If you only have one free evening this weekend, make it Saturday. Día de los Muertos falls next to Halloween in 2026. San Jose's two oldest community celebrations both hold their main programs on Oct. 31: the 22nd annual Micailhuitl at History Park and the 10th annual Avenida de Altares on Alum Rock Avenue.
Saturday starts in the morning on the Guadalupe River Trail, goes to Kelley Park in the afternoon, and ends after dark in East San Jose. Sunday has fewer large events and more daytime family programs. Two library ofrendas stay up into the following week for anyone who wants a quieter visit.
Saturday morning on the Guadalupe River Trail
The first event on the calendar is a run. Gardner Health Services holds its 2026 Día de los Muertos Run-Walk on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to noon on the Guadalupe River Trail, starting at 1621 Gold St. The 5K costs $80.50 with fees, or $38.10 for ages 12 and under. Registration includes a bib with a timing chip, a medal and a shirt. The event also has music, entertainment, a health-resource fair and a large community ofrenda.
The run wraps up by noon, which leaves the rest of Saturday open.
Saturday afternoon at History Park
Calpulli Tonalehqueh's 22nd annual Micailhuitl opens at History Park, 635 Phelan Ave., at 2 p.m. Saturday and runs until 10 p.m. Saturday is the day to go if you want to see the event begin. The ceremony opens with a community procession from the park's main entrance to the ceremonial space, and everyone is welcome to walk. Calpulli Tonalehqueh dances alongside guest dancers from California and Mexico.
The rest of the program is spread across the grounds. The main altar stands at the Park Tower, and more altares and ofrendas are set up at the historic buildings. Live music, Ballet Folklórico, Danza Azteca and DJs perform throughout the weekend. More than 10 food vendors will serve tacos, barbacoa, huaraches, aguas frescas and desserts.
Before you go:
- Admission: free.
- Atmosphere: the organizers run it as an alcohol-free and drug-free event.
- Parking: a small lot sits at the main entrance on Phelan Avenue, and the larger Kelley Park lot at the end of Phelan Avenue is a short walk away.
- Overflow: the San José State South Campus Garage at 10th and Alma, where a $6 daily fee may apply.
The organizers' own page calls the gathering a celebration of the Mexica New Year. That framing explains the danza and the ceremonial procession, which a mall or museum event can't recreate.
Saturday night on Alum Rock Avenue
At 5:30 p.m., while Micailhuitl is still going, the School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza opens Avenida de Altares at 1700 Alum Rock Ave. It runs until 10:30 p.m. Admission is free, with an RSVP through the plaza's event page. Most of it takes place outdoors, with some activities inside. The plaza lists a community altar gallery, art activities for all ages, an artisan vendor market and face painting.
The event's growth over its 10 years shows why it now takes up the whole evening. Metro Silicon Valley reported in 2024 that organizers first aimed for 800 to 1,000 people, and by then more than 3,000 were coming. The event had grown from the plaza alone to several stages and altars along the corridor. This month, San José Spotlight reported that about 5,500 people attended in 2025. The event now covers three blocks of Alum Rock Avenue, from the plaza west to Highway 101, with nearly 40 altars inside and outside the plaza.
Some altars are traditional memorials with photographs, food and personal belongings. Local artists create others as artistic interpretations. Edgar Ochoa, the plaza's director of community engagement, described the altars this way to San José Spotlight:
"It's a commemoration, like celebration of life, and then connection."
How the two Saturday events overlap
Micailhuitl and Avenida share four and a half hours on Saturday evening, so most people will choose one or plan to do both. This table shows how they compare:
| Micailhuitl at History Park | Avenida de Altares | |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday hours | 2–10 p.m. | 5:30–10:30 p.m. |
| Second day | Sunday, Nov. 1, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | None |
| Address | 635 Phelan Ave. | 1700 Alum Rock Ave. |
| Cost | Free | Free with RSVP |
| Edition | 22nd annual | 10th annual |
| Centerpiece | Opening procession and Danza Azteca; main altar at the Park Tower | Nearly 40 altars along three blocks of Alum Rock Avenue |
History Park opens again on Sunday, but Avenida happens only on Saturday night. If you want to catch both, the afternoon procession at History Park followed by Alum Rock Avenue after dark fits the schedule. If you can only do one thing Saturday, Avenida is the one you can't come back to on Sunday. KQED's 2026 Bay Area roundup lists both events with the same dates, if you'd like a second source to check against.
Sunday shifts to daytime family events
On Sunday, Nov. 1, the main events move into the daytime and lean toward families.
History Park's second day runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's a shorter, daytime version of the same grounds, and it works well for families who missed Saturday's late hours.
Downtown, the Children's Discovery Museum holds its Día de los Muertos program from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mictlan Danza y Cultura performs Aztec dance at 10:30 a.m. At 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Teatro Familia Aztlán leads processions through the museum in partnership with the San José Multicultural Artists Guild. The calacas procession stops at Lupe, the museum's 14,000-year-old mammoth. Kids can also do sand painting with stencils, paint calaveras and make Marigold Butterfly masks. Check the museum's page for admission before you go.
On the west side, Santana Row's celebration is free and runs across the whole day:
- 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m.: brunch at Zazil and community ofrendas you can add to
- Noon–5 p.m.: cultural pop-up market
- Noon–3 p.m.: Catrina photo ops in the Oak Tree Lounge by Blue Bottle Coffee, plus face painting in Santana Row Park
- 1–3 p.m.: mariachi and dance performances in Santana Row Park
- 3–4:30 p.m.: mariachi and face painting at El Jardín Tequila Bar
- 4:30–6 p.m.: mariachi at Zazil
Santana Row's ofrendas stay open until 10 p.m. Sunday, so they're the last public altars of the weekend's main events.
Altars that stay up into next week
Two library ofrendas extend the weekend for anyone who would rather visit an altar without a crowd.
At Bascom Library, 1000 S. Bascom Ave., San José Public Library sets up a Día de Muertos community ofrenda near the front desk on Sunday, Nov. 1, and Monday, Nov. 2. You can bring a copy of a loved one's photograph or write their name on a tag provided by staff. Bring a copy, not an original photo.
Downtown, the Art of Remembrance Ofrenda Exhibit is on the fifth floor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, 150 E. San Fernando St., in the AAACNA Studies Center, through Nov. 5. The San José Multicultural Artists Guild and SJSU King Library present ofrendas by local artists in both traditional and contemporary styles. The Mercury News lists it as free. It's a good weekday option for anyone who works downtown and missed Saturday.
After the King Library exhibit closes, the next big gathering on San Jose's calendar is Christmas in the Park. It opens at Plaza de César Chávez on Nov. 27 and runs daily from noon to 10 p.m. through Jan. 1, 2027.
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