Join the Mexic-Arte Museum for the 42nd Annual Viva la Vida Festival & Parade, Austin’s longest-running Día de los Muertos celebration. This vibrant, community-centered event weaves tradition, creativity, and public participation into a single day of color, movement, and remembrance.

The festivities begin at noon with the Grand Procession, where costumed marchers, floats, dancers, puppets, and live musicians wind through downtown streets—a moving, visual tribute to ancestors and the cycle of life.

Throughout the afternoon (12 p.m. – 6 p.m.), attendees can explore multiple festival zones, including:

Education Pavilion with hands-on art workshops and demos

Muertos Mercado featuring local artists, artisans, and vendors

Lowrider Lane / Exhibitions showcasing custom cars, bikes, and car culture

Live performances across stages—music, dance, theater, and cultural showcases

Food & traditional eats available from vendor booths

This year’s special focus is “Flores de la ofrenda” (Flowers for the Altar)—celebrating the floral symbolism in Día de los Muertos. Marigolds (cempasúchil), chrysanthemums, cockscomb (terciopelo), carnations, and baby’s breath each carry meaning in tradition, and they transform the altars and procession into scented, living art pieces aligned with the museum’s fall exhibition En lo más negro del verano (In the Darkest Domain of Summer).

The event is free and open to all. It’s family-friendly and invites participants to embrace cultural heritage, creative expression, and communal remembrance. Bring your energy, wear costumes or traditional attire if you like, and walk with us through Austin in honor of those who came before.