As New York prepares for Thanksgiving and the holidays, Latin things to do in NYC in November 2026 include: Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos, Puerto Rican Heritage Month, and Native American Heritage Month celebrations.
Day of the Dead/Día de Muertos Family Celebrations
Day of the Dead is a pan-Latin celebration of family ancestors, whose Mexican tradition has gone global with its beautiful skull and skeleton folk imagery.
Families and communities build ofrendas (altars) in late October to invite family ancestors to visit. By tradition, child souls visit on November 1, and adult souls visit on November 2. But they only visit if you invite them. The ofrenda is the invitation. People also tend family graves.
New York Latin Culture Magazine’s ofrenda includes a portrait of Adál Maldonado, one of our Puerto Rican padrinos who pointed us to the Afro-Puerto Rican side of things, and taught us to laugh at everything. Adál Was Here!
In the Mexican Día de Muertos tradition, you live as long as someone remembers you. May you always be remembered.
México Now Festival: Contemporary Mexican Culture
The México Now Festival brings the best in contemporary Mexican art and culture to NYC. People who live in both New York and México City tell us that México City is the far more artistically progressive place. You wouldn’t expect that, but it’s probably true. Go see for yourself.