Oct. 28, 2023 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
Parade staging: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Parade launch: 12:00pm; Noon
Grand Procession: 12:00–1:00pm
Location & Route: The parade will gather on 6th street between I-35 Southbound Frontage Road and Red River street, and travel west on 6th street to the festival location at 4th and Congress.
Admission: FREE
For any questions please contact:
The Special section and 2023 theme is La Catrina
Detail of Calavera Catrina, José Guadalupe Posada. Zinc etching, 1910.
La Catrina appeared as a zinc etching originally created by José Guadalupe Posada for a satirical leaflet produced in 1910. While most of his work was unknown during his life, Posada’s images were reintroduced to the public by Jean Charlot and Diego Rivera. Rivera popularized La Calavera Catrina in his mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park (1947), and she has since become a time honored symbol for Día de los Muertos that is embraced and celebrated by millions every year.
The Grand Procession brings together a vibrant and varied mix of traditional, ancient, 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.
The categories for this years event are:
- Intro – Special Section (La Catrina)
- Pre-Columbian – A tribute to pre-columbian ancestors
- Mexico Lindo y Las Americas – Homage to Mexican & Las Americas traditions and icons
- Chicanx – Si Se Puede! – Homage to deceased Mexican American, Hispanic, Latinx/a/o, Chicanx/a/o and culture
- Austin Weird – Everything and anything that’s part of our Austin community.
All parade participants must agree to the following terms and conditions before beginning registration:
- Each designated section (Fridas, Catrinas, Tejanxs, etc.) must stay together for the entire length of the parade.
- Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
- No alcoholic beverages or glass containers are permitted.
- No disorderly conduct, or offensive language/materials.
- No candles or fire.
- All dogs and other pets must be on a leash or held for the duration of the procession.
- Participants are not allowed to throw candy, toys, or any other materials to parade viewers.
- Participants agree to abide by disassemble instructions provide by Mexic-Arte Museum.
Pre-Columbian Americas refers to the time period when indigenous civilizations flourished in the Americas, such as the Aztec, Maya, Toltec, Olmec, Mixtec, and Inca. During these times, death was not feared, but rather celebrated and ritualized. Life, full of uncertainty and hardship, was a passage or journey to a heavenly afterlife. Participants in this category among others includes: Aztec and Matachine Dancers, Drumming, and Chihuahua Dog Associations.
The beginning of Porfirio Díaz’s rule in Mexico resulted in the creation of a new Mexican national identity based on its Pre-Columbian past and manifested in Mexico’s modern arts. In 1913, José Guadalupe Posada created a famous print called “La Calavera de la Catrina” as a parody of a Mexican upper class female. In addition to the indigenous and Catholic traditions, the satirical portrayal of death in the form of a skeleton has since become associated with The Day of the Dead. This section includes La Catrina, Soldaderas, Revolucionarios, Frida Kahlo, and Ballet Folklorico.
Celebrate icons, symbols and culture that represent Chicanismo. Chicanismo was shaped by a number of intellectuals and influential activists such as Ritchie Valens, Sylvia Rivera, and Dolores Huerta. As well as by the artistic and political sphere, and the many contributors to the ideology collaborated to create a strong sense of self-identity within the Chicano community!
Happening now in Austin! Be a part of history and help us create a new fusion of Mexican Día de los Muertos and American Halloween traditions. Austin Weird category includes everything else.