"There was a small group of people that thought that skulls kind of looked morbid," Evelyn Reyes-Umana told The Union Democrat in a feature marking the celebration's 10th year. The paper reported that when the Arnold resident, originally from El Salvador, first proposed a Día de los Muertos celebration in what it called the "Irishified heart of downtown Murphys," the idea was not well received at first. Her response explains how the event is still run today. "That's why, to me, it's important we keep this event cultural based."
That commitment shows up most clearly at the end of the day. Murphys Día de los Muertos returns on Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Murphys Park, 505 Algiers St. The event closes with a blessing, and anything still on the community altar by then is burned. Families bringing a photograph and costumed kids entering the contest are working against the same clock, and it runs out at 4 p.m.
A celebration that ends with a fire
The Murphys Business Association's event page bills the day as the Murphys community honoring the dead "in the Land of the Skulls." The association hosts the celebration together with the Murphys Community Club and the participating businesses of Murphys, and the ofrendas are set up at participating Main Street businesses.
Anyone can add a remembrance of a loved one to the community altar in the park. According to the organizers, the event ends "with a blessing and ritual burning of any items left at the altar at the end of the day." Items still on the altar after 4 p.m. become part of that final blessing, which is led with Aztec cultural dancers, and all of them are burned. If you want a photo or keepsake back, pick it up before 4 p.m.
Some families will want their item included in the burning and will leave it there on purpose. Others will bring a framed print they intend to hang back on the wall at home. Both choices are fine. Decide which one you're making before you leave the house.
The afternoon, counted backward from 5 p.m.
The organizers have published a stable format for the day. The detailed schedule on the 2026 page is the same one used in 2025, and the association asks visitors to check back "for the latest information as it becomes available." Look at it again the week of the event. Here is the timeline as it currently stands.
| Time | What happens in the park | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. | Artisan vendors, face painting, food and drink, and the community ofrenda open | Arrive early if you're adding to the altar, so your item is up for most of the day |
| Before 2 p.m. | Catrín and Catrina contest sign-up closes at the information booth | Adults who want to compete must register by now |
| Before 3 p.m. | Children gather for the contest | Kids don't need to sign up, but they do need to be in the park |
| 4 p.m. | Contest begins; items on the community altar are now part of the blessing | Last chance to collect anything you want to take home |
| Shortly after 5 p.m. | Final ceremony and blessing of the messages, with Aztec cultural dancers | Items left on the altar are burned |
The costume contest starts at the same moment the altar closes to retrieval, so a parent watching a child cross the stage may not be able to reach the altar for a photo at the same time. If your family is doing both, collect the photo at 3:30.
Contest entry is free, and there are prizes for the winner and the runner-up. The organizers are specific about costumes. They suggest looking at photos on the Visit Murphys Instagram and Facebook pages for traditional garb, and they note that "Halloween, Witch & Warlock style costumes are not culturally respectful and won't be included in this pageant." The event falls one week after Halloween, so a costume left over from October 31 won't qualify.
The day goes ahead rain or shine.
Main Street's ofrendas follow different rules
The park altar is open to everyone. The ofrendas set up by participating businesses along Main Street work differently, and each one belongs to the business that built it. Organizers ask anyone who wants to add to a business altar to contact the owner first, to make sure there's an appropriate space for the item.
The general guidance is easy to apply on the spot:
- Altars honoring groups, such as children, firefighters, or public figures, will usually welcome contributions.
- Altars honoring a family member or friend will likely accept items only from that person's own family and friends.
- The community altar in the park takes anyone's remembrance, subject to the 4 p.m. burning rule.
Most visitors will simply walk past these displays. If you're coming in with something to place, these rules tell you where it belongs. The association has published ofrenda maps in past years, including a 2025 program and map on the same event page, and that map is the easiest way to plan a route between the park and Main Street.
What your purchases in the park pay for
The money spent in the park goes back into the park. Food and drink sales benefit the Murphys Community Club, which maintains and improves the park along the creek. A plate of food at 1 p.m. helps pay for the lawn where the blessing takes place four hours later.
The Union Democrat described the celebration as having become "an accepted — and celebrated — local institution," a sign of Murphys being more than an Irish-inspired pioneer town. Reyes-Umana said of the change, "Now it doesn't feel strange anymore. We're welcoming it."
After the blessing, a table on Main Street
The blessing begins shortly after 5 p.m., and one of the weekend's ticketed dinners starts at 6 p.m. a few blocks away. Jazz Cellars Winery hosts its annual wine pairing dinner on Saturday, November 7, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Murphys Historic Hotel, 457 Main Street. The winery describes four courses paired with its wines, live music, and one-night-only wine sales, with limited seats. If you want to stay for the blessing and then sit down to dinner, book through Jazz Cellars well before the day.
The night before also has two Main Street options within a few doors of each other:
- Wine Blending Night, Friday, November 6, 5 to 7 p.m., at Murphys Wine & Beer Garden, 472 Main St. You blend, taste, cork, and label your own bottle. Reservations are required.
- Music on the Rooftop at Boyle MacDonald Wines, 448B Main St., Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m., including November 6. The series also runs on November 13, 20, and 27.
The blending session ends at 7 and the rooftop music runs until 8, so you can comfortably do both in one evening on the same stretch of Main Street.
The weeks on either side
The fall calendar has a few more fixed dates. Before the celebration, Ironstone Vineyards screens "The Phantom of the Opera" as a silent-movie dinner on Friday, October 30, in its Alhambra Music Room. Doors open at 6 p.m., dinner is at 6:30, and the film starts at 7:30. Dave Moreno plays the pipe organ live, joined by opera singer Kerri Scott. Details are on Ironstone's event page.
After the celebration, the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance calendar lists Murphys Open House on Friday, December 4, 2026. In past years that evening has included a community celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. and a 5:30 parade, but the 2026 program hasn't been posted yet. For more ideas on filling the Saturdays in between, our guide to weekend life in Murphys covers the town's regular rhythm.
For the Día de los Muertos itself, keep two times in mind. Have your photo back in hand by 4 p.m., and be in the park shortly after 5 if you want to see the blessing.
A day spent remembering family can also bring up decisions about a family home, whether that's a parent's cabin above Murphys or a house in the East Bay that holds decades of memories. Christina Beil works with families through estate and downsizing sales with patience and care, at whatever pace suits them. When you're ready to talk it through, request your home valuation and we'll begin with a conversation.
