Culture · Tucson

All Souls Procession

The All Souls Procession is one of Tucson's most moving traditions — a community-led walk each early November, inspired by Día de los Muertos, in which tens of thousands of people move together through downtown to honor and mourn the dead. It began in 1990 from one artist's tribute to her late father and has grown into a signature event unlike any other in the country.

Participants carry photos, banners, and offerings, many in elaborate costume and face paint, some pushing altars on wheels. The procession culminates in the burning of a large urn filled with written messages to lost loved ones — a genuinely powerful, cathartic finale. It's a participatory event, not a spectator parade: anyone can walk.

It's free and open to all, held on a Sunday evening in early November. From a central Tucson rental you can reach the route on foot or by streetcar. Come respectfully — it's celebratory and heavy at once — and consider bringing a photo or memory of someone you want to honor.