Oct. 28 @ 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Saturday, October 28, 2023
FREE Admission!
Grand Procession: 12 – 1 pm
Festival: 12 – 6 pm
Mexic-Arte Museum’s 40th Annual Viva La Vida Festival and Parade is Austin’s largest and longest-running Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) event. Co-presented by the Austin Convention Center and the City of Austin, this year’s festival will take place on Saturday, October 28 at 4th Street and Congress Avenue.
The festivities begin with a Grand Procession at noon. Festival activities run until 6 p.m. Participants can enjoy the Education Pavilion with hands-on art activities and artist demos, traditional foods, local artists and retail booths, a low-rider exhibition, and live performances throughout the day.
Celebrated by Mexicans and Mexican Americans alike, as well as others in Latin America, Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead is an important religious and cultural event that synthesizes pre-Columbian traditions and Catholic Church practices. Originating in ancient Mexico, the annual celebration is increasingly observed in the United States as part of contemporary Latinx popular culture. Day of the Dead blends indigenous religious and cultural rituals with customs surrounding the Catholic holy days:
- November 1: All Saints’ Day (prayers said to saints and martyrs)
- November 1: Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels, dedicated to souls of deceased children)
- November 2: All Souls’ Day (prayers and offerings made to deceased relatives and friends, especially for souls in Purgatory)
During this yearly event, cemeteries are cleaned. Home and public altars or ofrendas (offerings) are built to honor the dead, who they attract with food, drink, candles, incense, marigold flowers, and objects once favored in their lives.
The Viva la Vida Street Festival is composed of four major areas at 4th and Congress: Calavera Central, Muertos Mercado, Fantastical Makers Plaza, and Lowrider Lane. Each location offers exciting ways to celebrate Día de Los Muertos.
The Parade brings together a vibrant and varied mix of the traditional, contemporary, and Austin “weird”. The Procession – including costumes, props, live music, dancers, and floats – marches down historic 6th Street and culminates at E. 4th Street and Congress Avenue.
Mexic-Arte Museum is thrilled to invite parade participants & volunteers to take part in the annual Vida la Vida parade and festival! Sign up for a chance to help make this event possible.
Participate in the Muertos Mercado, featuring over 20 Día de los Muertos inspired artists, artisans, vendors, and makers! The Muertos Mercado will also include vendors with delicious treats to try.
