"We need your help and support to continue to share this longstanding series of events with the South Valley Community of Albuquerque." That line is on the homepage of Muertos y Marigolds, the group behind the South Valley Día de los Muertos Celebration and Marigold Procession. This year is the 34th. It falls on Sunday, November 1, at Westside Community Center, 1250 Isleta Blvd SW.
Old Town also celebrates that Sunday, and its festival runs ten days. The two share a date and a tradition. What they don't share is where the money comes from or what they ask of you. Old Town is set up to welcome visitors. The South Valley procession is built by the people who come to make things for it, and that making happens on Saturdays that are now nearly over.
Thirty-four years on about $12,000
According to Bernalillo County, Sandra and Jorge Rodriguez started Muertos y Marigolds in 1993 to build community in the South Valley and bring Día de los Muertos traditions back into use. It began as a small neighborhood procession. The arts workshops came later.
Today the organizers say the procession, the celebration, the ofrenda exhibit and the workshop series cost about $12,000 a year. That covers materials, artists, rentals, equipment and staff. The event gets in-kind support from Bernalillo County and some community organizations. The organizers say that support has shrunk over the last few years because the state government and other agencies cut their budgets, so they now depend more on donated time and money.
They describe the work in their own mission statement:
"To promote cultural exchange through intergenerational learning and expression through art, music, food, dance and political satire; To promote pride in South Valley cultural identity through our grassroots, non-corporate organizing."
A non-corporate event running on a five-figure budget can't buy its own atmosphere. Most of what you'll see on November 1 is made by hand in the weeks before.
The Saturday that's left
Since mid-September, the workshop series has met every Saturday at two places: the National Hispanic Cultural Center and the Gutierrez-Hubbell House. By the time this reaches you, most of the 2026 schedule has already happened:
| Date | Workshop | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 12 | Woodblock Printing | Gutierrez-Hubbell House |
| Sep 19 | Paper Mache I | National Hispanic Cultural Center |
| Sep 26 | Paper Mache Part II + Altars | National Hispanic Cultural Center |
| Oct 3 | Poetry | Gutierrez-Hubbell House |
| Oct 10 | Papel Picado | National Hispanic Cultural Center |
| Oct 17 | Mosaics | National Hispanic Cultural Center |
| Oct 24 | Screen Printing | Gutierrez-Hubbell House |
That leaves one. Screen Printing is on Saturday, October 24, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Gutierrez-Hubbell House. If you've meant to take part in the South Valley procession instead of watching it, this is your last scheduled chance this year.
The Gutierrez-Hubbell House, at 6029 Isleta Blvd SW, also hosts this year's ofrenda show. "Exhibit Opening: Dia de los Muertos-Ofrendas Comunitarias & Cultural Traditions" opened October 3, and the event listing gives admission as free. If you go on October 24 for the screen printing, you can see the altars too.
Old Town is built for ten days of visitors
Old Town's festival comes at the season from the other side. Día de los Muertos in Old Town runs October 30 through November 8 at Historic Old Town Plaza, 200 N. Plaza St. NW. Visit Albuquerque lists it among the Signature Event grantees in its 2026 tourism grant program, in the same group as the Balloon Fiesta. The event page carries logos for Visit Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and Nusenda Credit Union.
With that backing, Old Town can run features every day of the festival:
- The Marigold Mile: more than 15,000 feet of marigold garland strung along beams, vigas, lights and adobe walls.
- An ofrenda tour: more than 30 altars in patios and portals all over Old Town.
- Papier-mâché sculptures by JOMO: La Catrina, the Tree of Life and El Xolo Dog, plus a new sculpture for 2026 that hasn't been revealed yet. You can see more of JOMO's work at Doublecat Oddities in the Plazuela Sombra patio.
- A community ofrenda: set up in the gazebo in the middle of the plaza.
On top of those, Old Town lists Family Day on both Saturdays, with free showings of "Coco" in the church courtyard. It also lists the Globitos Candlelight Glow, with model hot air balloons about 20 feet tall, the Catrina Procession, and the Dance of the Matachines, which moves to a spot where it's easier to see. The Saturdays are October 31 and November 7.
Old Town's full daily schedule for 2026 isn't posted yet. The organizers say it will follow the same structure as the 2023 through 2025 schedules, which are still on their site.
Where the two meet on November 1
There's one place where Old Town asks the community to build something. For two nights only, November 1 and 2, the plaza becomes Plaza de los Recuerdos. Community members set up altars and ofrendas there, and spots require a sign-up and are limited. Old Town describes families gathering among more than 50 community-built ofrendas while a curandero offers a blessing. On November 2, a candlelight procession for loved ones starts 30 minutes after sundown, and everyone is welcome.
That means a single Sunday can include both. The South Valley celebration runs from noon to 4 p.m., and Plaza de los Recuerdos opens that night.
Before you plan around the South Valley procession, check one detail. The organizer's site lists the parade at 12 p.m. The City of Albuquerque's Hispanic Heritage Month calendar lists it at 2 p.m. Last year, KRQE listed the procession at 2 p.m. inside a noon-to-4 celebration at the same community center. Get there by noon and you're covered either way.
No 2026 route has been posted. In 2025, KUNM reported that the procession would move through the South Valley, with vendors selling goods near Westside Community Center. The Albuquerque Journal's photo gallery from that day shows people walking in the procession and playing Loteria at the center.
Smaller stops across town
If your weekend can't stretch to Isleta Boulevard or the plaza, a few events across the city fit around a regular week. ABQ Mom's guide lists these:
- Thursday, October 29, 3 p.m.: Día de los Muertos Craft at South Broadway Library.
- Saturday, October 31, 11 a.m.: Dia de los Muertos Marigolds at Juan Tabo Library.
- Saturday, November 7, 3 p.m.: a Family Movie showing of "Coco" at International District Library.
For an adult workshop, Luminaria Art Studio is teaching a Día de los Muertos Retablo class on October 31 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Artisan ABQ, 3017 Monte Vista Blvd NE. The listing puts the cost at $70.
The South Valley procession's donation page is linked from the top of the organizer's site. The organizers also say they're open to other funding ideas, and you can reach them on their social channels or in person at the events.
Part of knowing a city is knowing which traditions run on volunteer Saturdays, and I like keeping track of that across Albuquerque. If you own a home here and wonder what it's worth while the marigolds are up, Property Partners, Inc. can start with an instant home valuation, and I'm happy to talk through what it means.
