Day of the Dead in Mexico City and Why You Should Avoid It
I have been living in Mexico City for 6 years. Last year, 2022, Mexico City completely melted down during Day of the Dead. Getting to, and seeing, the Parade was literally impossible. Less difficult, was seeing the Catrinas in Zocalo (Mexico City’s Famous Main Square), but you really needed some skill in order to go there be able to avoid crowds, road blocks, and whatever else can come up when going to downtown Mexico City.
If proper planning could help I’d have already written a blog post about how to do this. But what you need is knowledge of the city and the ability to think on your feet. If you don’t have this it’s very likely you’ll end up in a sea of people and not able to get out.
Another bummer regarding Day of the Dead in Mexico City is that many businesses, including museums and popular tourist attractions close during this time. It’s not just one day either. Things can close down from October 30 – November 3, without any notice.
There is absolutely no accountability during this time period. Cancelled plans, broken commitments, are all excused by saying “Día de los Muertos.”
Semana del Arte Zona MACO
If you want my advice for the perfect event to attend in Mexico City, it would be El Semana Del Arte or ZonaMACO, which takes mid February each year.
This is an established event that has been taking place for years. It runs well and best of all it is a great way of accessing the Mexico City Art world, which outside of this week, can seem quite inaccessible.
It draws a big international crowd, but not in numbers big enough for the Megalopolis to even take note.
This stands in contrast to Day of the Dead, where every one of the 20+ Million residents, and their out of town guests, participate.
Medellin Instead
Medellin is another Latin American City that has been getting a lot of buzz about being a great tourist and/or digital nomad destination. I did an extended visit last year and to my surprise, I found that they go all out for Halloween.
Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to ancient tradition and time honored ceremonies, nobody can beat Mexico when it comes to Day of the Dead. But if you ask me, when it comes to
- A fun decentralized way of celebrating halloween
- A great time to get a concentrated dose of the flavor Medellin and the wider culture of Colombia,
Medellin is the better choice for a visit.
What happens in Medellin during Halloween?
All throughout the year, the people of Medellin talk about Halloween and how cool it is to be in Medellin during this time of year. In Medellin, so much life happens out on the streets. People spend time with one another outside their homes all day and night. There is also a big motorbike culture here in Medellin.
To sum it up, people get dressed up, and ride around on motorbikes for several days around Halloween. There is an electric vibe in the air. There are so many parties going on, if that’s your thing, and there are many outdoor activities going on all over town.
Medellin, unlike Mexico City, is small enough so that you can go out and take a walk without much of a plan and always be sure to see the people of Medellin outside having fun, or pass a delicious restaurant, or an interesting cafe.
Where to Stay in Medellin During Halloween?
Most visitors either stay in El Poblado or Laureles. These are two upscale neighborhoods in Medellin that you’ll inevitably visit during your stay. El Poblado is more focused on loud nightlife, where Laureles is much more quiet and focused on cafes and co-working.
Personally, I like to avoid neighborhoods like these. Both are missing a local vibe that I found where I stayed in ‘Santa Fe.’
Airbnb is pretty much the only game in town if you’re looking to keep costs in control. Hotel prices are way out of hand and it really limits the amount of time you’re able to spend in a place, and if you travel all the way to another country, you should stay as long as you can.
Airbnb isn’t perfect and if you ask me they have serious quality control issues. The only thing that prompts a host to fix anything in a unit is if somebody complains. Most people are too shy and timid to ask for this so they just deal with whatever.
Depending on your personality, you’ll either be living with stuff that other people broke, or calling your host every day and dealing with his fake happy disposition while he fixes things while you sit there watching him pretending like this is all part of how it’s supposed to be.
Unlike day of the dead in Mexico City, which can and should be avoided, the pros and cons of airbnb cannot be avoided. It is just the way it is. Airbnb puts you right in the middle of authentic neighborhoods so you can actually be a part of your destination city, not just a tourist. The price they charge for this is far less than what hotels charge. This combination makes the negatives worth it for me, but they still get on my nerves.
All of the airbnb’s I have stayed in I’ve eventually gotten used to. Each neighborhood I’ve stayed in I have grown to love. I have a 100% success rate with this strategy. But it’s tough at first.
That being said, I suggest you bypass El Poblado and Laureles (this is where the vast majority of Airbnb’s will be located), and instead look for the lone listings in other neighborhoods. Look at the pictures, read the reviews, and if you find something that seems nice, book it. This is my philosophy and I’ve always been pleasantly surprised at the authenticity I have found in the lesser known neighborhoods.
