How James Bond inspired Mexico City’s Day of the Dead parade

Giant skeletons, floats and performers in feathered headdresses and masks fill the streets of Mexico City during the 10th anniversary of the Day of the Dead parade. — AFP pic

First Published: Sunday, 01 Nov 2026 9:00 PM MYT

MEXICO CITY, Nov 1 — While Day of the Dead is a centuries-old tradition in Mexico, its parade in the capital is a newer addition — with thanks to Bond, James Bond.

The Day of the Dead, when Mexico honours its deceased by blending pre-Columbian traditions with the Christian All Saints’ Day, is historically a family affair.

Relatives visit cemeteries and set up altars with food and other items their loved ones enjoyed in life.

Then came 007.

Miguel Angel Mancera, who served as Mexico City mayor from 2012 to 2018, organised the city's first Day of the Dead parade in 2016. — AFP pic

The 2015 Bond film “Spectre” opens with the British spy walking through a crowd dressed as the dead in downtown Mexico City.

Yesterday, giant skeletons, floats and performers in feathered headdresses and masks filled the streets of Mexico City for the 10th anniversary of the Day of the Dead parade.

Musicians and acrobats joined the colourful floats, giving the downtown avenues a carnival atmosphere.

People take part in the Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City on October 31, 2026. — AFP pic

“Everyone started asking me, ‘What about the parade? When’s the parade?’”

Miguel Angel Mancera, who organised the first parade while serving as Mexico City mayor from 2012 to 2018, told AFP. “It was an adventure.”

City officials expect more than half a million visitors from Mexico and abroad to watch this year’s parade, which falls on the same weekend as the city’s Formula One Grand Prix race.

People attend the Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City on October 31, 2026.

Some of the giant figures used in the film appeared in the first parade in 2016.

“It’s a very, very big thing now,” Mancera said. “It’s something I’m really proud of.”

An 11-storey Catrina — an elegantly dressed female skeleton — stands in the Zocalo, the capital’s main square, as part of this year’s festivities.

Two women wearing Catrina costumes attend the Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City on October 31, 2026.

What was once a “more intimate” celebration has become “a mass event,” said Roberto Montalvo, an academic at the Iberoamerican University.

Tourists now pack some cemeteries, competing with families for space. “Do we adapt the visit to the ritual, or does the ritual adapt to the visitor?” Montalvo asked. — AFP