On the River Walk, the Día de los Muertos Tradition Trail Enters Its Final Days: Ten Alebrijes, Ten Calaveras and One Last Río de la Vida Cruise on Sunday
The River Walk's month-long Day of the Dead trail runs through Monday, November 2 — and Sunday brings its final guided river cruise at 7:30 p.m. and the 38.5-foot Catrina at La Villita, the official trail program says.
San Antonio's longest Día de los Muertos installation is in its final days downtown. The Day of the Dead Tradition Trail, presented by Community First Health Plans, runs along the San Antonio River Walk from October 2 through Monday, November 2, according to the River Walk's official trail program, read in full this cycle — a self-guided route of colorful alebrijes, larger-than-life calaveras, meaningful altars and specialty culinary experiences.
The program maps ten alebrije locations at river level — across from the Briscoe Western Art Museum, outside the International Building and Hard Rock Cafe, at the River Walk Streetcar Station, Stargazer Bridge and the Rivercenter Lagoon among them — and ten calavera locations, from outside the Westin Riverwalk and Casa Rio to the Arneson River Theatre stage and the corner of Houston and Losoya at street level. At La Villita Historic Arts Village stands the trail's giant: a Catrina 38.5 feet tall, created by Mexican artists Jesus and Amauri Sanabria, which the program calls the second-largest Calavera Catrina in the world after Puerto Vallarta's 74-foot record holder.
Sunday is the trail's last full day of programming. The Río de la Vida guided GO RIO cruise — 45 to 50 minutes on the symbolism and stories behind the installations, with a beverage included in the ticket — makes its final sailing of the season on Sunday, November 1, at 7:30 p.m.; the cruises have run Tuesdays and Sundays since October 4. The trail itself stays up through Monday, alongside the weekend's neighborhood observances the station has covered separately at Pearl, Market Square and the Rinconcito de Esperanza.
