All Souls Procession Guide

Every November, tens of thousands of people walk through downtown Tucson carrying photos, urns, candles, and the names of everyone they’ve lost, in the All Souls Procession — a two-mile night parade begun by a local artist in 1990 to grieve her father, now one of the largest events of its kind in the country. It draws on Día de los Muertos traditions without pretending to be a party: painted skull faces, giant puppets, drummers, and a huge urn at the end where mourners burn written prayers and wishes for the dead. It is not a spectacle to be consumed. It’s a city grieving together, out loud, in the open.