Mexico City Parade Draws 1.6 Million to Celebrate Decade of Day of the Dead

The grey asphalt of Paseo de la Reforma disappeared under a tide of purple, orange, and yellow costumes on Saturday afternoon.

More than 1.6 million people, including residents and international tourists, packed the avenues of Mexico City for the tenth edition of the Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos. The event ran from 2:00 p.m. local time, starting at the Diana Cazadora roundabout and ending at the Zócalo. Four thousand artists participated in the procession, which featured giant skeletons, floating platforms, and performers wearing feathered headdresses.

The parade has a cinematic origin. It was inspired by a scene in the James Bond film Spectre, where the protagonist walks through a crowd of people dressed as the dead. Miguel Ángel Mancera, the former mayor of Mexico City who served from 2012 to 2018, organized the first event. He recalled that after the movie released, residents began asking him when the parade would happen. The tradition has since shifted from a quiet family observance centered on grave visits to a massive public spectacle.

The economic impact of the festivities is substantial. The Day of the Dead celebrations are projected to generate 53 billion pesos, or approximately $2.944 billion, in revenue for the city. That figure represents a 7% increase over the previous year. Vendors of crafts and accessories set up informal markets near the route. Makeup artists were a particular draw, transforming faces into stylized skulls for $11 each. Angie Covarrubias, a 29-year-old artist, worked through a line of eight waiting customers while painting a tourist.

Visitors expressed strong enthusiasm for the event. Isabel Halsey, a 37-year-old American, described the atmosphere as colorful, dramatic, and wild. Naomi Tomi, a 27-year-old tourist from Japan, said the experience exceeded her expectations after seeing the 2017 animated film Coco. Roberto Montalvo, an academic at Iberoamerican University, noted that the tradition is adapting to attract foreign visitors. Heidi Meza, a local resident who has attended since 2021, observed that the event functions as a performance for outsiders. She suggested that those seeking the original, intimate tradition should travel to regions like Michoacán.

The celebration concluded at the Zócalo, where a monumental Catrina statue standing more than 33 meters tall watched over the crowd. The city of approximately 9.1 million inhabitants hosted the event without major disruptions, marking the first decade of the parade.