Dancers in bright orange and blue skirts dancing at the 2019 Day of the Dead parade.

2019 Mega Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City

In 2019, I attended the Mega Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City. Sharing my photos from this colourful and lively event.

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.

A calavera puppet interacts with a police officer during the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. — *Calavera* puppeteers interact with a police officer during the 2019 Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos.

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.

A couple dressed as catrinas hold hands at the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. — The Thrill of Pursuit does the 2019 Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City.

History of the Mexico City Day of the Dead Parade

Dancers in traditional Mexican costumes perform at the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

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.

Opening scene of Spectre. It is the inspiration for the Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City.

Calavera puppets at the 2019 Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City. — Calavera puppets at the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

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.

Performer at the 2019 Day of the Dead parade demonstrating the “limpia” ritual of the Aztec shamans. — A parade performer demonstrating the “limpia” ritual of Aztec/Mexica shamans.

For more CDMX travel guides, check out: Travel Guide to Mexico City : 6 Trendy Neighbourhoods to Explore

Catrinas marching at 2019 Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City. — *Catrinas* marching at the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

The 2019 Mega 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.

Parade attendees getting drenched during the 2019 Mega Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City. — Parade attendees and performers braving the winds, rain, and cold.

A couple dressed as catrinas at the 2019 Mega Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City stand in the rain and look on in ponchos. — A couple of parade attendees thankful that a poncho vendor stopped by.

A mariachi and dancers in traditional Mexican costumes perform at the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

Note: The parade is usually scheduled for the Saturday before Día de Muertos and marks the beginning of the Día de Muertos celebrations in Mexico City. 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.

Puppeteers holding an alebrije during the 2019 Mega Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City.

Catrinas dancing in the procession of the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

Motorcyclists with catrina makeup ride on in the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

In 2019, the parade featured about 3,500 artists. They organized the artists into 29 different groups, and the parade included 12 different floats.

The float depicting the Aztec goddess Mictecacíhuatl - guardian of the underworld lead the 2019 Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos procession. — The float depicting the Aztec/Mexica goddess Mictecacíhuatl – guardian of the underworld lead the 2019 Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos procession.

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.

Drummers marching in the 2019 Mega Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City.

A performer on stilts marches during the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

Colourful skull masks march in the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

Performers in traditional Mexican costumes and paper mache heads march in the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

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 =( . Nevertheless, I am sharing some of my fave captures here and hope that I was able to capture half the jubilation and spirit of this very festive event…

A float paying homage to the Mexican novel “Macario” in the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. — A float paying homage to the Mexican novel “Macario”. The novel takes place on the eve of Day of the Dead.

Parade performances in traditional Amerindian dress march on the 2019 Day of the Dead parade.

The Exotic Catrinas - ambassadors of the LGBT community in Mexico City march during the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. — The Exotic Catrinas – ambassadors of the LGBT community in Mexico City.

A couple dressed in multicoloured catrina costume march during the 2019 Mega Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City. — *Catrinas* representing loved ones who are crossing over to the Land of the Living during Día de Muertos to once again experience humanity, laughter, dances, and parties.

A couple dressed in multicoloured catrina costume kiss during the 2019 Mega Desfile de Día de Muertos in Mexico City.

Performers march during the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

A juggler on a unicycle performs during the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

A photographer takes photos of parade goers during the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

If you want to attend a future Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos…

A couple dressed as catrinas waits along the Paseo de Reforma for the 2019 Day of the Dead parade to start. — Waiting along the Paseo de Reforma for the parade to start. I would say we got a good spot.

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 twitter accounts.

A vintage car with Day of the Dead parade performers in the truck bed.

Dancers in a traditional Mexican dress perform during the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

Catrinas on a classic Ford automobile at the 2019 Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City. — Cantinflas and I think one of those catrinas is supposed to be Pedro Infante (???)

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.

Performers at the 2019 Day of the Dead parade carry a banner that reads- “Día de Muertos: Patrimonio Cultural InMaterial de la Humanidad”.

Living sculptures representing the seven planes to Mictlan At the 2019 Day of the Dead parade. — Living sculptures representing the seven planes to Mictlán – the Aztec/Mexica underworld.

Day of the Dead parade performers marching on hte procession in Mexico City.

A brass band performs during the 2019 Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

To learn about more traditional Día de Muertos rituals, check out: 5 Top Things to Know About Day of the Dead in Mixquic, Mexico

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!