October is Mexico City's busiest month of the year. It starts with stadium concerts and ends with the Day of the Dead parade and Formula 1 on the same weekend. In between come the giant alebrijes, the Catrinas procession and the monumental ofrenda (altar) in the Zócalo, almost all of it free and almost all of it on Paseo de la Reforma.
Here is what's left of the month, day by day, with times and routes confirmed by Mexico City's culture and tourism departments. Further down you'll find the events already in the Entre Lugares listings.
The calendar at a glance
- Saturday, October 17, noon: Monumental Alebrijes Parade, from the Zócalo to the Angel.
- October 17 to November 8: the alebrijes on display along Reforma.
- October 18 to November 1: marigold (cempasúchil) flower festival on Reforma, with growers from Xochimilco, Tláhuac and Milpa Alta.
- Sunday, October 25, 6 pm: Mega Procesión de las Catrinas, from the Angel to the Zócalo.
- Wednesday, October 28, 6 to 10 pm: Noche de Museos (Museum Night).
- October 29 to November 2: the Ofrenda Monumental in the Zócalo. The downtown lighting stays on until the 4th.
- October 30 to November 1: Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix.
- Saturday, October 31, 2 pm: the Day of the Dead parade, along Reforma to the Zócalo.
Monumental Alebrijes Parade: Saturday the 17th
Alebrijes are brightly painted fantasy creatures, and this is the 18th parade organized by the Museo de Arte Popular, with around 300 pieces this year. It leaves the Zócalo at noon and goes along 5 de Mayo, Avenida Juárez and Paseo de la Reforma to the Angel of Independence.
If you miss the parade, the alebrijes stay on the sidewalks of Reforma between the Angel and the Estela de Luz until 8 pm on Sunday, November 8. Go early on a weekday for fewer people and better light.
Catrinas procession: Sunday the 25th
Thousands of people dressed as catrinas, the elegant skeleton drawn by José Guadalupe Posada, leave the Angel of Independence at 6 pm and reach the Zócalo around 8:30 pm, via Reforma, Avenida Juárez and 5 de Mayo. To see it without pushing, pick a spot on Reforma before 5:30 pm or wait for it in the Zócalo. The Zócalo-Tenochtitlan station on Metro Line 2 opens right onto the square.
The last week: altar, parade and Formula 1
From Thursday the 29th to Monday the 2nd, the three biggest events of the month overlap:
- Ofrenda Monumental in the Zócalo (October 29 to November 2, free). This year it honors Posada's Catrina with a 32-meter papier-mâché figure, sawdust carpets and thousands of marigolds. There are also 12 community altars elsewhere in the city, such as the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco.
- Day of the Dead parade (Saturday the 31st, 2 pm). Floats, giant puppets, dancers and bands along Reforma to the Zócalo.
- Formula 1 (October 30 to November 1, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez). Practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday at 3 pm and the race on Sunday at 2 pm.
Expect road closures on Reforma and a city full of visitors that weekend. Use the Metro or Metrobús. The full calendar for those days, including Mixquic, Xochimilco and Coyoacán, is in our Day of the Dead in Mexico City guide.
Big concerts left this month
Mexico City's tourism office highlights these for the second half of October:
- Martin Garrix: October 16 and 17, Palacio de los Deportes.
- Hombres G: October 16 and 18, Auditorio Nacional.
- Def Leppard and Extreme: October 19, Palacio de los Deportes.
- TINI: October 25, Arena CDMX.
- Romeo Santos and Prince Royce: October 25 and 26, Palacio de los Deportes.
Buy only from each venue's official ticket seller: fake tickets are common at this time of year.
Free things to do
- Noche de Museos, Wednesday the 28th from 6 to 10 pm. On the last Wednesday of each month, participating museums open at night with guided tours, concerts and theater.
- Muévete en Bici: on Sunday mornings Reforma closes to cars. It's the best way to see the alebrijes.
- The marigold festival on Reforma, October 18 to November 1.
- Coyoacán and San Ángel in the last two weeks: altars in museums, cultural centers and plazas, with fewer crowds than downtown.
- Feria Nacional del Mole in San Pedro Atocpan, Milpa Alta: Mexico City's mole village holds its fair in October. Confirmed dates appear in the list below.