Día de los Muertos: 19th annual festival takes over ten downtown blocks

The city of Corpus Christi will close ten downtown blocks to vehicle traffic on Saturday to host the 19th annual Día de los Muertos Street Festival. The event is free to the public and operates from 1 p.m. to midnight. Organizers will set up a community ofrenda, or altar, where families can honor deceased loved ones. The holiday focuses on remembering the dead and celebrating their lives.

The festival schedule includes live music, art displays, food vendors, and cultural performances. This event anchors a wider weekend of cultural and Halloween-themed activities across the Coastal Bend region. The street closure allows for a pedestrian-friendly environment for the celebration.

On the same weekend, the Villain Invasion Halloween Fest occupies the Holiday Inn Downtown Marina. The event runs Saturday and Sunday and features horror movie actors, costume contests, and gaming tournaments. Weekend passes start at $20, and children aged 12 and under enter for free. Visitors who bring two nonperishable food items for the Coastal Bend Food Bank can receive a special-edition event poster while supplies last.

Other scheduled activities include the Monster Mash Cupcake Dash at Water's Edge Park on Saturday morning. Participants can join a 5K, 10K, or 2-mile walk in costume, and every finisher receives a cupcake. Proceeds from the run benefit Family Counseling Services, a provider of mental health care in the region. Asbury Methodist Church will host family pumpkin painting from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, with its pumpkin patch open through Halloween.

A new event, Hocus Pocus Corpus, debuts Saturday at the Hilliard Center from noon to 3 p.m. The free gathering includes trick-or-treating, door prizes, and a community resource fair. The program also features a presentation on renters' rights. Stephanie Molina of KRIS 6 News accepts event suggestions for the Coastal Bend Weekend listing via email at stephanie.molina@kristv.com.