Old Town Day of the Dead: Free Fiesta Oct 31–Nov 1

Old Town’s Día de los Muertos is a free Fiesta de Reyes weekend — music, ofrendas, marigolds — not a ticketed Halloween costume party and not a haunted house.

Overview

The 16th year runs as a month-long courtyard transformation September 1–November 2, 2026, with the main fiesta weekend October 31–November 1. Saturday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m., at Fiesta de Reyes in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Organizer: dayofthedeadsd.com.

The courtyard fills with skulls, catrinas, vignettes, ofrendas, and thousands of marigolds, plus signage about the holiday. That décor is the daily experience. The last weekend of October is when live music, face painting, crafts, and merchandise swell. They cite 100,000 people over the two fiesta days — plan for a packed plaza, not a quiet museum.

For more around the county, browse the Hello San Diego event calendar.

What You Need to Know

Event: Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead at Fiesta de Reyes (16th year)

When:

• Courtyard décor: Sept. 1–Nov. 2, 2026 (Fiesta de Reyes listed open 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, later Fridays and Saturdays)
• Fiesta weekend: Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

Where: Fiesta de Reyes, north corner of Old Town State Historic Park. Venue listing: 2754 Calhoun Street, San Diego, CA 92110.

Cost: Free. No gate ticket on the organizer site. Food, crafts, and Cosmo Garden Restaurant are on you.

Ages: Family-friendly — older adults to small children. Face painting is part of the scene; it’s still a remembrance holiday, not a trick-or-treat overlay.

What to Expect

Live music, local bands, street performance, rows of Día de los Muertos merchandise, fine art, traditional ofrendas, and a kids craft area. The Cosmopolitan Hotel hosts Gallery in the Garden again with Robert Barros, whose work has been tied to this celebration since 2010. Cosmo Garden Restaurant is open as part of the month-long program.

Wear what you want that respects the holiday. This is not a “Halloween in Old Town” crawl.

Good to Know

• Parking: Lots adjacent to Fiesta de Reyes; free parking throughout Old Town; extra space in the CalTrans lot across Taylor Street — all day on weekends, after 5 p.m. weekdays.
• Two calendars, one place: you can walk the decorated courtyard in September without waiting for Halloween night.
• Sunday ends at 6; Saturday goes to 9. Don’t show up Sunday at 8 p.m.
• Don’t pay a reseller for “admission.”

Free weekend at the courtyard. Come for the ofrendas; eat if you want; leave the haunted-house kits at home.