Community Altars and a Mercado Fill Potrero del Sol on November 2

Entry is free and no ticket is required, though the Mercado page asks for an RSVP for updates. The Marigold Project traces the festival to 1992, when a Mexican immigrant woman and a group of marginalized creators designed it in San Francisco. Anyone may bring photos, marigolds, or an 8 inch glass prayer candle to set on the community altars. Reserving your own altar takes a separate signup through info@themarigoldproject.org, under the altar guidelines. Open fires and grills are not allowed; glass prayer candles are fine, and LED candles are preferred. Staking, digging, and amplified sound are off limits, and every altar needs at least one gallon of water. Festival photographs here date from 2014, when the event was held at Garfield Park.

The Mercado de Muertos runs from 4 to 10 PM with ArtyHood, set up in the park beside the altars with local artists, craft stalls, and food vendors. LA GENTE SF lists the festival from 5 to 9 PM, alongside Indigenous cultural ceremonies and interactive craft stations. Both programs share the same afternoon and evening, and cleanup starts at 10 PM. No 2026 stage order has been posted, and the festival site still carries last year's schedule. Confirm the program before you go.

On Muni, the 9 San Bruno runs 5 AM to midnight daily and stops at Potrero Avenue and 25th Street, closest to the Cesar Chavez entrance. The 9R Rapid is a weekday express that stops running at 6 PM, while the regular 9 keeps going to midnight and the 90 Owl covers the hours after. From 24th Street Mission BART the walk takes about 15 to 20 minutes, and BART runs until midnight on weeknights. The site is outdoors with no posted rain plan.