Día de los Muertos in Los Cabos, 2026
A clear guide to Día de Muertos events in Los Cabos this year. Start with a bookable dinner at Zadún, then explore the other confirmed celebrations and the annual favorites still to be announced.
Día de Muertos at El Barrio, Zadún
Monday 2 November, 6:00pm to 10:30pm · Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, San José del Cabo
A dinner celebrating memory and Mexican tradition with live music and cultural rituals. Adults are $2,850 MXN and children are $950 MXN, including tax and service. Reserve the specific Día de Muertos experience, not a regular El Barrio table.
The short version
- The holiday is November 1 and 2. Halloween on October 31 runs into it, so the whole stretch reads as one long weekend here.
- San José del Cabo is the traditional side. Medano Beach is the spectacle side. They are different nights out and you can do both.
- Zadún has opened reservations for its November 2 dinner at El Barrio.
- Book the specific event experience when you reserve; a standard restaurant table may not include it.
THE MEANING BEHIND THE CELEBRATION
A welcome home for those we remember
Día de Muertos is a time to remember loved ones who have died. In many Mexican communities, families prepare to welcome them back for a brief visit through stories, food, flowers and light. It can be joyful and colorful without losing its deeply personal meaning.
How the tradition took shape
There is no single origin story that covers every community. Peoples across what is now Mexico honored the dead long before the Spanish arrived. The November 1 and 2 dates came with the Catholic observances of All Saints and All Souls during the colonial period. Over centuries, local practices and those calendar dates came together in different ways.
That is why an altar in one town may look different from one in another. UNESCO recognizes the Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead as living cultural heritage, shaped and renewed by the communities that practice it.
What an ofrenda says
An ofrenda is an offering, not a decoration for Halloween. A family may set out photographs, water, favorite foods, candles and cempasúchil marigolds to remember particular people and welcome them home. Some families also visit and tend graves. The details and timing vary by place and family.
Experiencing it in Cabo
Public altars and gatherings in San José del Cabo can be a meaningful introduction. Take time to read who is being honored, ask before photographing people or family offerings, and leave the altar untouched. A themed dinner can be a lovely evening, but the remembrance at the heart of the holiday comes first.
Learn more from UNESCO and Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History: UNESCO · INAH
More confirmed events for 2026
These events have published 2026 details. Check the organizer before traveling because schedules can change.
10th Annual Day of the Dead Altar Competition
Monday 2 November, 6:00pm to 10:00pm · Flora Farms, San José del Cabo
Altars displayed across the farm, with the cocktail party and awards by The Shops. The ticket covers food and entertainment but not drinks, and there is a cash bar. Kids 3 to 12 are $525 MXN and under 3 are free.
Verified on flora-farms.com
Halloween at El Squid Roe
Saturday 31 October · Downtown Cabo San Lucas
The big downtown costume night, right before the two days of Muertos. Their own page says plans change year to year, so confirm the contest details for your date before you build an evening around it.
Verified on elsquidroe.com
Expected, not yet announced
These run every year and are worth waiting for. We would rather tell you they are not public yet than hand you last year's poster.
Taboo, Rosa Negra, Chambao and Mamazzita
Grupo Rosa Negra put on the biggest production in town last year, a full beachfront spectacle on Medano with fire ritual, a Catrina fashion show and fireworks over the water. They announce in October, so the 2026 version is not public yet.
The San José del Cabo Art District
The most traditional side of the holiday here. Altars, music and families in the historic centre, and the part of the weekend that is actually about remembrance rather than a party.
Resort and hotel altars
Most of the bigger properties build an ofrenda and run something on the night, usually announced only a few weeks out and often only to guests.
We will get you in
Want help pairing dinner with the rest of the evening? Send your dates and headcount and our concierge will help plan it.
Talk to your conciergeQuestions we get
- When is Día de los Muertos 2026 in Cabo?
- November 1 and 2, as it is everywhere in Mexico. November 1 remembers children, November 2 remembers adults. In Los Cabos the weekend effectively starts on Halloween, October 31, because the downtown clubs run costume nights and a lot of visitors treat the whole stretch as one event.
- Which Día de Muertos events can I book now?
- Zadún has published its November 2 dinner at El Barrio and has a reservation link. We separate other confirmed events from annual favorites whose 2026 details are still unannounced.
- Is Día de los Muertos the same as Halloween?
- No, and it is worth knowing the difference before you turn up. Halloween is an import and in Cabo it is mostly a costume party. Día de los Muertos is a remembrance: families build ofrendas with photographs, marigolds, food and drink the person loved. The public celebrations are genuinely joyful rather than sombre, but the meaning underneath is family, not fancy dress.
- Should I book dinner now?
- Yes, especially if you want Zadún on November 2. Use the event-specific reservation link above, or send us your dates if you would like help choosing a dinner and planning the rest of the night.
- Can I bring kids?
- To the cultural side, absolutely, and it is one of the better things you can show them here. Flora Farms prices tickets for children, and the San José del Cabo celebrations are family events. The Medano beach club productions are a night out for adults.
