NuLu Hosts Louisville Day of the Dead Festival
Catalina Ibarra and Los Aztecas Mexican Restaurant hosted the street festival for the third consecutive year.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Cultural
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The Day of the Dead festival returned to NuLu in Louisville at 445 E. Market St., combining food and artisan vendors with performances and organization tabling. The event was hosted by Catalina Ibarra, station manager at Spanish-language radio station Poder KY, together with Los Aztecas Mexican Restaurant.
Why it matters
The festival marks the annual commemoration of deceased loved ones and highlights Latino cultural celebrations in Louisville. Mayor Craig Greenberg spoke at the event, underscoring its place in the city's public calendar.
Organizers reported more than 2,000 attendees in the event's first year under Ibarra's hosting, and the festival has now run for three consecutive years. Attendance totals for this year's edition were not reported.
The players
Catalina Ibarra
Ibarra is station manager at Spanish-language radio station Poder KY and has hosted the Louisville Day of the Dead festival for three years.
Los Aztecas Mexican Restaurant
Los Aztecas is a Mexican restaurant located at 445 E. Market St. in Louisville's NuLu district that co-hosted the festival.
Craig Greenberg
Greenberg is the mayor of Louisville, who spoke at the festival and highlighted Latino celebrations in the city.
The details
The festival features a tiered altar with painted skulls, marigolds and offerings, and families placed sticky notes on the altar with messages to deceased loved ones. Vendors included Consuelo Santillan, a 30-year-old Mexican Louisvillian, and visitors included Emily Jones, 29, who traveled from North Carolina.
Timeline
Start of November: Annual Day of the Dead commemoration observed.
Past three years: Ibarra has hosted the event.
First year hosted: Event drew more than 2,000 attendees.
Cultural Context
The Day of the Dead observance, inspired by Indigenous and Spanish Catholic customs, is an annual commemoration of deceased loved ones. Louisville's NuLu festival extends that tradition into a public street event hosted by local media and restaurant partners.
The festival is an open street event in NuLu at 445 E. Market St., giving residents a public venue to attend food, artisan, and performance programming. Visitors can experience the altar displays and vendor offerings in person.
The takeaway
Community celebrations like this one show how traditions such as the Day of the Dead can be carried into shared public spaces. Residents interested in similar events can look to local cultural hosts and restaurant partners for upcoming programming.
Further reading
Explore more Cultural coverage to see how traditions like the Day of the Dead are celebrated across communities.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Courier-Journal.
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