1 Honor the dead.

Muertos y Marigolds
Intergenerational learning, community building, pride in local identity, and remembering late loved ones are the anchors of the South Valley Día de los Muertos Celebration y Marigold Parade in Albuquerque. From noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, calaveras take to the streets around the Rio Country Bravo Park—located at Isleta Boulevard and Camino del Valle—creating a colorful procession for this holiday honoring life and death.

“We’re not only asking people to reclaim the practice of celebrating their ancestors, but we’re trying to show people how to do that within their cultural context,” says Xavier Avila, director of Muertos y Marigolds.

Many attendees dress as calavera characters for the celebration rooted in Mexican traditions. Expect thousands of orange and yellow flowers, live music and dance performances, a food truck court, a car hop, family activities, and art vendors at the annual community celebration.

Día de los Muertos on the Plaza in Mesilla
The Calavera Coalition kicks off the weekend of remembrance and celebration on the Old Mesilla Plaza with an all-souls processions Friday at 6:45 p.m. Two full days of festivities on Saturday (10 a.m.–9 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.), includes live music, dance performances, candlelight processions, and more set against a backdrop of marigolds (which are the flower of the dead) and community altars honoring late loved ones.

In tandem with the Mesilla celebration, the Taylor Mesilla Historic Site is hosting a mini-exhibit, Spirit Crossing, featuring educational works that focus on the traditions surrounding Dia de los Muertos.

Día de los Muertos Block Party
Bring mementos to add to the community ofrenda in downtown Farmington during this party hosted by the Northwest New Mexico Arts Council on Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. There will be face painting, bounce houses, live music, food, and storytelling. 

Día de los Muertos at Lincoln Historic Site
See a community ofrenda on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Luna House at the Lincoln Historic Site, where they’ve been celebrating Día de los Muertos for a decade. The party includes live music and a lecture explaining alebrijes, mythical Mexican animals that often appear in carved folk art.

Run to Remember Día de los Muertos 5k
Lace up your running shoes and head to the Los Alamos Cooperative Market to participate in the Run to Remember Día de los Muertos 5k on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. With a community ofrenda and a picture board where attendees can pin photos of their late loved ones, the YMCA run offers a unique and active way to commemorate the holiday. In addition to some exercise, there will be a costume contest and prizes for the fastest runners. You can register the day of the event

Día de los Muertos on the Santa Fe Plaza
Santa Fe marks Día de los Muertos with a party on the Plaza on Friday (4–9 p.m.) and Saturday (noon to 10 p.m.). See the bandstand decorated with papeles picados (colorful papercut artwork hailing from Mexico); mariachis perform; hundreds of marigolds covering the historic space and altars; community ofrendas built by volunteers; a screening of the Disney movie Coco; food trucks; and a candlelit procession.

Sterlin Harjo (left) and Dallas Goldtooth on the set of "Reservation Dogs." Photo by Shane Brown for FX

2 Party with renowned artists. 

The Albuquerque Museum hosts a community fête on Saturday to coincide with the Broken Boxes: A Decade of Art, Action, and Dialogue exhibition. Part Día de los Muertos celebration, part film screening, part dance party, the event features artists pushing boundaries and redefining the art world. 

Mario Ybarra Jr., a Los Angeles–based artist activist, leads a community gathering and art-making activity focused around Día de los Muertos at 2 p.m. It will include food trucks, music, and an old school R&B dance party inspired by his parade float titled, Music My Mom Listened to While Cleaning the House. 

The documentary Love and Fury by award-winning filmmaker and Reservation Dogs director Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Muscogee) will screen at 5 p.m. followed by a Q&A with Harjo and artist Cannupa Hanska Luger (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara).

Balloons and Tunes lands in Artesia this weekend. Courtesy of Artesia Chamber of Commerce Courtesy of Artesia Chamber of Commerce

3 See balloons, enjoy tunes. 

Hot air balloons take to the skies in Artesia during Balloons & Tunes. The 41st annual rally showcases colorful balloons and live music Friday through Sunday. On Friday evening, Balloons, Bands, and Brews takes over downtown on Fifth and Texas from 5 to 9 p.m. See performances from the Artesia High School marching band and cheerleaders, Zeke Montoya, Grady Hodnet, and headliners Hooks & The Huckleberries. On Saturday and Sunday, balloons take off at sunrise from Eagle Draw Park.

Get up close and personal with artists during the Dixon Studio Tour. Photograph by Inga Hendrickson Inga Hendrickson

4 Watch artists work. 

The Embudo Valley is one of the most stunning landscapes in the Land of Enchantment, and home to a rich variety of artists who open their studios during the Dixon Studio Tour. Open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the tour is one of the most established in the state. Expect ceramics, paintings, jewelry, mixed media works, and more.

Discover unique and beautiful weavings made by Diné artists at the Crownpoint Rug Auction. Photograph courtesy of the Navajo Weavers' Association. Photograph courtesy of the Navajo Weavers' Association.

5 Bid on Diné textiles. 

Diné weavers are recognized as some of the most skilled and artistic textile artists in the world. The Crownpoint Rug Auction, which happens in the heart of the Dinétah, offers collectors a unique opportunity to buy Navajo weavings in an auction format. It’s open Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. In addition to weavers, there will be jewelers, ceramicists, and food. 

Read more: For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.