North Texas families celebrate Día de los Muertos with love, music and memories

For families across North Texas, Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is more than a time to remember loved ones who have died. It’s a chance to feel close to them again.

Over the past two days, families have gathered at cemeteries across Dallas-Fort Worth to celebrate the sacred Mexican tradition, filling gravesites with colorful altars, bright orange marigolds, favorite foods and music.

At Laurel Oaks Memorial Park in Balch Springs, families and friends paused in silence or gathered to the sounds of mariachi music, honoring those who are no longer with them.

Rooted in Mexican and Catholic traditions and coinciding with All Souls’ Day, Día de los Muertos commemorates the temporary return of departed loved ones. Marigolds, known as the flower of the dead, are believed to help guide their spirits home.

For Joshua Ferrer, the annual celebration offers a special connection to a brother he never had the chance to know.

“I’m here to see my little brother Brandon,” Ferrer said.

Brandon died at birth. Ferrer said his younger brother would have been about 12 years old.

“He died when he was born, so right now he would have been like 12 years old,” Ferrer said.

Each November, Ferrer visits his brother’s resting place, finding comfort in a tradition that brings families together across generations.

“There’s some loved ones you never got the chance to meet, but you feel a little closer,” Ferrer said.

Across southeast Dallas County, families converged on Laurel Oaks for a celebration that blended remembrance with music, food and community.

“It’s a very family-friendly event. We have vendors and mariachi bands and face painters, and people show up; it’s a really really awesome day,” said Emily Bearden, CEO and president of Laurel Oaks Funeral Home & Memorial Park.

Bearden said the cemetery’s celebration grew out of a desire to embrace a tradition that many families were already observing on their own.

“We have so many Hispanic families that come and trust us to take care of their loved ones in their time of need, and we kind of jusr want to meet people where they are, and this became something that we recognized that families were doing on their own and we wanted to make sure we gave people the space to celebrate,” Bearden said.

While Día de los Muertos is a time to honor those who have died, the celebration is anything but somber. It’s a reminder that love and family connections can endure long after someone is gone.

For Ferrer, the message is simple.

“Never forget the people who you have. Even the people you haven’t met, it’s always nice to visit them and stay close to them,” Ferrer said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.