Dia de Muertos Parade & Festival — Downtown Memphis
DÍA DE MUERTOS PARADE & FESTIVAL IS TAKING OVER DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS
Get ready, Memphis! Our annual Día de Muertos celebration is BACK, and we are bringing the colors, music, and tradition straight to the heart of Downtown along Main Street!
Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, in partnership with Memphis Art Museum and the Orpheum Theatre Group, invites you and your family to honor your ancestors, remember loved ones, and celebrate the cycle of life and death.
Parade: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Festival: 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
NEW DOWNTOWN PARADE ROUTE
Start Location: Court Square. Route: Marches straight down Main Street. Finish Location: Halloran Center (Orpheum Theatre Group).
The Día de Muertos Parade and Festival is part of Memphis Art Museum's annual Community Days series, which brings people together through free arts and cultural experiences. Created with local artists and community partners, these events invite visitors to encounter cultural traditions, explore ideas connected to the museum's exhibitions and collection, and spend time with their neighbors.
The Día de Muertos Parade and Festival is free and open to the public!
Schedule of events:
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Día de Muertos Parade. The day begins at Court Square Park, where Cazateatro will lead a procession south along the pedestrian-only Main Street Mall to Beale Street. Spectators can watch along the route as marching bands and costumed participants make their way through Downtown. Community-led cheer stations will offer refreshments and gathering spots for neighbors to enjoy the music and applaud the passing parade.
12:00 – 3:00 p.m.: Día de Muertos Festival at Halloran Centre. Following the parade, an afternoon of activities will take place at the Halloran Centre, including crafts, facepainting and live performances in the Theatre. Bilingual DJ and performer Alexis White will keep the energy high with regional Latin hits between performances, while local family band Mariachi Guadalajara performs classic mariachi songs throughout the Halloran Centre. Food vendors will include BBQ X Food Truck, serving barbecue tacos, along with Dipsticle Artisan Gelato Cafe, Tacotitlan, and Frutimania offering guests a variety of local flavors throughout the day.
Performances in the Halloran Centre Theatre include: 12:00 p.m. 123 Andres. 12:55 p.m. Danza Azteca Quetzatcoatl. 1:20 p.m. Cazateatro Dance Group. 1:35 p.m. University of Memphis Marimba Ensemble. 2:05 p.m. Marisol Pierre. 2:35 p.m. Banda Konquistadora.
The 2026 celebration is presented by Orion Financial. Additional support comes from the Wallace Foundation, the Windgate Foundation, the Tennessee Arts Commission and ARTSMemphis.
This gathering is one of Cazateatro’s cultural events, and it is listed on the event calendar.