Muertos Fest Opens Tonight at Hemisfair: More Than 80 Altars, a Quieter First Two Hours
The free Día de los Muertos festival opens Friday night with ¡Presente! A Night to Remember — sensory-friendly altar viewing from 5 to 7 p.m., a Goodwill San Antonio fashion show, and the first of three days expected to draw more than 100,000 people downtown.
Muertos Fest opens tonight at Hemisfair, and Friday night belongs to the altars. The 2026 celebration begins with ¡Presente! A Night to Remember, an evening centered on the festival's large-scale outdoor altar exhibition — more than 80 tributes created by local families, schools, artists and community organizations, each telling the story of a person, a family or a community figure being remembered. The festival runs from 5 to 11 p.m. tonight and continues Saturday and Sunday; admission is free and the event is held rain or shine.
The first two hours tonight are deliberately quieter. Sensory-friendly viewing hours run from 5 to 7 p.m., offering a calmer opportunity to experience the displays before the evening's larger performances begin. Friday's program also includes a Goodwill San Antonio fashion show featuring Día de los Muertos-inspired designs and musical performances on the main stage.
Founded in 2013, Muertos Fest has grown into San Antonio's signature Día de los Muertos celebration and one of the largest Day of the Dead events in the United States, and organizers expect more than 100,000 people across the weekend under this year's theme, "Remember. Honor. Celebrate." The observance itself, traditionally marked on November 1 and 2, centers on remembrance — families honor loved ones who have died with altars carrying photographs, candles, marigolds, papel picado, pan de muerto and favorite foods.
The full festival follows on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m., with five stages of music, dance and poetry, workshops and children's activities, and the Muertos Mercado's more than 75 art vendors. The festival's two signature processions — entries must commemorate a person or group who has died, and motorized vehicles and commercial displays are not permitted — step off at 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. This year's nonprofit partner, Letras en la Frontera, brings back the Day of the Dead Bookstore with UNAM San Antonio.
Downtown parking is expected to be limited, and attendees are encouraged to consider VIA Metropolitan Transit, ride-sharing, carpooling, bicycling or walking. Visitors may bring blankets, but chairs and coolers are not permitted; food and beverages are available for purchase, and festival maps and updates are posted at MuertosFest.com.
