Communities across Iowa will mark Día de Muertos with altars, music, dance, art and traditions centered on memory and remembrance.
By Hola Iowa
From community altars in Sioux City to a tradition spanning more than two decades in Des Moines, Day of the Dead 2026 in Iowa will bring communities together across the state this fall with exhibitions, music, dance, storytelling, food and family activities.
Rooted in Mexican tradition, Día de Muertos honors family members and loved ones who have died through remembrance and gathering. Ofrendas often include photographs, candles, flowers, food and objects connected to those being remembered, while art, music and shared meals help keep their stories present within the community.
The tradition has also built a history of its own in Iowa. The Des Moines Art Center will hold its 26th annual celebration this year, while museums, libraries, cultural organizations and community groups from Cedar Rapids to Davenport prepare altars and activities throughout October and the first days of November.
Des Moines marks 26 years of Día de Muertos
The Des Moines Art Center will hold its 26th annual Día de Muertos celebration, ¡Sí Se Puede!, on Sunday, Nov. 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This year’s theme centers on civil rights and the phrase “¡Sí Se Puede!,” coined by labor leader Dolores Huerta for the United Farm Workers movement. The celebration will also honor Felicia Timotea Leon Mullin.
The program includes a community ofrenda, bilingual storytelling, Mariachi Los Aguilares, KonKultura Dance, live music, art and food vendors, creative activities and a Catrina photo area. Mexican hot chocolate and samples of pan de muerto will also be available while supplies last.
Admission is free, and complimentary transportation will be available from Merrill Middle School to the Art Center at 4700 Grand Ave.
Des Moines will have two additional celebrations that same weekend.
On Saturday, Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Carver Community School, at 705 E. University Ave., will host a community celebration featuring culture, remembrance, art, music, food, activities and community resources.
On Monday, Nov. 2, the Des Moines Central Library will host a family celebration from 4 to 7 p.m., with tamales, pan de muerto, Mexican hot chocolate, an ofrenda and Catrinas created with Latinx Immigrants of Iowa, dance performances, a screening of Coco and a community resource fair.
Davenport celebrates at the Figge
The Figge Art Museum will hold its Day of the Dead Family Fiesta on Sunday, Nov. 1, from noon to 5 p.m.
The free celebration will include a community ofrenda, Catrinas throughout the galleries, crafts and face painting, along with performances by Glenview Mariachi, Danza West Liberty and Quad City Ballet Folklorico.
The event is presented with LULAC Council 10 and Hola America/Hola Iowa and is connected to the exhibition Mexican Roots: Masks, Prints and Traditional Arts of Mexico.
The Figge will also host a talk about the Mexican Roots exhibition on Thursday, Oct. 29, beginning at 6 p.m. Admission will be free during the museum’s complimentary Thursday hours.
Related: Mexican Roots brings centuries of art, tradition and imagination to the Figge this fall
Ofrendas fill the Sioux City museum
The Sioux City Public Museum will display its annual Día de Muertos altars from Oct. 20 through Nov. 1.
This year’s Noche de Ofrendas exhibition will focus on candles, light and connections with loved ones who have died. Community members will create the altars, while paper candles made by local students will fill the atrium and exhibition spaces.
Admission is free.
The museum will also host Bailando Ritmos Latinos en El Museo on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m., with music by DJ Tapatío and dance instruction led by Yoelvis Rodriguez.
The exhibition will conclude Nov. 1 with a free Día de Muertos celebration from 1 to 4 p.m., featuring music, dancing, crafts and refreshments.
Art and remembrance in Cedar Rapids
CSPS Hall will open its second annual Día de los Muertos group exhibition on Thursday, Oct. 8, with a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The exhibition will remain on view in the ImOn Gallery through Nov. 8. Gallery admission is free.
The monthlong exhibition extends Cedar Rapids’ Día de Muertos programming beyond the celebrations concentrated around the Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 weekend.
Iowa City brings Día de Muertos to the library
The Iowa City Public Library will host Honoring Life and Memory: Celebrate Día de Muertos at the Library on Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 4:30 to 8 p.m.
The celebration will bring together art, storytelling, food and a community ofrenda.
Activities begin several days earlier. On Oct. 19, families can watch Coco and make calavera cards, while the Oct. 20 World Club will explore Guatemala’s giant barriletes and their connection to remembering the dead.
The University of Iowa will also include Día de Muertos among the traditions featured during its Cultural Craft Fest on Friday, Oct. 23.
Related: Iowa City opens Hispanic Heritage Month with Spanish storytime, Día de Muertos art and Latinx social
More Day of the Dead events across Iowa
- Oct. 24 — Marshalltown: Arts + Culture Alliance will host a cultural celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. at 126 W. Main St., with music, Mexican folkloric dance, storytelling and food.
- Oct. 27 — Cedar Falls: Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure comes to Gallagher Bluedorn with performances at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The bilingual production combines regional Mexican music and dance to tell the story of a young girl discovering the meaning of Día de Muertos. Tickets are $1 per person.
- Oct. 29 — Muscatine: Muscatine Art Center will host a free family celebration from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m., with crafts, activities and bilingual stories.
- Oct. 30 — Waterloo: the Waterloo Black Hawks will host Día de los Muertos Night during their game against the Sioux City Musketeers at 6:35 p.m. at Young Arena. A regular game ticket is required.
- Oct. 31 — Storm Lake: Storm Lake United lists a Día de Muertos celebration on its 2026 community calendar. As of publication, a full schedule and program had not yet been posted.
A tradition with a growing presence in Iowa
Across museum galleries, community ofrendas, dance floors, libraries and neighborhood gatherings, Día de Muertos has become part of the fall cultural calendar in communities throughout Iowa.
The 2026 celebrations begin with the Cedar Rapids exhibition opening Oct. 8 and continue through Nov. 8, with the largest concentration of events taking place between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2.
The celebrations take different forms from city to city, but the heart of the tradition remains the same: gathering, remembering and keeping the stories of those who are gone present within the community.
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