By late October, something begins to change across Yucatán. Markets fill with banana leaves, masa and ingredients for mucbipollo. Candles and flowers appear at family altars and cemeteries. In homes throughout Mérida and the smaller towns of the peninsula, families begin preparing not only for those who are present, but for the return of those who have passed.
This is Janal Pixan, one of Yucatán’s most meaningful traditions and a beautiful time to experience the cultural and spiritual heritage of the Maya world.
Janal Pixan is how the Day of the Dead is celebrated in the Southern region of Mexico and translates roughly as “food for the souls” or “food for the spirits.”
Janal Pixan is a deeply rooted family tradition centered around memory, food, prayer and maintaining a connection between the living and the dead. Families prepare altars with photographs, candles, flowers, favorite foods, and personal objects as offerings to welcome their loved ones’ souls home.
The traditional observances take place October 31 through November 2, with different days dedicated to different souls. October 31, known as U Janal Palal, traditionally honors children who have died. November 1, U Janal Nucuch Uinicoob, is dedicated to deceased adults, while November 2 continues the remembrance of all souls and includes traditions such as Misa Pixán.
OJO: JANAL PIXAN IS NOT A HALLOWEEN PARTY
For visitors, it is important to remember that this time of year is not like a Halloween party. The city’s Festival de Animas started in 2008 with the Paseo de Animas parade from the cemetery to the San Juan Park as a way to involve tourism, both local and foreign, to experience Janal Pixan. Since then, it has grown and there are many activities throughout the week and many local businesses as well have their own events and parties. It’s also worth noting that many local people have concerns about these deeply sacred traditions becoming overly commercialized or being treated simply as a Halloween-style celebration, rather than with the cultural significance and respect they deserve. So just a reminder that this is a time of year to understand and experience as a way of sharing cultures.
Would you like to go to Campeche and experience the Cleaning of the Bones Rituals? Our yearly visit leaves on October 29th.
For more information, click here.
JANAL PIXAN SEASON IN MÉRIDA
Over the years, Mérida has developed an extensive public celebration around the traditional observances called the Festival de las Ánimas, or Festival of the Souls.
In 2026, the festival is confirmed to run October 24 through November 2, transforming different parts of Mérida into spaces filled with altars, candlelight, traditional food, music, Maya imagery, processions and cultural activities.
The complete day-by-day municipal program has not yet been released, so MID CityBeat will continue updating this guide as more dates are confirmed.
There are, however, several important dates already worth putting on your calendar.
October 24 — Festival de las Ánimas Begins
The Festival de las Ánimas officially begins on Saturday, October 24.
One of the opening attractions announced for 2026 is the lighting of monumental figures in Parque de San Juan. The park is transformed with illuminated trees, hanging decorations, candles and enormous figures inspired by Maya imagery and the traditions surrounding Janal Pixan.
San Juan also becomes particularly important later in the week as the destination of Mérida’s famous Paseo de las Ánimas.
Location here https://share.google/Uac6wVnhZwVkQgBkH
From October 25 — The Monumental Altar in Plaza Grande
Beginning October 25, Mérida’s Plaza Grande will once again become home to the city’s Monumental Janal Pixan Altar.
A large altar installation bringing together flowers, candles, photographs and traditional elements associated with the home altars prepared throughout Yucatán.
It also creates a communal place of remembrance in the very heart of the city, where residents and visitors can pause and honor loved ones who have died.
October 30 — Paseo de las Ánimas
If there is one event to put on your calendar, it is this one.
The Paseo de las Ánimas is confirmed for Friday, October 30 at 6 PM with the parade starting around 8pm, beginning at the Cementerio General and continuing toward Parque de San Juan.
This is the heart of Mérida’s Festival de las Ánimas.
This is a parade where hundreds of participants in the traditional dress of Yucatan and with their face painted as a skull walk from the cemetery to Parque San Juan, each holding a candle, symbolically representing the souls leaving the underworld and returning to the world of the living.
But the experience extends well beyond the procession itself.
The streets surrounding the route traditionally fill with community and school altars, candles, regional food, sweets, music and cultural presentations. Visitors can walk through the neighborhoods surrounding the cemetery and La Ermita while experiencing one of the most atmospheric nights of the year in Mérida.
The evening traditionally culminates with a Yucatecan vaquería, bringing jarana music and dance into a celebration that is at once solemn, communal and festive. There are also A LOT of people so parking and transportation can be difficult, so be sure to bring your walking shoes! And get there early to get a spot and look around.
October 31 — Catrinas Take Over Mérida
The following night brings a very different atmosphere.
The 2026 Catrinas Parade is confirmed for Saturday, October 31 at 8 PM, departing from Plaza Grande and heading towards Calle 47 the gastronomic corredor.
Expect elaborate costumes, skeletal makeup, enormous figures and plenty of creativity as Mérida puts a contemporary spin on Mexico’s broader Día de Muertos imagery.
While Janal Pixan has distinctly Maya and Yucatecan roots, the Catrinas Parade reflects the way the city’s Festival de las Ánimas has grown to incorporate other Mexican Day of the Dead traditions into its public celebration.
AND THERE IS MUCH MORE TO COME
One of the best things about Janal Pixan season is that the celebrations are not confined to two major parades.
The city has already announced the return of many activities associated with previous editions of the Festival de las Ánimas, although exact 2026 dates and times are still pending for many of them.
Keep an eye out for:
The Mucbipollo Fair in San Sebastián — One of our favorite foodie traditions of the season. Mucbipollo, also commonly called pib, is a large tamal prepared with corn masa, meat and seasonings, wrapped in banana leaves and traditionally cooked underground. During the fair, visitors can try different versions and learn more about the process of burying and later uncovering the pib.
Rodada de las Ánimas — A nighttime bicycle ride traditionally organized with Cicloturixes, bringing cyclists through Mérida’s historic streets and toward the General Cemetery.
Pixán Pee’k — Even our four-legged family members are remembered. This pet-centered event has traditionally included a dog parade and special altars honoring pets that have passed. Peek’ is the Maya word for dog.
Pixán Paalal — Programming created especially for children, traditionally incorporating Maya stories and legends, altars, flowers, sweets and activities designed to introduce younger generations to Janal Pixan.
Videomapping at La Ermita — Projections exploring Maya beliefs, imagery and Janal Pixan have also formed part of the festival experience.
The Portal of Light — An illuminated installation associated with the entrance to the General Cemetery, creating a symbolic passage between the worlds of the living and the dead.
Mojigangas — Giant skull figures and puppets, some reaching several meters high, that bring an entirely different visual element to the streets.
Throughout the festival, visitors can also expect smaller exhibitions, performances, music, student activities, decorated streets and cultural events to appear around Mérida.
JANAL PIXAN BEYOND MÉRIDA: SISAL’S FESTIVAL DE LAS ÁNIMAS
Mérida may host the largest Festival de las Ánimas, but some of the most interesting Janal Pixan experiences happen outside the capital.
And Sisal is one to watch in 2026.
The coastal Pueblo Mágico has announced its second Festival de las Ánimas for October 30 and 31, 2026.
The preliminary program includes contests, cultural presentations, dancing, recreational activities and community celebrations centered around Janal Pixan and Día de Muertos.
But what makes Sisal particularly special is its setting.
A local calendar has announced a Festival de las Ánimas featuring decorated chalanas in the wetlands on October 31, creating a hauntingly beautiful coastal interpretation of the season. Another Día de Muertos event is provisionally scheduled at the Sisal cemetery for November 1 at 6 PM. These details are still considered preliminary until organizers release the final schedule.
During the first edition in 2025, decorated boats traveled through the wetlands carrying participants dressed as pixanes, or souls. Surrounded by water, mangroves and the coastal landscape, the experience is completely different from Mérida’s enormous urban processions.
It is definitely one of the Janal Pixan events MID CityBeat will be watching this year.
OTHER JANAL PIXAN EXPERIENCES AROUND YUCATÁN
Visit a local market in the days leading up to October 31 and you’ll see piles of banana leaves and ingredients destined for family pibs, Day of the Dead candies and special foods and flowers for the altars. It’s my favorite time . Walk through neighborhoods and you’ll catch glimpses of altars glowing behind open doors. Visit a cemetery respectfully and you’ll see families cleaning and decorating graves.
These quieter moments often reveal more about Janal Pixan than the largest public spectacle.
A SEASON TO EXPERIENCE WITH RESPECT
From illuminated streets in Mérida and candlelit processions leaving the General Cemetery to pibs emerging from underground ovens and decorated boats floating through the wetlands of Sisal, Janal Pixan is one of the most extraordinary times to experience Yucatán.
But it is important to remember what lies beneath all of the festivities.
Janal Pixan is first and foremost about remembrance.
The food, candles, flowers and altars are ways of welcoming loved ones home and keeping their memory present within the family. The Festival de las Ánimas gives visitors an extraordinary opportunity to experience some of these traditions, but it should always be approached as a guest—with curiosity, appreciation and respect.
For 2026, mark October 24 through November 2 as the main Festival de las Ánimas period in Mérida, with October 30 and 31 currently the two biggest confirmed nights.
And keep checking MID CityBeat. As Mérida, Sisal and communities throughout Yucatán announce their complete 2026 Janal Pixan programs, we’ll be adding the events, dates and experiences you won’t want to miss.
