Mexico GP 2026 and Día de los Muertos: Weekend Guide

The weekend at a glance

According to MexicoGP, the 11th edition since F1 returned to Mexico City runs from Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November 2026. 1 November is the day of los Angelitos, dedicated to children who have died. On 2 November it’s the adults’ turn, and the festival peaks. All times below are Mexico City time (UTC-6), taken from the circuit’s official schedule.

The weekend, day by day

• Wednesday 28 October: free Checo Pérez show run, 10 am to 12:30 pm, on the Paseo de la Reforma, to mark his 300th Grand Prix (Infobae)
• Friday 30 October: free practice at 12:30 pm and 4 pm, the quietest day at the circuit
• Saturday 31 October: FP3 at 11:30 am, qualifying at 3 pm, and the Gran Desfile in the early afternoon in the centre
• Sunday 1 November: race at 2 pm, which is 8 pm in the UK (the clocks go back on 25 October, so the gap is 6 hours)
• Monday 2 November: Día de Muertos proper, the night of the vigils, from Mixquic to the cemeteries

2015, 2018, 2019, 2022: the precedents

Calling this weekend a first would be wrong. The Gran Desfile has only existed since 2016, and it was born from the filming of Spectre in 2015, according to Milenio. Since then, the race has crossed paths with the parade several times.

• 2018: race on Sunday 28 October, desfile on Saturday 27 (Wikipedia)
• 2019: race and desfile on the same Sunday, 27 October (Wikipedia)
• 2022: combined weekend, with a joint traffic operation covering both events (El Financiero)
• 2023, 2024, 2025: no overlap, with the race held on 29 October, 27 October and 26 October

What sets 2026 apart: the race falls on 1 November, which has only happened once since F1 came back to Mexico City, in 2015, according to Wikipedia. The desfile lands on Saturday 31 October, qualifying day (Informador). That’s not just a diary detail: it changes how you build the trip.

The real crunch of the weekend

Qualifying starts at 3 pm at the Autódromo, on the south-east side of the city. The Gran Desfile runs through the centre from Chapultepec to the Zócalo along the Paseo de la Reforma, from early afternoon: most sources say 2 pm, one says 12 pm, so check the city’s official programme before you plan. Either way, don’t count on doing both. The trip between the circuit and the Reforma takes about 40 minutes outside rush hour, and a lot longer on a day when the city drew 1.45 million people to the desfile in 2025, according to El Universal.

Three ways to decide

• You’re an F1 fan: FP3 in the morning, qualifying at 3 pm, then a quiet evening at the Zócalo ofrenda, which stays open for several days
• You’re here for the ritual: desfile in the afternoon, then qualifying in a bar (3 pm in Mexico City, 9 pm in the UK)
• You want a bit of both: Friday 30 at the circuit, which is calmer, Saturday for the desfile, Sunday for the race

Digital ofrenda, paddock decor, Angelitos

The Grand Prix doesn’t just land on the same dates: it borrows the festival’s codes. According to Sopitas, the organisers run a digital ofrenda, « Una luz en el camino »: you send a photo of a loved one or a figure who has died (10 MB maximum), a name and a contact, the entry is moderated, then shown during the race broadcast. You submit it at ofrenda.mexicogp.mx. It’s free, and it’s the simplest way to link your race weekend to what 1 November means.

The 2025 edition had already dressed the paddock and the podium in catrinas and alebrijes, with a tribute to Roscoe, Lewis Hamilton’s dog, on the paddock altar, according to Infobae. On the sporting side, the big draw is still the return of Checo Pérez, who drives for Cadillac this season alongside Valtteri Bottas.

Attendance figures come from GPDestinations, the occupancy forecast from El Financiero. Your next race weekend is already in the calendar: read our guide to the US Grand Prix in Austin, the previous round, on 23 to 25 October.

Zócalo, UNAM, Xochimilco, Mixquic: where to go and how

Around the race weekend, the capital lines up its ofrendas. According to Eje Central, the monumental Zócalo ofrenda can be visited from 29 October to 2 November, the UNAM mega-ofrenda from 31 October to 2 November, 11 am to 9 pm, and the cempasúchil festival on the Reforma runs until 1 November. All of it is free.

The places worth the trip

• Xochimilco: the Ruta del Cempasúchil, from 3 October to 9 November, departing at 4 pm, 3 to 4 hours on a decorated trajinera, 1,199 MXN per person (around €59), according to Heraldo de México
• Museums: the Diego Rivera ofrenda at the Museo Anahuacalli from 30 October, the one at Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul until 30 November (Chilango). Explore the neighbourhood in our guide to Frida Kahlo and Coyoacán
• Mixquic: the Alumbrada runs from 31 October to 2 November, peaking on 2 November. Around 2 million visitors were announced in 2025, and locals describe crowds that are hard to manage, according to France 24
• City cemeteries: the panteones in the Miguel Hidalgo borough open from 8 am to 5 pm on 1 and 2 November, according to Ámbito

Five rules for visiting without intruding

• Ask before photographing a person or a grave.
• Don’t touch anything on an ofrenda and don’t take anything away.
• Don’t walk on graves, stay on the paths.
• Keep your voice low, and leave the drone and the noisy selfies at home.
• Catrina face paint belongs at the desfile, so keep it subtle at the cemetery.

For a deeper immersion, carry on to Oaxaca, where the cemetery vigils are at the heart of the festival: read our guide to Día de Muertos in Oaxaca and the Mexico City to Oaxaca itinerary. Wondering about the capital in September? Our piece on El Grito at the Zócalo covers Mexico City’s other big national celebration.

What this double weekend costs

Conversions use the day’s rate, about 20.3 pesos to €1. Official tickets run from 3,900 MXN in the Naranja stand to 61,750 MXN in hospitality, before Ticketmaster fees, according to Excélsior. General sale sold out in four days, but on 3 October Ticketmaster México still showed a few zones with low availability. Tickets are digital (SafeTix): any QR code or PDF sent over WhatsApp is suspect. From the UK, the non-stop flights are run by British Airways and Aeromexico, according to Flightconnections, and fares jump as the race gets closer.

Three profiles, flights excluded

• Budget, around €428 ($480): Grada 2A stand, hostel, simple meals
• Mid-range, around €1,071 ($1,200): Stadium South stand, 3-star hotel
• High-end, around €6,480 ($7,260): Champions Club, 4-star hotel

These ballpark figures come from the GPDestinations budget planner, worked out for three days.

Where to sleep

Roma Norte and Condesa mix atmosphere, restaurants and a direct metro to Ciudad Deportiva, according to mexico.gp. Polanco is smarter and pricier (4,500 to 18,000 MXN a night, around €221 to €885). The Centro Histórico is ideal for the Zócalo and the desfile (900 to 3,500 MXN, around €44 to €172), but avoid walking at night in the districts north of the centre, as the FCDO advises. With 80% occupancy forecast for 2026 there’s little slack, so book with free cancellation.

Reaching the Autódromo without getting caught out

• Metro: Line 9 to Velódromo, Ciudad Deportiva or Puebla. The extended 2026 hours haven’t been published yet, so check before you go.
• Metrobús Line 2, 6 MXN, or the Ticket2Ride shuttle, last departure from the circuit at 6:30 pm (mexico.gp). There is no official car park.
• Altitude: 2,240 m. Drink lots of water, go easy on alcohol the first day, and pack a hat, sun cream and earplugs.
• Weather: around 22 °C by day and 8 to 10 °C at night, dry season (Get Lost in Mexico City). Dress in layers.
• Entry: British citizens don’t need a visa for a tourist stay of up to 180 days. Your passport must be valid for the whole stay, and the Mexican embassy recommends at least 180 days of validity. According to the FCDO, the online immigration form applies to land arrivals, while air arrivals get a passport stamp. If you’re also heading to the USA or Canada, see our entry rules guide for UK fans.