Historic Centre of Guanajuato hosts Day of the Dead from 28 October
Published on 10/21/2026 at 21:18 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSFestival programme and heritage setting
- Guanajuato authorities will stage the festival across the historic centre from 28 October to 2 November 2026.
- Japan joins the programme with Bon Odori, while the Calle Subterránea and university steps host cultural installations.
- UNESCO describes Guanajuato as an eighteenth-century silver centre with subterranean streets and the 600 m Boca del Inferno mine shaft.
The Historic Centre of Guanajuato (Centro HistĂłrico de Guanajuato) will host the Day of the Dead Festival from 28 October to 2 November 2026, bringing processions, altars and performances to Guanajuato, Mexico. The state tourism authorities announced Japan as the guest country, with Bon Odori performances included in the programme.
Day of the Dead Festival spreads through Guanajuato
The eighth Day of the Dead Festival will use the Calle Subterránea, plazas and alleyways as venues. The programme includes catrinas, monumental altars, traditional sawdust carpets, processions, video mapping, craft displays and artistic performances.
The state government’s festival announcement names the Túnel de la Tradición, the monumental altar at the University of Guanajuato and the Camino al Mictlán among the featured elements. It also lists a screening of El Santo contra las Momias de Guanajuato at the Panteón de Santa Paula.
The official tourism calendar confirms the six-day period and identifies Japan’s Bon Odori and Playa del Carmen’s participation as international elements. The combination of an underground street, historic steps and cemetery programme places the festival directly within the city’s built heritage rather than at a separate suburban venue.
Mining history shapes the festival setting
Guanajuato’s historic centre forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage property Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines. UNESCO says the city was founded by the Spanish in the early sixteenth century and became the world’s leading silver-extraction centre in the eighteenth century.
That mining history remains visible in the subterranean streets used for the festival. UNESCO also records the Boca del Inferno, a mine shaft descending 600 m (1,969 ft), while the city’s Baroque and neoclassical buildings reflect the wealth created by mining. The festival’s altars, processions and projections therefore occupy spaces shaped by both religious and industrial history.
The World Heritage description also names La CompañĂa and La Valenciana as important Baroque churches. This gives the programme a defined architectural context: visitors encounter the cultural events among tunnels, churches, plazas and public steps that form part of the recognised heritage landscape.
Programme details for 28 October to 2 November
The published programme places the opening activities in the Calle Subterránea on 28 October. A catrinas and skulls parade is scheduled for 29 October, while the monumental offering on the University of Guanajuato steps is planned for 30 October.
The programme continues with a night race on 31 October, the Procession of the Little Angels on 1 November and the Tapete de la Muerte, Ascenso de las Almas and Retorno del Mictlán on 2 November. Bon Odori adds a Japanese performance tradition to a festival centred on Mexican remembrance practices.
Visiting Historic Centre of Guanajuato: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Day of the Dead Festival runs from 28 October to 2 November 2026 across the Calle Subterránea, plazas, alleyways, university steps and Panteón de Santa Paula.
- The festival changes the visitor setting by adding altars, processions, video mapping, traditional carpets and performances to central heritage spaces; the announcement does not state a closure of the main historic centre.
- Guanajuato is in central Mexico. The city is reached through its urban streets and underground routes, with the Calle Subterránea forming one of the named festival venues.
- The terrain includes narrow alleyways, steep slopes and subterranean passages. These physical features are part of the historic city and are relevant when moving between the festival venues.
- Spanish is the official language used for the local programme, and the national currency is the Mexican peso.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Historic Centre of Guanajuato
When does the Day of the Dead Festival take place at Historic Centre of Guanajuato?
The festival runs from 28 October to 2 November 2026 across the historic centre’s tunnels, plazas, alleyways and public buildings.
What can visitors see during the Day of the Dead Festival?
The programme includes catrinas, monumental altars, processions, traditional carpets, video mapping and Bon Odori performances from Japan.
Where is Historic Centre of Guanajuato and how do you get there?
It is in Guanajuato, central Mexico, where named venues include the Calle Subterránea, the University of Guanajuato steps and the Panteón de Santa Paula.
