Day of the Dead Festival
Festival Dia de Muertos 2026
The Veronica Robles Cultural Center (VROCC) proudly presents the 2026 Día de Muertos Official Celebration in collaboration with the Mexican Consulate in Boston, the City of Boston, the City of Chelsea, and the ICA Watershed. This event is New England’s largest multi-day, multi-site Day of the Dead celebration, featuring a month-long series of activities leading up to the official observance.
This year marks VROCC’s 14th year honoring this rich tradition as an established nonprofit organization.
Three days of exhibitions in Boston,
and an outdoor festival in Chelsea.
Two experiences, one shared celebration of life, memory, and Mexican culture.
Saturday, October 31 through Monday, November 2nd
Exhibition: Ofrenda – East Boston
FREE & Open to All
This year, our Día de Muertos exhibition will be open to the public for three days.
- Saturday, October 31
Open to the public, 10:00 am–5:00 pm · Concert 2:30–4:00 pm - Sunday, November 1
Open to the public, 10:00 am–5:00 pm - Monday, November 2
Guided tours for groups, 10:00 am–4:00 pm
ICA Watershed, 256 Marginal St, Boston
Sunday, November 1
Festival at Chelsea Sq. Park
Free and open to all community members
Enjoy the festival with your family, friends, and pets. Everyone is welcome — especially those who come dressed as a Catrina!
- Sunday, November 1
- 1:00 – 5:00 PM
📍 Location: Chelsea Square Park, 179 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea
VENDOR & BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
- 🎪 Pre-Register Your Business: Join our community marketplace
- What We’re Looking For: Food vendors, artisans, cultural crafts, traditional music performers
- Vendor Benefits: Access to engaged community, prime event location, cultural celebration atmosphere
About the celebration
Cultural Context
VROCC encourages community action for social justice by offering a safe place where individuals, families, and students of all backgrounds interested in fostering, sharing, and celebrating Latino cultures can come together. Through its cultural programming, VROCC helps to elevate the image of immigrant communities in Boston and, since 2013, has served over 400,000 people.
Origins:
The Day of the Dead tradition predates the arrival of the Spanish conquerors to the American continent. In different cultures, particularly among the Mexican, it was believed that there was a process to be born and another to die. When the soul leaves the physical body, it must go through a series of tests or dimensions to reach the desired rest.
Ofrenda
Families and community members commemorate this holiday by creating Ofrendas, (Day of the Dead altars), to honor the lives of their ancestors and deceased loved ones. These altars include photos of loved ones, candles, water, cempasúchil flower or marigold, sweets, salt, food, and more. Each component represents a part of an ancestral journey and cultural celebration to honor life and death.
La Catrina
This character is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Dia de los Muertos in the modern days. It was created by José Guadalupe Posada, an exceptional painter, caricaturist, engraver, and illustrator born in Aguascalientes in 1852. Posada was famous for his lithographs featuring scenes of death, popular prints, and social caricatures inspired by folklore.
Create your own Ofrenda
We warmly invite your team, organization, or group to participate by creating your own Ofrenda (Offering Altar) as part of our Día de Muertos celebration — a beautiful way to honor your community’s memories while supporting a culturally rich, intergenerational program.
This is a beautiful way to honor your community’s memories while supporting a culturally rich, intergenerational program.
Testimonial
“Participating in one of Veronica Robles Cultural Center’s Día de Los Muertos events in 2024 was an extraordinary experience! We displayed our first Done Vida altar at the altar exhibition, honoring, celebrating, and remembering donor heroes who gave life after passing through organ donation.
This was impactful not only for our donor families but also for our New England Donor Services staff, transplant recipients, volunteers, and the community at large.
It was a perfect opportunity to intertwine our mission of healing and saving lives through organ and tissue donation with one of the most beautiful Hispanic traditions of remembrance, Día de Los Muertos, a celebration where VROCC does exceptional work every year.“
Ingrid Palacios Multicultural Outreach Program Manager New England Donor Services
Popular Posts
Dia de reyes magos
Workshop Marketing Digital para Emprendedores
Zumbaton & bingo
what's new
Latest Articles
Festival Dia de Muertos 2026
Día de Muertos – New England 2026
Experience the beauty of tradition, memory, and community at our Ofrenda Exhibition, Festival, and Parade, featuring guided tours, live music, food vendors, traditional pan de muerto, hot chocolate, and crafts.
Festival Viva Mexico Boston 2026
Experience the heart of Mexico in East Boston!
Join us on Saturday, September 19 for Viva México Boston 2026 — a free, family-friendly festival filled with live mariachi, folkloric dance, traditional food, and a special appearance by Consul General Carlos Iriarte.
Celebrate culture, community, and the spirit of independence from 1 PM to 8 PM at 102 Border St., East Boston.
Festival Viva El Salvador Boston 2026
The Salvadoran celebration is coming to East Boston!
📅 Saturday, October 10
⏰ 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 282 Meridian St. — VROCC
VROCC celebrates Viva El Salvador Festival 2026** with live music 🎶, traditional folk dances 💃, and activities for the whole family 🎉.
An afternoon to honor and celebrate Salvadoran culture and community
