Date/Time: Saturday, October 28, 2023 from Noon to 6 p.m.
Parade Starting/Ending Location: Sixth Street, starting at Red River Street, to the festival grounds at Congress Avenue and Fourth Street
Tickets: The event is free and open to the public
Event Website: Viva La Vida Fest - Mexic-Arte Museum
Join the City of Austin and the Mexic-Arte Museum for the 40th annual Viva La Vida Festival and Parade on Saturday, October 28. The event celebrates Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with a parade and festival in downtown Austin showcasing the history and traditions of this important cultural holiday.
The festivities begin at Noon with a grand procession parade marching down Sixth Street from Red River and ending at the main festival grounds at Fourth Street and Congress Avenue. Expect to see vibrant costumes, dancers, floats and live music throughout the parade route.
The Viva La Vida street festival also begins at Noon and runs until 6 p.m. Expect to see demonstrations, hands-on art activities, booths featuring local artists and traditional foods, a low-rider exhibition, and live performances throughout the afternoon.
This is the 11th year the City of Austin has proudly co-sponsored Viva La Vida and the ongoing support reflects Austin’s commitment to culture and lifelong learning described in the Strategic Direction 2023 plan.
Transportation and Road Closures Around the Event
Road closures are planned downtown for Viva La Vida, as well as for TX Tailgarten and the Austin Film Festival on October 28. Event attendees are encouraged to carpool or use one of the following transportation options: Ann and Roy Butler hike-and-bike trail (non-motorized vehicles only), CapMetro, bicycling, or dockless devices.
Health and Safety at Viva La Vida
The Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS work in partnership to create a safe environment in which everyone can enjoy the parade and festival and encourage attendees to:
- Remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to 9-1-1
- Plan for the weather forecast
- Stay with your group and have a pre-planned meeting location in case of separation
- Keep your phone fully charged
- Download the what3words app to pinpoint and share your location.
Austin Public Health recommends attendees get vaccinated, use hand sanitizer, wash hands often and stay home if you feel sick. Find vaccines near you at vaccines.gov (vacunas.gov en Español).
About the Mexic-Arte Museum
Mexic-Arte Museum was founded in 1984 by artists Sylvia Orozco, Sam Coronado, and Pio Pulido in the Arts Warehouse, in downtown Austin, to share the art and culture of Mexico with Texas. As one of the precious few Mexican art museums in the United States, Mexic-Arte Museum strives to improve the quality of life in Texas through innovative exhibitions and educational programming. A total of 75,000 visitors, ranging from enthusiastic children to art connoisseurs, tour the museum each year.
About Austin Center for Events
The Austin Center for Events (ACE) is a collaborative assembly of City of Austin departments and agencies designed to streamline special event permitting on public and private property. ACE is anchored by teams from Austin Public Health, Transportation and Public Works, Parks, Music, Police, Fire, EMS, Austin Resource Recovery, Development Services, and partner agencies, and works closely with event organizers to guide them through the special event permitting process.
