Dia de los Muertos at Hollywood Forever 2026

Hollywood Forever holds its 27th annual Día de los Muertos on Saturday, October 24, 2026, and the gates stay open from noon to midnight. This year's theme is "All Under One Sky," or "Bajo un Mismo Cielo," and the bill is led by DannyLux and Trish Toledo. If you want live music, altars and food in one place on a fall Saturday, this is one of the easier calls on the list of things to do in Los Angeles this October.

The setting is what makes it. Families and artists build altars across the cemetery grounds to honor the people they've lost, and the day moves between a full-on party and something much quieter depending on which path you're walking down.

Who's playing

Music runs on the Muerte y Tradición stage. DannyLux headlines. He grew up in Desert Hot Springs, started writing songs at 15, and made his name with a style people call alternative sierreño: regional Mexican heartbreak songs played with a classic-rock streak. He wrote "Jugaste y Sufrí," his hit with Eslabón Armado, and his 2025 album LEYENDA got him a second straight Latin Grammy nomination.

Trish Toledo comes up from Carson. She sings old soul and pop ballads and records them the way singers did decades ago, in a single take with no overdubs. Tropa Magica, the East LA band led by brothers David and Rene Pacheco, mashes 1960s Peruvian cumbia into grunge and punk. Los Shadows, a surf and dream pop band from San Diego and National City, round out the bill. DJ Que Madre and DJ Dro Barlo are among the DJs spinning between sets. The organizers say the lineup and schedule can change at any time, so check again the week of.

Altars, costumes and the rest of the grounds

The altar exhibition carries real prize money: $5,000 for first place, $3,500 for second and $2,500 for third. There's a costume contest too, paying $1,000 to the winner and $500 to the runner-up, which explains why so many people show up in full face paint.

The program also lists a ceremonial procession and Aztec performers. There's an art exhibition in the Cathedral, and a children's plaza gives younger kids a corner of their own. Arts and crafts vendors and food vendors fill in the space between the altars and the stage, so you won't have to leave to eat.

Tickets and entry windows

Tickets run $26.71 to $46.46 on TicketWeb. Each one is tied to an entry window: noon to 4 p.m., 4 to 7 p.m., or 7 to 11 p.m. The window only controls when you walk in. Once you're inside, you can stay past it. An early window gets you daylight for walking the altars, while a later one puts you closer to the headliners.

The event is all ages, but anyone 5 and older needs a ticket. Sales are final, with no refunds or exchanges, so pick your window carefully.

Getting there

Hollywood Forever is at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, right next to the Paramount lot. Organizers point drivers to the parking structures on Lemon Grove and Van Ness, plus a few other lots, and they email parking details to ticket buyers before the event. Metro's Line 4 bus runs along Santa Monica Boulevard if you'd rather skip the parking hunt.

Late October nights cool off fast in Hollywood. Bring a layer if you're staying for the last set, and wear shoes you can walk in, because the grounds are big. The festival's own website, linked from the TicketWeb page, has the full schedule of events.

More around town

For more Things Happening In Hollywood, browse what's coming up in Hollywood or see the rest of our festivals calendar. If you're entering an altar or a costume, read the contest rules before October 24, since the first-place altar takes home $5,000.