Your guide to free Día de los Muertos events on LA’s Eastside

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time to honor the memory of loved ones who have died. The holiday’s most beloved traditions involve building ofrendas at home or visiting cemeteries and decorating the graves of those who have departed. 

The celebration, largely observed in Mexico and other Latin American countries, also brings colorful and vibrant events across several cities in the U.S. On or before Nov. 1 and 2, cempasúchil-covered altars, intricately designed sugar calaveras and pan de muerto will spring up around Los Angeles. 

We’ve rounded up a list of mostly free events on LA’s Eastside and downtown to celebrate the cherished cultural holiday.

Oct. 18: El Sereno Día de los Muertos Festival 

The El Sereno Community Arts presents its 16th Día de los Muertos Celebration with an evening full of altars, live music, traditional dance performances and local art. The event will also feature live poetry readings from Cal State LA’s Arts and Letters club, exclusive “Te De Muertos” herbs from Apothecary Organique, and apparel sold by LA Girl Apparel. Attendees can also take home a free California native plant provided by the LA Parks Foundation, while supplies last. 

Oct. 18: LEA’s Calavera LGBTQ+ Festival

The Calavera LBTQ+ Festival, hosted by the Latino Equity Alliance (LEA), is back in Boyle Heights after a one-year pause. The festival will celebrate the traditional holiday through a queer Latine/x lens, featuring community altars, vibrant vendors, DJ sets and musical performances. Catch performances from Mendez High School Folklórico and Danza Coatlicue Tonantzin. Attendees can also watch the iconic Mx. Calvera Drag Contest, where the winner will receive a $500 grand prize. Guests are encouraged to wear their best calavera look. Proceeds from sales at the event will support LEA’s programs for LGBTQ+ youth and families. 

Oct. 25 – Nov. 2: Olvera Street Día de los Muertos Festival 

Los Angeles’ iconic Placita Olvera begins their nightly program with a Danza de la Muerte presented by Teatro Del Barrio on stage to tell the story of Día de los Muertos. The performance will be followed by a novenario procession with a colorful parade to honor loved ones who have passed. Attendees can enjoy live entertainment, face painting and community altars that will be on display from Oct. 25 and will remain until Nov. 2. Guests can also register for the Los Muertos 5K race hosted on Saturday, Nov. 1. 

Oct. 26: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes Día de los Muertos Family Day 

Join a family-friendly afternoon at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes to celebrate Día de los Muertos. Attendees can enjoy traditional performances that honor the dead through live music, dance, and storytelling, including a procession, community altar, and playful Catrina comedy sketches. The program will be guided Blanca A. Soto. — actress, voice and acting coach, and emcee in Disney Pixar’s Coco. Guests are welcome to add images of their loved ones to the community ofrenda by emailing them to photos@lapca.org. LA Plaza will print and frame them for display at the event. 

Oct. 25- Nov. 2: Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos

This two-week exhibition will open with a procession and blessings by Ohtli Yollotl Curanderismo Collective and live performances by Danza Artes Mexico, El Marchante, and Mariachi Las Divinas. Festivities include community altars, papier-mache art installations, family workshops, an artisanal mercado, and community resources, including CHIRLA and the Office of Immigrant Affairs.  The closing celebration on Nov. 2 will feature performances by two-time Grammy nominee Lupita Infante, Boleros with Attitude and DJ Sizzle Fantastic.

Oct. 26: Las Fotos Project Día de Muertos Community Wellness Day 

In collaboration with Polo’s Pantry and sponsored by Youth to the People, Las Fotos Project is hosting their bi-monthly community wellness day with a Día de los Muertos celebration. The event will feature family-friendly arts activities like candle-making, frame decorating, face-painting, a clothing swap and a photobooth. Along with community resources, attendees will be able to enjoy tamales and refreshments, and have the chance to take fresh produce home while supplies last. A community ofrenda will be on display during the celebration, courtesy of Self Help Graphics & Art. 

Oct. 29- Nov. 1: Days of Remembrance at Lincoln Heights Youth Arts Center

Celebrate Día de los Muertos at the Lincoln Heights Youth Arts Center this holiday weekend. A community altar will be on display and guests can bring their own photos, recuerdos or treats to honor their loved ones. Guests unable to attend in person can use the center’s digital feature that allows participants to upload photos via the QR code available on the LHYAC Instagram page.

The four-day celebration will also feature arts workshops, including Paper Art Frame making on Wednesday (10/29) and Fuego y Xocolatl: Bonfire and Fall Season Intention Setting and Cacao Tasting on Thursday (10/30). The festivities conclude Saturday with Danza Mexica performances, live music, face painting, a platica on altar making and an indoor screening of the “Book of Life” movie. 

Cost: Free 
Date: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily Wednesday Oct. 29 to Friday Oct., 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Lincoln Heights Youth Arts Center 
2911 Altura St, Los Angeles, CA 90031
Find more information here. 

Oct. 30: Los Angeles Community Hospitals and Southern California Hospitals Community Día de los Muertos Celebration of Life

This celebration will offer entertainment for all ages, including Aztec dance performances, arts and crafts, caricature drawings, face painting and food. Attendees are encouraged to bring photos of loved ones to participate in the community altar and light a candle in their honor. The hospital’s exterior campus will be transformed with decorative altars built with donations from Prospect Medical’s six Southern California hospitals and local businesses.

Nov. 1: Día de Muertos 1st Street Community Block Party

The 1st Street Business Association brings back its community block party at 1st Street and Mariachi Plaza to celebrate Día de los Muertos. Bring the whole family and enjoy a night filled with music, color and tradition. The event will feature face painting, art activations and over 20 local artisan vendors. Attendees can stroll down 1st Street from Boyle to State, through rows of community resource booths, altars, and local restaurants. Live music, DJs, mariachi, and performances by folklórico dancers will round out the evening. 

Nov. 1: Self Help Graphics & Art Día de los Muertos Celebration

Self Help Graphics & Art has hosted free community art workshops honoring Día de los Muertos all October long. The sessions will culminate with the 51st Día de los Muertos celebration in partnership with L.A. County Supervisor Hilda. L. Solis. The celebration will kick off with a procession aboard the Metro L Line that begins at Mariachi Plaza and makes its way to the East L.A. Civic Center for a festival. The day will feature live entertainment, face painting, art activities, and a live danza blessing to honor ancestors. There will also be a Muertos Market with local artists and artisans vendors, prints by Self Help Graphics, and food for sale. The main celebration will honor community members lost to systemic violence and the recent LA fires. Altars will also honor activists who inspired social change through activism. 

Nov. 1: Plaza de la Raza’s Día de los Muertos

Enjoy a family-friendly celebration with art workshops and live performances by the Plaza de la Raza youth, including folklórico and Danza Azteca.  The community festival will also showcase altars throughout the venue, highlighting art, music, dance, and living tradition. 

Nov. 1: Noche De Ofrenda at Tonalli Studio

Master altarista Ofelia Esparza’s Tonalli Studio is hosting a Noche de Ofrenda this Día De Los Muertos. Join a night of poetry, music and memories all while celebrating the studio’s latest exhibition “Eternal Threads” on its closing night. Esparza is currently showing her first solo exhibit, now on display at the Vincent Price Art Museum, and will run through April 2026.

Nov. 2: Day of the Dead Celebration at Odd Fellows Cemetery

Odd Fellows Cemetery will host a full day of festivities for this year’s Día de los Muertos celebration. The day begins in the early morning with various food vendors, followed by an afternoon mass. Guests can also enjoy free face painting and live performances featuring folklorico dancers. The celebration will include competitions for best altar and best Catrina, with each winner receiving a grand prize of $300. 

Nov. 2: Brunch De Los Muertos 

Visit Evil Cooks restaurant in El Sereno as local chefs Alex “Pobre Diablo” García and Elvia “La Bruja” Huerta celebrate the launch of their collaboration Twisted Tea on a limited edition hot sauce, the “Twisted Tail.” The one-day only “Brunch De Los Muertos” will feature giveaways and the “Twisted Chilakillers” dish, a special chilaquiles plate infused with the limited edition hot sauce. The collaboration is the first-ever U.S. Hispanic-focused campaign by the hard iced tea brand.

Date: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2
Location: Evil Cooks 
3333 N Eastern Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90032
Find more information here. 

Nov. 8-9: Floricanto’s ‘Fiesta Del Dia De Los Muertos’ 

Celebrating its 25th Día de los Muertos event, the Floricanto Center for Performing Arts is hosting a Day of the Dead weekend production. Transforming the space into a local cemetery, the program will feature a community altar and a Chicano-style show that explores a series of social issues, from immigration, teen pregnancy, addiction, mental illness, love, and death — depicted with humor and respect. As the show explores a series of characters and stories through dance, the evening’s guide will be the iconic skeleton, La Catrina.