El Día de los Muertos, celebrated mostly by Mexicans and regions boasting a dense Mexican (Latin/Hispanic) population, is typically observed the day(s) following Halloween. Yet things get started a bit earlier on the downtown scene of Patterson Park in Baltimore with the Great Baltimore Lantern Parade & Dia de Los Muertos Festival, held annually for 23 years and counting.
Presented by Creative Alliance and Friends of Patterson Park, the 2025 installment will take place this Saturday, October 25, at 4 p.m. As is always the case, kickoff begins with a festive array of family-friendly follies. The lineup lists a lofty array of exciting activities for kids of all ages, with a special costume contest for the youngest attendees being the highlight of early-day endeavors. Onsite registration for both children and families opens a half-hour preceding the festival, at 3:30 p.m. The actual contest is set to take place at 4:30 p.m.
Additionally, there will be plenty of other festival highlights to enjoy while the sun’s still out. Indulge in deliciously diverse food trucks offering profuse, palatable variations of many kinds. Take in various pop-up performances that all ages can rightly appreciate. There will even be onsite lantern making! And you’re not going to want to miss the featured arts and crafts market and dazzling display of community vendors. This is only a sampling of all there is to behold as you attend this free and festive community event!
As evening descends on Patterson Park, the long-awaited Día de los Muertos celebration kicks into full swing. The event plays out as a fantastic featuring of mythical presentations. Find yourself in awe of the majestic Alebrije presiding over the stage, and an Ouroboro standing watch over the festival grounds. The scene will be one of many other spiritual, mythical creatures as well, including but not limited to ghouls, dragons, and more.
All this and more will harmonize in tandem to pull off this year’s parade, which will include many new featured callouts. Among this year’s newbies will be the premiere of a stunning dragon puppet by the Baltimore Rock Opera Society, four commissioned glowing lanterns depicting mythical/spiritual legends and themes, revived historical lanterns by Valeska Populoh, along with new lanterns created in her Advanced Reed and Paper Lantern workshops, the debut of the LED Rainbow Racer bike by Bike Powered Events, and the previously mentioned open-air lantern making area.
The parade welcomes any and all to grab a lantern and march along with the thousands of other neighbors, artists, musicians, and performers. However, watching from the sidelines is just as enjoyable. Lineup begins promptly at 6:30 p.m., with the official march off commencing at 7 p.m.
This year’s procession will follow a slightly different route. Click here to see the map.
The Great Baltimore Lantern Parade & Dia de Los Muertos Festival is a communitywide tradition spanning more than two decades and still going strong. Once again, this is a free, family-festive endeavor for all to share in. More information can be found about this and other events by Creative Alliance on their website.