Welcome back, queridos. It’s once again Día de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday in which the living honor the dead. It’s no surprise, then, that La Misión is home to some of San Francisco’s best displays of the holiday: Sugar skulls grinning in the panaderías, altars fashioned reverently in Potrero del Sol Park, and of course, the procession. 

It can be tough to capture all the intricate and elaborate ways our neighborhood beckons forth the dead and celebrates this cherished day; some might say it’s a challenge that requires a team. So, we volunteer to take that challenge. This year, our reporters will fan out among a variety of events and local mainstays to demonstrate the beauty and honor within Día de los Muertos, especially as it unfolds right here in the Mission. You can find all of the events here. 

Click on each video below to watch and explore each event. Check in at the end of the night to find all the slots filled. If you’re looking for more, find Mission Local’s past coverage of Día de los Muertos here. 

3201 24th St.

Mixcoatl

Join Connie Rivera for a look at her iconic store, which is especially busy at this time of year.

place to go

Potrero del Sol Park

30th annual Festival of Altars

Five jaw-dropping community altars were created by Mission District artists and residents, including one honoring the lives lost in the shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

eventalter

3182 24th St.

Luz de Luna

Denise Gonzales shares about the skulls and other items she has inside. Her altar is up already.

place to go

Face-painting Catrinas

If you want your face painted, you can get it done pretty much anywhere on 24th St. So, our reporter did.

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Nov. 1Medicine for Nightmares

Loved ones who have died from gun and police violence

SF State and Horizons Unlimited hosted an event to honor and remember those who died at the hands of police officers.

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Scenes on 24th Street

There can be a lot of fun on the street tonight.

place to go

1 to 9:30 p.m.24th St. from Shotwell to Harrison Streets

Balmy Alley

Altars, vendors, and face-painting from 24th Street businesses and locals. We hear about one native who dedicated a family altar.

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Sugar skulls and pan at La Reyna

Even at 9 p.m., the traditional treats are coming out hot.

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5:30-7:30 p.m.3012 16th St.

Asociacion Mayab

The Mission's Mayan community met up at 24th Street, and then prayed at an intimate ceremony in the organization's office.

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Pan de Muertos at Bakery La Mejor

No surprise to find that at La Mejor, owner Carmen Elias has been busy baking.

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25th&York

Latin Rock House Block Party

You know what they say: Tío Richard Segovia knows how to throw a party. Listen to some fantastic singing by the musical mainstay.

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22nd&Bryant Streets

Day of the Dead Ritual Procession

Watch the procession put on by El Colectivo del Rescate Cultural, which winds through the streets amid music and dance.

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6-10 pm Mission Cultural Center

Remembering icons at Mission Cultural Center for the Latino Arts

All we have is thanks to those before us. Peek MCCLA and its altar, which honors Mission legends.

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2781 24th St.

Una Ofrenda at the Crossroads

Dancing, drumming, stage play, and youth? What more can you want?

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24th Street BART Plaza

Marigolds

Three eloquent young women explain the cultural significance of marigolds.

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REPORTER. Annika Hom is our inequality reporter through our partnership with Report for America. Annika was born and raised in the Bay Area. She previously interned at SF Weekly and the Boston Globe where she focused on local news and immigration. She is a proud Chinese and Filipina American. She has a twin brother that (contrary to soap opera tropes) is not evil.

Follow her on Twitter at @AnnikaHom.

INTERN DATA REPORTER. Chuqin has two degrees in data journalism and she is passionate about making data more accessible to readers. Before arriving in the Mission, she covered small business and migratory birds in New York City while learning to code and design at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism. She loves coastal cities, including SF and her hometown Ningbo.

DATA REPORTER. Will was born in the UK and studied English at Oxford University. After a few years in publishing, he absconded to the USA where he studied data journalism in New York. Will has strong views on healthcare, the environment, and the Oxford comma.

REPORTER. Yujie Zhou is our newest reporter and came on as an intern after graduating from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. She is a full-time staff reporter as part of the Report for America program that helps put young journalists in newsrooms. Before falling in love with the Mission, Yujie covered New York City, studied politics through the “street clashes” in Hong Kong, and earned a wine-tasting certificate in two days. She’s proud to be a bilingual journalist. Follow her on Twitter @Yujie_ZZ.

Founder/Executive Editor. I’ve been a Mission resident since 1998 and a professor emeritus at Berkeley’s J-school since 2019 when I retired. I got my start in newspapers at the Albuquerque Tribune in the city where I was born and raised. Like many local news outlets, The Tribune no longer exists. I left daily newspapers after working at The New York Times for the business, foreign and city desks. Lucky for all of us, it is still there.

As an old friend once pointed out, local has long been in my bones. My Master’s Project at Columbia, later published in New York Magazine, was on New York City’s experiment in community boards.

Right now I'm trying to figure out how you make that long-held interest in local news sustainable. The answer continues to elude me.

Yastika is from India. She spends a lot of time on public transport.

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