At 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, Baile Folklore Colibri and Danza Monarca take the floor at Peter Kirk Community Center, and the refreshments include pan de muerto. Seven days later, on Halloween, a Catrina procession is planned as part of a daylong event at Marina Park. Both are free. Both honor the same tradition. The organizers are very different, and one of them has never put on an event in Kirkland before.
Halloween falls on a Saturday in 2026. That gives Kirkland two Saturdays to work with this year, and Día de los Muertos opens and closes the week. The costumes, corn mazes and candy all fall in between.
Saturday, Oct. 24: three hosts, one long day
The first Saturday is the established one. Three free events are spread across town, and their start and end times line up closely enough to run as a single afternoon and evening.
| Time | Event | Where | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noon to 2 p.m. | Village Halloween Celebration | The Village at Totem Lake | Costumed characters, stage show, craft station. Rain or shine. Not a trick-or-treat event. |
| 2 to 4 p.m. | Día de los Muertos | Peter Kirk Community Center, 352 Kirkland Ave. | City of Kirkland's annual celebration. Live performances, pan de muerto, aguas frescas. |
| 5 to 8 p.m. | Treat Street | Kirkland Urban, 425 Urban Plaza | Trick-or-treating at participating businesses, corn maze, DJ dance party, candy wall. |
The handoffs aren't perfect. The Totem Lake event ends at exactly the time Día de los Muertos begins, so anyone doing both will get to the second one a little late. After that comes a one-hour gap before Treat Street. Each stop is worth looking at on its own terms before you decide how much of the day to take on.
Noon at Totem Lake
The Village Halloween Celebration runs from noon to 2 p.m. and promises costumed characters, a stage performance and a craft station, rain or shine. The Village is clear that costumes are encouraged but this is not a trick-or-treat event. Kids who show up with empty pillowcases will be waiting until evening. Parking is free in the Green Garage, which has two entrances along 120th, one on the north side and one on the south.
This is the shortest and most contained of the three, which makes it the easiest one to leave on time.
2 p.m. at Peter Kirk Community Center
The City's Día de los Muertos celebration is the part of the day with roots in the city calendar. The City calls it annual, and the 2026 lineup includes performances by Baile Folklore Colibri, Danza Monarca and the Gema Choir.
The food comes from Cafecito Mexican Bakery, the event sponsor, which will provide traditional pan de muerto, aguas frescas and other refreshments. Cafecito isn't a Kirkland bakery. Its dine-in shop is at 15364 NE 96th Pl in Redmond, so anyone who wants more pan de muerto after Saturday will be heading next door.
In the City's announcement, Councilmember Shilpa Prem ties the event to Kirkland's standing as a Certified Welcoming City: "Celebrations like Día de los Muertos bring that commitment to life by honoring cultural traditions, sharing stories, and connecting neighbors."
The practical detail is parking. The City says parking at Peter Kirk Community Center is limited and suggests carpooling, biking or transit. Its event listing also points drivers to the Kirkland Municipal Parking Garage under the Library. For updates on the day, the City lists 425-587-3336.
5 p.m. at Kirkland Urban
Treat Street is back at Kirkland Urban from 5 to 8 p.m. It's free and open to the public. If you're bringing kids, this is where the candy is. Families can trick-or-treat at participating Kirkland Urban businesses, and the plaza is split into themed areas:
- Boo-tanical Garden Corn Maze, with creepy crawlers, skeletons and odd plants around the turns
- Monster Bash Dance Party, set to a live DJ
- Trick-or-Treat Candy Wall, where a live hand pushes through and offers either a trick or a treat
- Costumed characters, balloon artists and Halloween music throughout the evening
Parking validation is the most useful line on the page. Any Kirkland Urban business can validate up to four hours of free parking. That gives the hour between 4 and 5 p.m. a job. An early dinner or a coffee at a Kirkland Urban business fills the gap after Día de los Muertos and covers parking for the rest of the evening.
Monday, Oct. 26: one quiet stop in between
Between the two Saturdays, there's a smaller event at Kirkland Library. "Skeletons! Stories and Science" runs Monday, Oct. 26, from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. Librarian Amy reads a skeleton story, kids compare the skulls of a seal, a bobcat and a chipmunk using artifacts from the Burke Museum, and there are X-rays of human bones to look at. The KCLS event calendar mentions registration, so check the listing before you go.
Saturday, Oct. 31: the first Kirkland Catrina Walk
On Halloween, the week returns to Día de los Muertos, and this part is new. The Kirkland Catrina Walk is presented by Mundo Catrina at Marina Park, 25 Lakeshore Plaza Drive. It's free, and Explore Kirkland lists it from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. ParentMap's listing gives the same hours. The event's AllEvents page says 8:30 p.m. in some places and 8 p.m. in others, so if you're counting on the last hour, check before you go.
That page also announces the event as Mundo Catrina's first in Kirkland: "For the first time, Mundo Catrina proudly presents the Kirkland Catrina Walk at Marina Park." Plans include a Catrina cultural procession, live entertainment, art and cultural exhibits, an artisan marketplace, food vendors and family activities.
Who Mundo Catrina is
The group is new. WALatino News describes Mundo Catrina as a newly formed Seattle cultural arts collective founded by Julieta Juarez, a native of Veracruz, Mexico. The same report says Juarez transforms into a Catrina every October for Día de los Muertos, and that she started the collective as a way to represent Mexican culture.
The collective made a public appearance in Seattle in June. Seattle Center listed a free Mundo Catrina procession on June 11, 2026, from Mercer Street to the south doors of the Armory. WALatino News reported that the procession was held to celebrate Mexico's World Cup opening match against South Africa. WALatino News reported about 75 participants bringing La Calavera Catrina to life. It also reported that the collective sourced gowns, rebozos and accessories from artisans in Oaxaca, Guerrero and Jalisco and from local Washington shops, and that some gowns weigh 10 to 15 pounds because of their layers, trains and ruffles.
Juarez explained the purpose to WALatino News:
"For me, it was very important to bring something that represents us."
The June procession was built around handmade traditional dress, which gives a sense of what the Marina Park procession is likely to look like.
What's still unannounced
The Oct. 24 events have published schedules. The Catrina Walk is still being put together. The procession route through downtown Kirkland, its start time, the performers and the vendor list haven't been posted. The AllEvents page invited applications from Catrinas and Catrines, artisan and food vendors, artists, performers, nonprofits, sponsors and volunteers, and said more details and special guests would be announced. That's typical for a first-year event, and it shapes how to plan the day.
A nine-and-a-half-hour window with no published procession time works best for people who arrive early and keep their afternoon open. Anyone who wants to see the procession itself should check the Explore Kirkland listing again on Halloween morning rather than relying on what's posted this week.
How the two Saturdays work together
The same tradition shows up twice, a week apart, from two different hosts.
On Oct. 24, the City sets the tone. It's a two-hour afternoon at the community center with named dance groups, a choir and a sponsoring bakery bringing pan de muerto. It sits between a Totem Lake craft table and a candy wall at Kirkland Urban, and because the day has firm start and end times, you can plan it hour by hour.
On Oct. 31, a new collective brings the tradition outdoors to the waterfront for most of the day, with a tradition of artisan-sourced gowns and a schedule that's still coming together.
For a family deciding where Halloween week goes, the first Saturday is the safer plan and the second is the one to watch.
Quick reference
- Sat., Oct. 24, noon to 2 p.m. Village Halloween Celebration, The Village at Totem Lake. Free parking in the Green Garage off 120th.
- Sat., Oct. 24, 2 to 4 p.m. Día de los Muertos, Peter Kirk Community Center, 352 Kirkland Ave. Limited parking; the City suggests the garage under the Library.
- Sat., Oct. 24, 5 to 8 p.m. Treat Street, Kirkland Urban, 425 Urban Plaza. Up to four hours of free parking with validation.
- Mon., Oct. 26, 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. "Skeletons! Stories and Science," Kirkland Library. Check the KCLS listing for registration.
- Sat., Oct. 31, starts at 11 a.m. Kirkland Catrina Walk, Marina Park, 25 Lakeshore Plaza Drive. Listed end time is 8:30 p.m.; check the listing for procession timing.
At First And Main, we follow the weekends that shape life in the communities we serve, from Totem Lake to the Marina Park waterfront. If this year's two Saturdays have you thinking about where your family wants to be next October, we'd love to talk it through. Book an Appointment.
