sugar skulls, selling marigolds, etc. Let us know what you plan on doing and we will promote it!

Next Step:
We want EVERYONE in Old Town to participate! Fill out the Dia de los Muertos Participation form.

DDLM Participation Form

Do you want help decorating? We will provide the labor AND the decorations!

We'll decorate the high-places: We have a friend of Old Town helping us decorate the ladder-access, harder-to-reach places on our buildings. Our sponsorship money will help us pay for his time. If you are interested in having him help decorate the high parts of your building fill out the DDLM Participation Form.

Need Help Decorating the easy-to-reach places? Additionally, if you'd like him to help decorate the easy-to-reach places too, you can hire him and his team for $40/hour and use HOTA decorations! You can reach out to Francisco at (505) 506-6463 to coordinate directly with him.

Promote Dia de los Muertos in Old Town

and Get Inspired!

Facebook: The official Facebook event is LIVE! We already have over three thousand people interested!

DDLM Participation Form

New to Old Town?

Join the Old Town Community

Newsletter Archives: Did you miss a past newsletter? View the full newsletter archive.

Old Town Community What's App Group: For non security, community, business and Old Town related news, please join the newly created Get Connected with the Old Town ABQ Community What's App group!

Private Security for All of Old Town: We have 24/7/365 on-call security for all of Old Town. We ask that you pay for this amazing service, $25/mo. Learn more and sign up for security.

Crime & Security Safety What's App Group: Specifically created to notify Old Town people immediately of incidents related to crime and security issues. Join Crime & Security What's App Group.

Old Town Merchant Outreach - Facebook Group: A great place to share information and have a chat with Old Town Merchants. On Facebook, search for "Old Town Merchant Outreach - An Independent Group".

Join the Historic Old Town Association (HOTA): All residents, merchants, & property owners can join. Learn more about HOTA.

Promote Your Business

Website Listing:
Add a Free Listing to the AlbuquerqueOldTown.com Website.

Map Listing:

New Old Town Map: Listing is $75 per year. Feel free to subscribe at any point. You will be included in the next printing and your subscription will start the day maps are delivered with your business on them. Printing is done 3-4 times per year.

Discovery Map: Pricing is available by reaching out via the website.

Church Street Cafe Map: Church Street Cafe has a map where the listings are free. Marie lists all businesses in Old Town when the menu is updated and reprinted.

Events: View the Official Events in Old Town page. Want to submit an event you are organizing? Submit an Event.

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