Día de los Muertos in LA, Oct 24 to Nov 7
Los Angeles marks Día de los Muertos over two weeks, not one night. In 2026 it opens on Saturday, October 24, with the paid festival at Hollywood Forever and the first day of the free altar exhibition in Grand Park. Olvera Street starts its nine-day festival on Sunday, October 25, and runs nightly through Monday, November 2. Boyle Heights closes the season on Saturday, November 7, at Self Help Graphics & Art.
Most of it is free. Hollywood Forever is the one big ticketed event. If you want to buy something to take home, from a print to a piece of folk art, the artist vendors at Hollywood Forever and the Muertos Market in Boyle Heights are where to go. This guide covers each event in date order, what is sold there, and how to get in and out.
Hollywood Forever: Saturday, October 24
The 27th annual Día de los Muertos at Hollywood Forever Cemetery (6000 Santa Monica Blvd) runs on Saturday, October 24, from noon to midnight. This year's theme is "All Under One Sky / Bajo Un Mismo Cielo." The lineup posted by the organizers includes DanNyLux, Trish Toledo, Tropa Mágica and Los Shadows, plus DJs Que Madre, Joaquín and Dro Barlo.
Tickets are sold online through the official site. UnoTV reported in early October that prices ran from about $27 to $46 with fees, rising as time slots sell out, with entry windows of noon to 4pm, 4 to 7pm and 7 to 11pm; you can stay after your window ends. Children 5 and older need a ticket. Buy from the official link only: the same report found resale listings at $60 to $90.
Vendor goods must be Day of the Dead themed and sold by the artist or a direct representative, so what you buy comes from the maker. The organizers say some vendors may not take cards, so bring cash; there are ATMs on site. No outside food or drink and no pets are allowed, and the event goes ahead rain or shine.
Driving? The organizers list four garages, each open 11am to 1am: the Paramount Lemon Grove Structure (900 N Van Ness Ave), Paramount Van Ness Structure (783 N Van Ness Ave), Paramount Gower Structure (801 N Gower St) and the Hollywood Production Center (1149 N Gower St). Rates aren't posted, so come early.
Grand Park, Olvera Street and LA Plaza
Grand Park's Altars: October 24 to November 2
Gloria Molina Grand Park (200 N Grand Ave) hosts Downtown Día de los Muertos, a free outdoor exhibition of 17 altars made by artists and local organizations, with artist Consuelo G. Flores as curator. This year's theme is "The Power of One." The altars are up daily from 8am to 9pm, October 24 through November 2.
Two days draw the crowds. The opening celebration on Saturday, October 24, runs 11am to 4pm with performances, family activities and access to the Grand Avenue arts institutions through Grand Ave Arts: All Access. Noche de los Muertos, the closing night, is Sunday, November 1, from 3 to 7pm. No ticket is needed, though the park asks visitors to RSVP on its site.
Olvera Street: Nine Nights, October 25 to November 2
Olvera Street (125 Paseo de la Plaza) holds a nine-day Día de los Muertos festival, presented by the Olvera Street Merchants Association Foundation and El Pueblo Historical Monument. It's free and runs 10am to 9pm daily, with community altars in the plaza for all nine days.
Every evening at 6pm, Teatro del Barrio performs La Danza de la Muerte on the plaza stage. At 7pm the Novenario procession sets off from the plaza at the top of Olvera Street and ends at the kiosko, with a blessing before and after, and free pan dulce and drinks for everyone there. Daytime entertainment and face painting start at 11am on October 25, October 31 and November 1, and at noon on November 2. The Carrera de los Muertos 5K is Saturday, October 31; registration is at losmuertos5k.com.
El Pueblo says Olvera Street is open for shopping and dining, with hours set by each business, so the afternoon before the procession is the easiest time to browse. Collectors take note: the street's Muertos Artwalk, where more than 35 artists sold original artwork, jewelry and clothing, already ran on October 3 this year.
LA Plaza and the Central Library
Nearby, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (501 N Main St) holds its community ofrendas day, Caminos que Permanecen, on Sunday, October 25, from noon, with food booths. It's free with an RSVP, and walk-ins are let in as space allows.
On Sunday, November 1, the Central Library (630 W 5th St) holds a free bilingual family day with no reservation needed. The library hadn't posted times when we checked, so look at its site before you go.
Prints and the Muertos Market
Self Help Graphics: Saturday, November 7
The season ends in Boyle Heights. Self Help Graphics & Art (1300 E 1st St) holds its 53rd annual Día de los Muertos on Saturday, November 7. A procession leaves Mariachi Plaza at 2pm, and the celebration runs 3 to 10pm on Anderson Street, just outside the building.
This is the best stop for buyers. Self Help Graphics sells its own prints at the event, and the Muertos Market brings local artists and artisans selling their work. If you collect LA printmaking, come early for the widest choice and bring a flat folder or tube to carry paper home.
How to Shop the Season
Carry cash. Artist stalls at these events are small sellers, and Hollywood Forever's organizers warn that some vendors don't take cards. Buy prints and paper pieces at the end of your visit so they don't crease in the crowd. If you're building an ofrenda at home, the free Grand Park and Olvera Street altars are good places to see how others are made before you shop for one.
Make a day of downtown. Little Tokyo is also downtown; our Little Tokyo to the Arts District walk picks up from there, and the Little Tokyo and Arts District page lists every shop we've checked.
Metro, parking and timing
Take Metro for the downtown events. Union Station, El Pueblo's listed transit stop, is served by the A, B, D and J lines. For Grand Park, get off at Civic Center/Grand Park station on the B and D lines; the park also lists Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill and Historic Broadway on the A and E lines.
If you drive downtown, El Pueblo points visitors to lots at 419 N Main St, 615 N Main St, 852 N Alameda St and 426 N Los Angeles St. Grand Park lists $10 parking in the Main Music Center Garage and the Walt Disney Concert Hall Garage. For Hollywood Forever, use the garages above.
Pair them well: Grand Park's opening and Hollywood Forever fall on the same Saturday, so see the altars in the late morning and head west in the afternoon. On a weekday evening, catch the 6pm dance and 7pm procession on Olvera Street.