Little Village and Pilsen mark Día de los Muertos this weekend, Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, with ofrendas inside 26th Street businesses, the 19th Carrera de los Muertos 5K, and two memorial bike rides honoring neighbors killed in traffic crashes. Nearly every event is free, and most take place on Saturday.
Key Takeaways
- Xempasúchil runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 31 and November 1, with ofrendas, free traditional food and photo booths at Little Village businesses.
- The 19th UNO Carrera de los Muertos 5K starts at 8 a.m. October 31 at Benito Juárez Community Academy in Pilsen.
- Gage Park Cyclists rides at 10 a.m. October 31 to visit ghost bikes on the Southwest Side.
- The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization holds its first Ofrendas in Motion ride from 10 a.m. to noon November 1 along 26th Street.
- The National Museum of Mexican Art’s free Día de Muertos exhibition stays open through November 29.
Xempasúchil Opens Ofrendas Along 26th Street On October 31 And November 1
Xempasúchil, named for the marigold that colors Día de los Muertos altars, turns the Little Village commercial strip into a weekend-long walking route. The Little Village Chamber of Commerce organizes the event, officially titled Xempasúchil: Día de los Muertos en la Calle 26, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
Participating businesses set up traditional ofrendas, the home altars families build with photographs, candles, flowers and the favorite foods of loved ones who have died. Visitors can expect free traditional food and drinks, commemorative photo booths, and costumed Catrinas and Catrines inside the stores.
The format reflects what 26th Street has long been: a corridor where family businesses carry the neighborhood’s culture. Holding the celebration inside those shops, rather than on a single stage, sends visitors door to door along a street the chamber promotes as the heart of Little Village.
Carrera de los Muertos 5K Marks Its 19th Year In Pilsen
On Saturday morning, the United Neighborhood Organization holds the 19th UNO Carrera de los Muertos, or Race of the Dead, 5K. The race starts at 8 a.m. at Benito Juárez Community Academy, 1450 to 1510 W. Cermak Road.
Runner activities, including gear check, food sales and face painting, open at 6 a.m., and entertainment begins at 7 a.m. The course takes runners and walkers past Pilsen’s murals, with live Latin music, folkloric dance groups and Chicago house music DJs along the route.
Awards are presented on the main stage at 9:40 a.m., followed by a post-race party with Mexican and Latin American food and Día de los Muertos activities for children. The event wraps up at 11:30 a.m., leaving time to head to 26th Street for Xempasúchil.
Two Bike Rides Turn Remembrance Into A Call For Safer Streets
Two Southwest Side groups are using the holiday to honor people killed in traffic crashes. Both are asking officials to invest in street-safety upgrades.
Gage Park Cyclists hosts a Día de los Muertos ride at 10 a.m. Saturday. The route visits several ghost bikes, the white-painted bicycles placed where cyclists have been killed, across the Southwest Side.
On Sunday, the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization holds its first Ofrendas in Motion ride from 10 a.m. to noon. Riders are invited to decorate their bikes as ofrendas and follow a route of about two miles along the 26th Street commercial corridor, starting at La Villita Farm. The ride passes directly through the Xempasúchil celebration.
LVEJO’s analysis of city traffic data found that 17 people were killed and 201 were seriously injured in traffic crashes in Little Village from 2020 to 2024. The organization frames the ride as a way to honor those neighbors while making the case for safer streets. The pairing makes sense: Día de los Muertos is about keeping the dead present in community life, and the ride carries that idea onto the street where many of those crashes happened.
Museum Exhibition Anchors The Season Through November 29
For visitors who want context before or after the weekend, the 40th annual Día de Muertos exhibition at the National Museum of Mexican Art runs through November 29 at 1852 W. 19th St. in Pilsen. Admission is free.
This year’s exhibition, Where Memory Lives: 40 Years of Día de Muertos, draws on the museum’s Permanent Collection and honors Dr. Gilberto Cárdenas, a Chicano Studies scholar who died in 2026. The museum describes the holiday as rooted in ancient Mesoamerican beliefs and Catholicism, with each region of Mexico adding its own customs over centuries. Youth artists from Yollocalli Arts Reach designed the courtyard installation, where visitors can add a note, drawing or memory to a community ofrenda.
Weekend Schedule Across Pilsen And Little Village
Saturday, October 31
- 6 a.m.: Carrera de los Muertos runner activities open at Benito Juárez Community Academy.
- 8 a.m.: The 5K starts.
- 10 a.m.: Gage Park Cyclists Día de los Muertos ride.
- 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Xempasúchil along 26th Street.
Sunday, November 1
- 10 a.m. to noon: Ofrendas in Motion ride from La Villita Farm.
- 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Xempasúchil along 26th Street.
FAQs
When Is Día de los Muertos In 2026?
Día de los Muertos is observed November 1 and 2, which fall on a Sunday and a Monday in 2026. In Chicago, most neighborhood celebrations take place over the weekend of October 31 and November 1.
Where Can I Celebrate Día de los Muertos In Chicago This Weekend?
Little Village hosts Xempasúchil along 26th Street on October 31 and November 1, and Pilsen hosts the Carrera de los Muertos 5K on October 31. The National Museum of Mexican Art’s free exhibition is open through November 29.
What Time Does The Carrera de los Muertos 5K Start?
The race starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, October 31, at Benito Juárez Community Academy, 1450 to 1510 W. Cermak Road. Runner activities open at 6 a.m.
Is The National Museum of Mexican Art’s Día de Muertos Exhibition Free?
Yes. Where Memory Lives: 40 Years of Día de Muertos is free and runs through November 29 at the museum in Pilsen.
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