Minneapolis Marks Dia De Los Muertos With Community Event
Academias La Paz School District hosted its 27th annual celebration honoring lost loved ones and community members.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Cultural
Academias La Paz School District held its 27th annual Dia De Los Muertos community event in Minneapolis on Sunday, lasting two days. The celebration honored people affected by Operation Metro Surge, along with other remembered lives.
Why it matters
The holiday honors lives of lost loved ones, and organizers highlighted community members affected by Operation Metro Surge because many in the community were lost this year. The event gives residents a shared space to remember those they have lost.
The community event marks its 27th annual gathering, with five ofrendas displayed across the candlelit room during a two-day celebration. Attendance figures for this year's event were not reported.
The players
Academias La Paz School District
A Minneapolis school district that hosts the annual Dia De Los Muertos community event, which has been held for 27 years.
Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue
A dance group that led attendees in procession from Cedar and Bloomington Avenues to the candlelit ofrenda room.
The details
Dance group Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue led the crowd from Cedar and Bloomington Avenues to a candlelit room, where visitors paid their respects at traditional ofrendas built to welcome the spirits of lost loved ones. The five ofrendas honored community members affected by Operation Metro Surge, Dolly Parton, women who died at the hands of their abusers, and lives lost in the war in Gaza, and many attendees wore calavera, or sugar skull, makeup.
Timeline
Sunday, November 1, 2026: Day one of Dia De Los Muertos celebrations in Minneapolis
Monday, November 2, 2026: Day two of Dia De Los Muertos celebrations
Cultural Continuity
This year's event is the 27th installment of the Academias La Paz School District's annual Dia De Los Muertos celebration, extending a long-running community tradition. It continues that tradition while adding remembrance for residents affected by Operation Metro Surge.
The celebration was held at Academias La Paz School District and included a procession from Cedar and Bloomington Avenues on Sunday and Monday. Attendees could view the ofrendas in the candlelit room during the two-day event.
The takeaway
Traditions like Dia De Los Muertos give communities a structured way to remember people they have lost, and this year's event shows how that remembrance can include recent local losses alongside long-held ones.
Further reading
Explore more cultural events in Minneapolis for other ways the community marks traditions like this one.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Star Tribune.
