Day of the Dead in Rosarito: “La Última Fiesta” and the Cabalgata de las Ánimas

Rosarito celebrates Day of the Dead with the second edition of its Festival de Muertos, “La Última Fiesta”, organized by the city’s Municipal Institute of Art and Culture (IMAC). It runs Sunday, November 1, 2026, 1:00-8:00 p.m. on the esplanade of the Centro Cultural Rosarito, downtown: community altars, traditional food and live music. Singer Galia Medina closes the night with mariachi, along with the contemporary dance company Danza de las Sombras. Admission is free.

The highlight is the catrinas on horseback: the Cabalgata de las Ánimas, organized by IMAC with the Vaqueros de Rosarito riders’ group. According to IMAC director Denisse Carrizoza Ornelas, about 50 riders dress up as catrines and decorate their horses. They leave the René Ortiz Campoy sports field at 2:00 p.m. and ride along Blvd. Benito Juárez to the cultural center; you can watch along the avenue or wait for them at the festival. One outlet (SanDiegoRed) places the start at “the Emiliano Zapata fields”; if you want to see the start, confirm with IMAC.

The route starts the night before at the Rosarito Beach Hotel with its ticketed Noche de Catrinas on Saturday, October 31, and ends on Saturday, November 7 in Puerto Nuevo with the “Entre Calacas, coplas y versos” art exhibition. The 2025 festival was held at Parque Abelardo L. Rodríguez; in 2026 it moves to the Centro Cultural Rosarito.

Tips: wear comfortable shoes, bring a jacket (evenings on the coast are windy) and cash for the food stalls. These are family events; keep a respectful distance from the horses during the parade.

Your Day of the Dead route

1. Friday, October 30 · 6:00 p.m.to be confirmed

   “Honrando a Nuestros Muertos” at CEART Rosarito

   Fifth edition of this bohemian evening at the State Arts Center: a traditional altar is unveiled and there is a guided walk through the MEXAYOTL exhibition. Free. Only one source has published it (Ecos de Rosarito); check with CEART before going.

2. Saturday, October 31 · 6:00 p.m.

   Noche de Catrinas at the Rosarito Beach Hotel

   Buffet dinner, La Sonora Con Dinamita, a folkloric catrina ballet parade and a contest with prizes in the Salón Mexicano. Ticketed ($863.80 MXN on Eventbrite).

3. Sunday, November 1 · 1:00-8:00 p.m.

   “La Última Fiesta” festival and Cabalgata de las Ánimas (2:00 p.m.)

   Community altars, traditional food and music on the Centro Cultural Rosarito esplanade; at 2:00 p.m. about 50 riders dressed as catrines leave the René Ortiz Campoy sports field along Blvd. Benito Juárez. Free.

4. Saturday, November 7 · 3:00 p.m.

   “Entre Calacas, coplas y versos” exhibition in Puerto Nuevo

   Opening of new work by local artist and poet Francisco Cabello at the Puerto Nuevo Art Gallery (Primo Tapia district, near the restaurant strip), with verses read by writer Daniel Salinas. Free.

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