From spine-chilling ghost stories to costumed zombies, mythical dogs and candlelit concerts, Mexico City comes alive with the spirit of the season each fall.
This year, the capital offers no shortage of ways to celebrate Halloween and Día de Muertos, whether you’re looking for an immersive journey into the city’s darker legends, a playful parade of the undead, a celebration of the legendary Xoloitzcuintle, or a more atmospheric evening of music.
Here are four events to put on your calendar this October and early November.
Mexico City’s Turibus turns terrifying
By day, Mexico City’s Turibus is a cheerful crash course in the capital’s most iconic landmarks, neighborhoods and sprawling geography. But once the sun goes down, the familiar red bus will take a decidedly darker turn.
Every Saturday and Sunday evening throughout October — plus Nov. 1 and 2 — Turibus Terror invites brave passengers aboard for a journey into Mexico City’s darkest legends, haunted histories and otherworldly mysteries. From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., the city becomes a backdrop for an evening of eerie encounters and immersive storytelling.
The circuit weaves together some of the capital’s most chilling lore with guided visits to Posada del Sol, Casa Negra, Fidel Mansion and the Land of the Goblins House. Along the way, live actors and immersive experiences blur the line between sightseeing and something more sinister.
As Turibus puts it: “The best legends are the ones that make you feel part of the story.”
Dates: 7 p.m. — 11 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in October, plus Nov. 1 and 2.
Location: Tours depart from the Turibus stop at the Ángel de la Independencia.
Cost: 799 pesos, including the tour and a hamburger and French fries dinner. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Turibus’ website.
Join the 19th annual CDMX Zombie March
If Turibus Terror doesn’t sound immersive enough, perhaps Mexico City’s 19th annual Zombie March is more up your fog-filled alley.
Beginning at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, the city’s undead — and those willing to join them — will descend on the Monumento a la Revolución. Expect a spectacle of playfully gruesome costumes, from classic zombies and fungus monsters to creature-feature icons, half-dead sports stars and whatever else emerges from the city’s macabre imagination.
The festivities will build throughout the day with activities including Monstrous Aura Battles and a Horror Runway show, before the main event: at 4 p.m., the horde will stagger, shuffle and lurch its way toward the Zócalo in the Historic Center, roughly a 30-minute march through the city.
Mexico City’s traditional horror houses at kermeses (and why you should never visit them)
This year’s edition comes with an international twist. According to organizers, Marcha Zombie México is launching a new partnership with Spain’s Zombie Walk, presented by the Galician Freaky Film Festival — giving Mexico City’s undead a chance to join forces with their European counterparts.
Date: Sunday, Oct. 18. Gathering begins at 10 a.m.; the march kicks off at 4 p.m.
Location: Monumento a la Revolución (Pl. de la República s/n, Tabacalera, Cuauhtémoc, 06030 Ciudad de México, CDMX)
Cost: The event is free, but participants are encouraged to bring a 1-kilo donation of rice, beans, or non-perishable food for Alimento Para Todos. For more information, visit the official Marcha Zombie México Facebook page.
A dog’s Day of the Dead
Some of us would rather spend the afterlife with dogs than humans. Enter Mexico City’s first annual Xoloitzcuintle Dog Festival, a nearly week-long celebration of one of Mexico’s most distinctive and mythologically fascinating animals.
Organized by the capital’s Secretariat for Indigenous Peoples, Neighborhoods and Resident Indigenous Communities (SEPI), with support from local institutions and museums, the festival will take over Mexico City’s Historic Center and feature a program exploring the “Xolo” through history, science, music and art. The full lineup is still under wraps, but the theme is already hard to resist.
The Xoloitzcuintle — or Xolo, for short — is Mexico’s iconic hairless dog, a breed whose history stretches back centuries. In pre-Hispanic Mexico, Xolos were revered as companions and guides for the dead, believed to accompany their human counterparts on the journey into the afterlife.
The connection is more than legend. According to Raúl Valadez Azúa, a researcher at UNAM’s Paleozoology Laboratory, the earliest references to xolos date to the 7th century AD, when they were associated with funerary contexts and served as guardians of sacred spaces.
Simply put, if you’re looking for the perfect Día de Muertos companion, this particular dog has been preparing for the job for a very, very long time.
Dates: Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, with an inaugural event at 5 p.m. on Oct. 27
Location: Mexico City’s Historic Center
Cost: Additional details will be released via SEPI’s official Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Drew Pittock serves as Mexico News Daily’s features director. He is based in Mexico City. Have an idea for a feature story or unique event in CDMX? Send an email to drew.pittock@mexiconewsdaily.com.
