Mexico City Day of the Dead and Formula 1 economic impact, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico City): The overlap of Day of the Dead celebrations with the Formula 1 Grand Prix generated an estimated economic impact of 36 billion pesos for Mexico City, according to Head of Government Clara Brugada. The city also recorded roughly eight million people attending cultural, recreational and sporting activities held over ten days.
Brugada said 21 billion pesos corresponded to economic activity generated by Formula 1, while more than 15 billion pesos came from tourist lodging, ofrendas, culture, gastronomy and consumption associated with the festivities. Between Friday, October 30 and Sunday, November 1, average hotel occupancy reached 92 percent, and in areas such as Roma-Condesa and around Mexico City International Airport it reached 100 percent.
During that weekend, the capital received more than half a million tourists and visitors, an increase of 22 percent in the number of tourists compared with the same period a year earlier. Brugada said the results reflect the city’s growth as a tourist destination and its capacity to host international events.
“This year we have grown in tourism, more than in any other,” she said, adding that the sector’s performance through the end of 2026 is still being tallied.
For the Mexican Grand Prix, she reported an attendance of 405,000 people, placing it as the fourth Formula 1 event with the highest attendance worldwide. Some 400 international media outlets and reporters covered the race, whose broadcasts reached 200 countries.
Additional activities included a free exhibition by Mexican driver Sergio Pérez along Paseo de la Reforma, which drew more than 100,000 people. Brugada said, “Great sporting dreams should be within reach of those who cannot afford a ticket.”
Brugada said the coincidence of the two events allowed the city to combine internationally oriented entertainment with traditional expressions of Mexican culture and turn visitor traffic into income for various economic sectors.
On the Day of the Dead celebrations, she reported that about eight million people took part in cultural, recreational and sporting activities organized at different points across the city over ten days. Main events included the Day of the Dead parade, called the Carnaval de la Memoria, featuring 47 floats, musical bands and comparsas; the monumental Catrina installation in the Zócalo, which again earned a Guinness World Record; and the first Parade of Monumental Alebrijes along Paseo de la Reforma, with 300 figures made by artisans.
Because of visitor demand, the Catrina sculpture will remain in Plaza de la Constitución until November 11, when dismantling work is scheduled to begin. Brugada attributed its extended stay to public response and interest in the installation.
Other activities included nighttime bicycle tours, illuminated sculpture exhibitions along Reforma, costumed rides and the Sendero de Cempasúchil in Chapultepec. Trajinera tours in Xochimilco visited ofrendas placed on the chinampas, and agroecological routes were also offered.
Brugada highlighted the installation of 80 community ofrendas in the Utopías and 44 decentralized activities in the Faros and Territorios de Paz. In Tlatelolco, one of the most heavily attended sites, more than 80,000 people attended.
She also noted participation in the Mixquic celebrations in Tláhuac, where families visited cemeteries and community spaces to maintain traditions honoring their deceased.
Brugada said the activities reached all 16 boroughs and aimed to distribute cultural offerings beyond the Chapultepec-Reforma-Zócalo corridor, where a significant share of the large-scale events was concentrated.
On security, she reported a “saldo blanco” (no major incidents) during the celebrations, with more than 11,000 officers from the Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana deployed across the capital.
Brugada compared the concentration of people during the ten days of festivities with that of the World Cup, noting that the crowds gathered in the streets in a shorter period, since the football tournament will extend for more than a month. She also recognized the work of police and municipal staff involved in organizing, logistics and security, as well as the response of residents.
“The extraordinary energy of these days in the city is the best indicator of citizen trust, social participation, community cohesion and a city of freedoms,” she said.
