Navigating the Catrinas Contest: Where to See Oaxaca’s Best Costumes
The Catrina Takes Center Stage
During Día de Muertos the streets of Oaxaca fill with elegant skeletal figures. Many of the most striking are formal entries in costume contests or part of the large official processions. The figure at the center of much of this display is the Catrina (and her male counterpart, the Catrín). Understanding the contests and knowing where else to look lets visitors see the highest level of creativity while placing the phenomenon in its proper cultural context.
The Official Catrinas Contest and the Gran Comparsa
In recent years the state and municipal authorities have organized a formal Concurso de Catrinas linked to the Gran Comparsa (sometimes called Magna Comparsa). In 2025 this contest ran as part of the broader program “La Fiesta Más Viva de Todas.” Participants registered in advance to appear as Catrina Oaxaqueña in the large procession that started from the Fuente de las Ocho Regiones and moved through the historic center toward the Zócalo area on the evening of October 31.
Prizes that year reached 50,000 pesos for first place, 25,000 for second, and 15,000 for third. Registration typically closed several days before the event. The procession itself began around 18:00, with participants asked to assemble earlier. The contest rewarded originality, craftsmanship, cultural reference, and overall presentation.
As of late August 2026 the official 2026 Día de Muertos program has not yet been published. Exact dates, registration deadlines, prize amounts, and the precise route will be confirmed by the Secretaría de Turismo or the municipal government in the autumn. Until then the 2025 pattern remains the clearest recent model: an official Catrinas contest embedded in the big city-center comparsa on or near October 31. Bookmark this page because we will publish updates as soon as they come out.
Other Costume Contests and Displays
Alongside the main adult-oriented Catrinas contest, authorities have also run children’s and youth costume competitions. In 2025 the DIF Oaxaca organized Diverti Muertos, which included a runway evaluation at the Fuente de las Ocho Regiones on October 29. Categories emphasized traditional Oaxacan dress, Day of the Dead themes, and costumes made with recycled materials. Halloween-style figures such as witches or zombies were explicitly discouraged.
Beyond formal contests, outstanding costumes appear throughout the season in neighborhood comparsas (especially in Jalatlaco and other historic barrios), in the spontaneous street processions that form around brass bands, and in the nightly gatherings near the Zócalo and along Macedonio Alcalá. Monumental Catrina figures are often installed in public spaces, and artisans in places such as Santa María Atzompa produce clay Catrinas that appear in markets and exhibitions.
Where to See the Best Costumes
- The Gran / Magna Comparsa – the single densest concentration of high-effort Catrina and related costumes when the official contest is running.
- Neighborhood comparsas – Jalatlaco on the nights of November 1 and 2 is especially reliable for creative, locally rooted outfits.
- Macedonio Alcalá and the Zócalo area – evenings throughout the main days bring a steady flow of painted faces and elaborate dress.
- Public installations and markets – look for large sculptural Catrinas and the work of local artisans.
The highest level of detail and investment usually appears in the registered contest entries and in the more organized contingents of the big official parade. The most spontaneous and sometimes most charming costumes appear in the smaller barrio processions.
How the Catrina Relates to the Tradition
The Catrina is not a pre-Hispanic figure. She originated in the early twentieth-century engravings of José Guadalupe Posada as a satirical skeletal dandy, later popularized and given her enduring name by Diego Rivera. Over time she became one of the most recognizable modern symbols of Día de Muertos: an elegant reminder that death comes to everyone regardless of social rank, and a vehicle for humor, fashion, and artistic display.
In Oaxaca she coexists with older practices. The core of the celebration remains the ofrenda, the cemetery vigil, the return of the souls, and the community processions that have deeper local roots (including the muerteadas of the Valle de Etla). The Catrina contests and the elaborate street costumes belong more to the festive, public, and contemporary layer of the season. They are genuine expressions of creativity and pride, yet they are not the same as the family altars or the overnight graveside gatherings.
This distinction matters for visitors. Enjoying the spectacular costumes in the Centro or in a formal contest is entirely appropriate. Carrying the same full Catrina makeup and costume into a quiet family cemetery vigil is often regarded as out of place. The two settings have different tones, and respectful participation means recognizing the difference.
Practical Notes for 2026
No official 2026 date, registration period, or prize list has been released as of late August. When the state and municipal Día de Muertos program appears (usually in October), it will list the exact timing of any Catrinas contest and its connection to the Gran Comparsa. Until then, the best preparation is to watch the channels of the Secretaría de Turismo de Oaxaca and the Ayuntamiento de Oaxaca de Juárez.
Whether or not a formal contest is announced, the streets themselves will still fill with outstanding costumes. The combination of registered contest entries, neighborhood comparsas, and everyday celebrants produces one of the richest visual displays of the season. Arrive with comfortable shoes, a willingness to follow the sound of the brass bands, and an understanding that the most elaborate Catrinas are part of a modern, festive layer built on top of much older practices of remembrance and welcome.
