10 ways to celebrate Día de Muertos in Chicago in 2026

Halloween is this weekend. But after all of the spooky storytelling, costume contests and trick-or-treating, Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead in English, happens each year on Nov. 1 and 2.

The holiday, with roots in indigenous Mesoamerican and Spanish Catholic traditions, has been celebrated in Mexico and Central Latin American countries for centuries. Most people associate it with the sugar skulls, marigolds and family photos that are placed on ofrendas — which, in English, are altars— inside people’s homes.

Families believe that the veil that exists between the natural world and the spiritual world thins out between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2, making way for our ancestors to come back to visit us for a few nights. In addition to the flowers and photos, people might leave out their deceased loved ones’ favorite foods, bottles of liquor or personal items.

The tradition has expanded beyond Latin America and into U.S. cities like Chicago, where some neighborhoods go all out for the celebration. Here are a few special ways to celebrate the holiday in Chicago.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times

Visit the National Museum of Mexican Art

Located at 1852 W. 19th St. in Pilsen, this iconic museum does not charge an admission fee. Día de Muertos is a huge thing every year at the NMMA, and this year’s exhibition is titled “Where Memory Lives: 40 Years of Día de Muertos.” The 40th annual installation features artwork centered around themes of mortality, grief and loss, but it’s also a celebration of life.

The museum always dedicates the showcase to the deceased, and this year’s collection was curated by Dolores Mercado, Elisa Soto Sánchez and Cesáreo Moreno, and is dedicated to Dr. Gilberto Cárdenas, who died this summer. The museum’s website describes Cárdenas as a “dedicated scholar, pioneer of Chicano Studies, and a dear friend” of the museum. He “believed in the power of art to honor the histories and voices of Mexican, Chicana/o, and Latinx communities in the U.S.”

The following weekend, the museum will host its annual Love Never Dies Ball. Guests will be dressed to impress in “creative cocktail” attire, colorful, elaborate dresses, dapper suits and, of course, plenty of face paint. The night includes performances from DJ Memo Duarte of ¡Pachanga! Chicago and a cumbia group called Impakto Sonidero. Admission includes open galleries, cocktails, food and a silent auction. Tickets are $125 when purchased in advance, and $150 at the door.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Honor your deceased pets at the Brookfield Zoo

The lives of our pets might last just a fraction of ours, but the connection we share with them is everlasting. Sometimes, their deaths inspire a type of grief that’s just as strong as the way we mourn our fellow humans. Fortunately, pets of all kinds have their own special day in which their souls are welcomed back during Día de Muertos season each October. This year, the zoo received more than 300 submissions for Brookfield Zoo’s pet-themed ofrenda. The zoo worked with local florist Manuel Buenrostro, of Manny’s Flower Design in Northlake, to put the altar together. It will be on display at the zoo from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4.

Octavio Jones/For the Sun-Times

Go shopping in Little Village this weekend

The Little Village Chamber of Commerce is putting on an event called Xempasúchil on Saturday and Sunday. The Xempasúchil, sometimes written as Cempasúchil, are orange and yellow marigolds believed to guide the dead back home. The weekend-long street fest, inspired by the flowers, will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, with more than 50 businesses along 26th Street participating. There will be discounts at select restaurants and shops, plus photo booths, unique ofrendas and live catrinas or catrines, the well-dressed skeleton figures that remind us all of our eventual mortality. Enjoy some classic sweet breads at Panadería Nuevo Leon, then head to Ester Fashion Boutique to browse dozens of beautiful dresses, then check out some local artwork at the new gallery Te-Qu, near the Little Village Arch.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Purchase pan de muerto from Mexican bakeries

There are plenty of Mexican delicacies to enjoy all across Chicago, but pan de muerto (or bread of the dead, in English) is only available during a certain time of year. In the weeks leading up to the Day of the Dead, local bakeries are selling the sweet bread adorned with skulls and crossbones. They are typically coated in sesame seeds and orange zest, and many families place them on their home ofrendas.

Here are several Chicago bakeries with pan de muerto for sale:

• Acapulco Bakery, 6044 W. 63rd St.
• Artemio’s Bakery, 3904 N. Sheridan Rd. or 1443 N. Milwaukee Ave.
• El Nopal Bakery, 3648 W. 26th St.
• La Espiga de Oro Bakery, 2458 S. Drake Ave.
• Panadería El Acambaro, 1720 W. 18th St.
• Panadería Nuevo Leon, 1634 W. 18th St.
• Rosy’s Bakery, 3237 W. 26 St.

Alex Wroblewski/For the Sun-Times

Enjoy a festive meal (and maybe a performance) at Chicago restaurants

In Boystown, head to Lark at 3441 N. Halsted St. for a Day of the Dead drag show on Sunday. With admission, you’ll get an entree — chilaquiles or fried chicken and pancakes — and bottomless alcoholic or nonalcoholic drinks for 90 minutes. Performers include Milani, La Más Mejor and Venus Carangi. The shows are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.

Or head to The Dawson at 730 W. Grand Ave., where a $10 cover grants you tequila and mezcal tastings in the upstairs lounge. The price of admission benefits local nonprofit Latinos Progresando. Projecto 7 Salsa and Latin Jazz Band will provide entertainment for the night while local artists sell embroidery and sculpture works. Additional food and beverages put together by executive chef Francisco Narez will be available for purchase.

For some finer dining, head to Tzuco in River North for a four-course dinner on Monday night that includes tamal colado and pumpkin mousse for $90 per person. At Clandestino, 535 N. Wells St., enjoy Day of the Dead-inspired cocktails made with mezcal, cempasúchil, mole and more. Día de Muertos is being celebrated through Nov. 3 at Richard Sandoval’s Toro with specialty cocktails and exclusive menu items such as the achiote-braised short rib and piloncillo pumpkin crème brûlée.