When is Día de los Muertos 2026?
Día de los Muertos — the Day of the Dead — is celebrated on November 1 and 2. The countdown runs to midnight at the start of Sunday, November 1, 2026, in your own time zone.
- Día de los Muertos falls on November 1 and 2 every year — a Sunday and a Monday in 2026.
- Families remember relatives who have died with ofrendas: home altars of photographs, candles, favourite foods, pan de muerto and orange cempasúchil marigolds, whose colour and scent are said to guide the spirits home.
- November 1 is often set aside for children who have died and November 2 for adults, and in many towns the vigil begins on the evening of October 31.
- UNESCO lists Mexico's Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Day of the Dead dates for the next five years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | November 1, 2026 | Sunday |
| 2027 | November 1, 2027 | Monday |
| 2028 | November 1, 2028 | Wednesday |
| 2029 | November 1, 2029 | Thursday |
| 2030 | November 1, 2030 | Friday |
Day of the Dead countdown FAQ
When is Day of the Dead?
Día de los Muertos is celebrated every year on November 1 and 2. In 2026 that is Sunday, November 1, 2026, and Monday, November 2, 2026. Many families begin preparing their ofrendas in the last days of October.
How many days until Día de los Muertos?
There are 4 days until Día de los Muertos on Sunday, November 1, 2026, counting whole days on the clock. The countdown above shows the exact days, hours, minutes and seconds, and updates live in your time zone.
Is Day of the Dead the same as Halloween?
No. They fall close together, but Halloween grew out of All Hallows' Eve, while Día de los Muertos blends Indigenous Mexican traditions with the Catholic All Saints' and All Souls' Days. It is a time of remembrance rather than fear: families welcome the memory of loved ones home with food, music, marigolds and candlelight.
How is Día de los Muertos celebrated?
Families build ofrendas at home, clean and decorate graves with marigolds and candles, and gather in cemeteries to share food and stories. Sugar skulls (calaveras), pan de muerto, papel picado and playful verses called calaveritas are all part of the days.
Does the countdown use my time zone?
Yes. The clock counts down to midnight at the start of the day in the time zone set on your device, so it reaches zero at the same moment the day begins where you are. Someone in another country sharing the same link counts down to their own midnight.
More countdowns
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