Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday celebrated widely both within Mexico and in other countries by people with Mexican heritage. At the end of October and the beginning of November, San Francisco will celebrate with multiple events, processions, and activities to honor this special holiday.
The multi-day holiday usually takes place on November 1-2 as a way to honor friends and family members who have passed away. Families generally create a home altar bearing pictures and favorite foods of the departed, along with calaveras (decorative sculptures of the human skull) and bright golden Aztec marigold flowers. Some popular holiday foods include candy sugar skulls and a traditional sweet bread called pan de muerto.
San Francisco’s celebrations range from the annual Festival of Altars to a lively performance by SF Symphony. Read on for all of the details.
1. Festival of Altars
Marigold Project will host the 32nd annual Festival of Altars and Ritual Circle in SF’s Potrero Del Sol Park on November 2nd. Guests can build their own personal altars or come and observe the community altars on display, and are recommended to bring flowers, 8-inch glass prayer candles, and other mementos to honor their loved ones. The Ritual Circle ceremony will happen at 12pm and 5pm.
📅 Date: Nov. 2, 2024
📍 Location: Potrero Del Sol Park, Mission District • 2827 Cesar Chavez St, San Francisco, CA 94110
🌐 Website: Marigold Project
2. 43rd Annual Day of the Dead Ritual Procession / 43o Anual Procesión Ritual Día de los Muertos
Pending confirmation, SF’s Mission District will host its annual Day of the Dead ritual procession at 6pm on November 2 produced by El Colectivo del Rescate Cultural. It begins at 22nd and Bryant Streets, running through Bryant, 24th, Mission, and then 22nd Street before ending back where it began. The procession follows the vision of El Colectivo del Rescate Cultural founder Juan Pablo Gutierrez, who passed away in 2021.
📅 Date: 2024 confirmation is TBA, but the event happens annually on Nov. 2.
📍 Location: Starts at 22nd and Bryant Streets, San Francisco, CA
🌐 Learn more: Day of the Dead Ritual Procession on Facebook
3. After Dark: Incarnation at the Exploratorium
The Marigold Project leads the Exploratorium’s Thursday After Dark event with an evening of ceremony, ritual, and dance. They will host guest poets in an expression of ceremonial poetry. Guests are invited to connect with each other throughout the museum’s exhibition spaces in this day of harmony and balance.
📅 Date: Oct. 24, 2024
📍 Location: Exploratorium • Pier 15 Embarcadero at, Green St, San Francisco, CA 94111
🌐 Website: After Dark: Incarnation at the Exploratorium
4. Día de los Muertos with Sunset Mercantile
Sunset Mercantile presents the fourth annual Día de los Muertos celebration in the Outer Sunset this November at 37th and Ortega. Everyone is invited to set up an ofrenda (sign up ahead of time), so if you want to join the setup make sure you arrive early. The evening will include folklorico dancing as well as delicious food, face painting, music, sugar skull painting, papel picado, and traditional artisanal goods for sale.
📅 Date: Nov. 1, 2024
📍 Location: Outer Sunset • 37th Ave at Ortega to Quintara, San Francisco, CA
🌐 Website: Día de los Muertos with Sunset Mercantile
5. NightLife: Día de los Muertos at the California Academy of Sciences
NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences is one of our favorite ongoing museum events. Every Thursday the Academy comes to life for a 21+ crowd with live DJs and music, outdoor bars, and ambiance lighting. Their Day of the Dead-themed event will take place on Nov. 7th with a focus on honoring departed souls and reuniting the living and the dead.
📅 Date: Nov. 7, 2024
📍 Location: CA Academy of Sciences • 55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118
🌐 Website: NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences
6. Día de los Muertos with SF Symphony
SF Symphony celebrates this vibrant holiday with two concerts on the first two days of November. The first is a live soundtrack performance of Coco as part of their popular film series. The second is their lively Día de los Muertos performance courtesy of conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and Pacho Flores on trumpet.
📅 Dates:
- Nov. 1, 2024 – Coco film with live orchestra
- Nov. 2, 2024 – Día de los Muertos performance
📍 Location: Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102
🌐 Website: San Francisco Symphony
7. Día de los Muertos Artisanal Tour
Pending confirmation for 2024, Mission Street SF presents a Día de los Muertos artisanal tour in the Mission in which guests will create their own keepsake calavera, tour the murals on 22nd Street, and visit Peruvian artisanal goods shop Qosqo Maky.
📅 Date: TBA for 2024
📍 Location: Mission District, San Francisco, CA
🌐 Learn more: Mission Street SF on Facebook
8. Muerto City
Cocina Nicaborriqua and Monarch Gardens host a free Día de los Muertos cultural event at their outdoor event venue in District Six. Enjoy a day of delicious food, kids’ activities, art, music, facepainting, jewelry, and so much more from 3-10pm.
📅 Date: TBA for 2024
📍 Location: District Six, 428 11th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
🌐 Learn more: Monarch Gardens on Facebook