Pilsen hosts Chicago's most authentic and largest Día de los Muertos celebration, centred on the National Museum of Mexican Art but extending throughout the neighbourhood with ofrendas (altars) in shops, galleries, and homes visible through windows during the first two days of November. The museum mounts its annual Día de los Muertos exhibition in October; the neighbourhood street celebrations on November 1 and 2 include processions and community altar displays.
The celebration has been growing since the 1980s and has become a significant civic event drawing visitors from across the city. Unlike commercialised Halloween events, the Pilsen Día de los Muertos maintains its character as a genuinely community-centred observance with strong Mexican-American cultural continuity.