2019 Great Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City
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In 2019, I attended the Great Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City. In this post, I share my photos from this colourful and lively event.
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<3 Dominique
People of Mexican heritage around the world celebrate Day of the Dead (or Día de Muertos in Spanish). Rich in colour and steeped in tradition, Day of the Dead rituals were inscribed in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.
I headed down to Mexico in 2019 for the Día de Muertos festivities. I wanted to experience and learn about this distinctly Mexican tradition. Actual Day of the Dead is on November 2. I arrived a week prior and observed preparations for the big day in the central and southern regions of Mexico. It definitely is an exciting time to be in the country! I concluded my Day of the Dead adventures by attending the Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City.
History of the Mexico City Day of the Dead Parade
The Day of the Dead parade (Desfile de Día de Muertos in Spanish) is a young tradition in Mexico City. In 2015, the opening scene of the James Bond movie Spectre depicted a Day of the Dead parade in the Mexican capital. At the time, no one had ever organized such a parade in Mexico City. Seeing an opportunity to promote pre-Hispanic Mexican culture, the government organized a Día de Muertos parade in 2016. The first parade was so popular that organizers held annual Día de Muertos parades in the capital until the pandemic.
Some lament that the Mexico City parades are inauthentic and see them as a parody of the indigenous tradition. Others see the parade as a celebration of Día de Muertos in a new and exciting way at the capital.
For more guides, check out Day of the Dead: The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating in Mexico City
The 2019 Great Day of the Dead Parade
The fourth annual Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos was held on Saturday, November 2, 2019. This marks the first time that the big parade occurred on the actual day of Día de Muertos. About 800,000 people braved the rain, wind, and cold to watch the procession.
Note: The parade is usually scheduled for the Saturday before Día de Muertos. Since the Gran Desfile was held ON November 2 in 2019, there were two other Día de Muertos parades that happened the previous weekend, (1) the Catrina Parade and (2) the International Day of the Dead Parade. The International Day of the Dead parade attracted 2.6 million parade goers in 2019.
The parade featured about 3,500 artists. They organized the artists into 29 different groups, and the parade included 12 different floats.
It was a celebration of Mexican rituals where many of the country’s indigenous groups were featured along with elements associated with Día de Muertos . Rolling ofrendas, catrinas and calaveras were prominent in the parade along with brass bands, drummers and mariachis.
My camera decided to not co-operate with me during my time in Mexico so I had to take all my pictures on my Android =(
If you want to attend a future Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos…
For those interested in attending a future Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, here are some things to consider:
- the Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos is usually scheduled for the Saturday before November 2nd.
- the parade route usually starts at Chapultepec Park, proceeds along the Paseo de Reforma and ends at the Zócalo (aka the main square in the Centro Histórico).
- a local Guide suggested that I go along the Reforma near the Ángel de Independencia to get a good spot to watch the parade. I did as she suggested and found a great spot about 45 minutes before the start of the parade (it gets crowded, FYI).
- from what I hear, dates and times change all the time. For the latest updates on when the parade will actually take place, check the Festival de Día de Muertos or the Gobierno CDMX X/Twitter accounts.
Travel tip: if you want to experience Day of the Dead in Mexico City with a local expert, check out this G Adventures tour. This was how I learned and experienced so much about the UNESCO protected holiday right in the Mexican capital!
The Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City itself is not part of the traditions inscribed in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. It is still a wonderful celebration of Mexican traditions though and I would recommend it for anyone with an interest.
Where To Stay in Mexico City for the Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos
I’ve organized my hotel recommendations below by budget. My recommendations are also highly based on the hotels’ walkability to parade route.
Related read: to familiarize yourself CDMX neighbourhoods, check out Travel Guide to Mexico City: 7 Trendy Neighbourhoods to Explore
For budget travellers, I recommend the following hotels:
- Hotel Catedral in Centro Historico.
- Hotel Benedicta in Zona Rosa (I have stayed here and I have no complaints).
- Roma Conesa Hotel Boutique or Hotel Marbella in Roma Norte.
- Casa Melgar or ZAMORA By Mr. W near Chapultepec Castle.
If you are working with a mid-ranged budget, I recommend the following hotels:
- Historico Central Hotel in Centro Historico.
- Hotel Geneve in Zona Rosa (I have stayed here and, as a history nerd, absolutely loved it!)
- Stanza Hotel in Roma Norte.
- The Green Park Hotel Boutique or Grans Chapultepec Residencial near Chapultepec Castle.
For those looking for a luxury stay, I recommend the following hotels:
- Gran Hotel (Ciudad de Mexico) in Centro Historico.
- Sofitel Mexico City Reforma in Zona Rosa.
- Maison Celeste or ONTO Alvaro Obregon Mexico City in Roma Norte.
- Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City or Hotel Dama near Chapultepec Castle.
Have you been to the Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City? Do you have questions about the parade? I’d love to hear from you on the comments below!
