Coral Gables will host two free Día de Muertos celebrations on Saturday, Oct. 31, giving residents a full day to experience Mexico's tradition of remembrance.

A literary altar honoring Nobel Prize-winning poet Octavio Paz opens at the Coral Gables Museum that morning. An evening festival organized by the Consulate General of Mexico in Miami follows at Ponce Circle Park, with music, dance, food and art.

The museum program runs from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 285 Aragon Ave. The park festival runs from 4 to 9 p.m. at 2810 Ponce de Leon Blvd., according to the Coral Gables Gazette.

Both events are free.

Octavio Paz altar at the museum

For the first time, the Coral Gables Museum is presenting a traditional Día de Muertos altar, or ofrenda, in collaboration with the Mexican Cultural Institute in Miami.

Mexican artists Karla Kantorovich and Mónica Czukerberg created the installation, titled "Una ofrenda a la memoria de Octavio Paz." It combines poetry, handmade clay objects, naturally dyed textiles and traditional offerings such as marigolds, candles, copal incense and papel picado, the Gazette reported, citing the museum's description.

The altar draws its inspiration from Paz's 1957 poem "Piedra de Sol" ("Sunstone"). Its 584 lines mirror the roughly 584-day cycle of Venus as seen from Earth. Paz, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1990, also examined Mexico's relationship with mortality in his 1950 book "The Labyrinth of Solitude."

The morning includes a presentation by Kantorovich and Czukerberg, followed by a family celebration in the museum courtyard. Visitors can sample Mexican food and pan de muerto, listen to live guitar music and decorate calaveras (skulls) in a hands-on workshop.

Mictlán festival at Ponce Circle Park

The evening event carries the full title "Mictlán: Día de Muertos 2026 — Un umbral entre mundos" ("A threshold between worlds"). The Consulate General of Mexico in Miami organized it with REED Global Experience and JOY Group, with support from the City of Coral Gables.

The Gazette reported the park will feature eight monumental Catrina figures, marigold arches, animated digital installations and a central 360-degree altar for communal remembrance, citing a Greater Miami tourism bureau listing. A Market of Memory will offer food, drinks and crafts, and a main stage will host music, dance and storytelling.

The Consulate is also inviting the public to enter a Catrina costume contest at the festival. The Catrina is a skeleton figure in elaborate dress that has become one of the most recognized symbols of Día de Muertos.

Día de Muertos is distinct from Halloween. Rooted in Indigenous Mexican traditions and Catholic commemorations, it is traditionally observed Nov. 1 and 2. Families honor deceased relatives through offerings of food, flowers, candles and personal objects. UNESCO recognizes it as part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage.

The city's event page notes the Coral Gables Trolley will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, with Freebee transportation also available.

At a glance — Saturday, Oct. 31

  • Altar de Muertos at Coral Gables Museum: 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m., 285 Aragon Ave. Free.
  • Mictlán: Día de Muertos at Ponce Circle Park: 4–9 p.m., 2810 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Free.