For nine years, early November in Lake Worth Beach meant Día de los Muertos at The Hatch, 1121 Lucerne Ave. It had altars, Catrina face paint, mariachi music, and crowds that reached 6,000. The 10th edition was tentatively set for Nov. 1. It won't happen in town this year.

Every event the city itself runs this season is still on. The bonfires, the Veterans Day ceremony, the tree lighting, and the Holiday Parade all have dates. The festival was paid for by a different group, out of a different budget, and that budget depended on state grant money that didn't come this year.

Two calendars, two checkbooks

The town's events come from at least two separate organizers.

The first is the City of Lake Worth Beach. Its Leisure Services department runs events like Little Scream Truck-or-Treat in Bryant Park. On Sept. 16, 2026, the city published its full 2026–2027 schedule, which runs from Halloween through the Fourth of July.

The second runs through the Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. Día de los Muertos was presented by LULA Lake Worth Arts, the CRA's nonprofit arts partner, which operates as the Lake Worth Cultural Renaissance Foundation. The Lake Worth Beach Independent reported that city government "has had no direct role in the festival."

So when the foundation's budget came up short, the city's schedule wasn't affected. One kind of event lost its funding. The other kind never relied on it.

What $24,000 had to cover

On July 14, the CRA board met as the foundation's board and approved a budget with no money for Day of the Dead. CRA Executive Director Joan Oliva told the Independent that the decision came down to "other commitments and lack of a dedicated staff person."

The festival cost about $24,000 to produce, according to City Commissioner Sarah Malega. Florida Department of Cultural Affairs grants had paid for most of it. A memo to the CRA board from Emily Theodossakos, the CRA's marketing and programs manager, explained what had changed. As the Independent quoted it:

"Those grant funds have been significantly reduced, and we will not be receiving support from the state this year."

The memo also said the event had grown to need "major investment in artist fees, production logistics, entertainment, and marketing." It added that the two most recent LULA events at The Hatch, Art Wars and Día de los Muertos, "did not produce any net revenue, like in years past."

Compare that to the CRA's final operating budget for fiscal 2026–27, approved Oct. 1. It shows no grant revenue and $15,000 total for the LULA program. That's less than two-thirds of what one festival day used to cost. Without the state grant, a single November afternoon would have used up more than the arts program's whole year.

The rescue that moved to Georgia Avenue

The decision first came up in public at a city pre-agenda workshop on July 31, and commissioners pushed back. "We should do whatever we can to make sure this happens," Vice Mayor Mimi May said, according to the Lake Worth Beach Independent. CRA board member Richard Mahler volunteered to help. Benny's on the Beach, which runs the restaurants at the pier and casino complex, offered to help line up beverage sponsors.

Asking Leisure Services to step in had a problem. The same department was already producing the Halloween event in Bryant Park about a week before the festival's tentative date. In the end, no Lake Worth Beach rescue plan came together.

What happened instead came from the festival's own founders. Jose R. Mendez, who co-founded the celebration in Lake Worth Beach in 2016, is putting on a smaller version on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 3 to 9 p.m. at The Peach, an arts collective at 3950 Georgia Ave. under the Southern Boulevard overpass in West Palm Beach, Stet News reported. "I do not want to see a tradition that I helped create, that has become so meaningful to our community, come to an end," Mendez told Stet News.

The lineup Stet News described includes:

• Ofrendas, or altars, in the west-facing gallery just west of the railroad tracks
• Face painting and booths from local artisans
• Catrin and Catrina costume contests for adults, children, and pets
• A kids' zone by "Raices" Creative Arts Academy
• Food and drinks from El Segundo, the restaurant on site at The Peach
• A mariachi band, vocalist Emmanuel Gonzalez, and a Selena tribute by Liz Ramirez

The Independent reported that this year's event is funded mostly by donations and by Mendez himself. Rodney Mayo, The Peach's owner, offered the space. Mayo is also behind Lake Worth Beach's newest downtown restaurant, covered below.

For anyone who wants something close to home that weekend, Stet News reports that downtown Lake Worth Beach merchants are holding a Day of the Dead Sip & Shop on Sunday, Nov. 1, from 6 to 8 p.m.

What the city's own calendar still holds

Here is late fall in order, from Halloween weekend through the first weekend of December. City events come from the official 2026–2027 schedule. Stage shows come from the Lake Worth Playhouse season brochure, which notes that dates are subject to change.

1. Fri., Oct. 30, 6 p.m.: Little Scream Truck-or-Treat, Bryant Park. Costumes encouraged.
2. Oct. 30–31: Dracula, a radio-play staging, at the Lake Worth Playhouse.
3. Sun., Nov. 1, 6–8 p.m.: Day of the Dead Sip & Shop, downtown merchants.
4. Nov. 5–15: The Nether at the Playhouse.
5. Fri., Nov. 6, 6–9 p.m.: First Bonfire & Night Market of the season, Casino & Beach Complex.
6. Wed., Nov. 11, 5 p.m.: Veterans Day Celebration, Bryant Park.
7. Fri., Nov. 20, 6–9 p.m.: Bonfire & Night Market.
8. Nov. 20–Dec. 6: Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot at the Playhouse.
9. Mon., Nov. 30, 6:30 p.m.: Tree Lighting, Cultural Plaza.
10. Fri., Dec. 4, 6–9 p.m.: Bonfire & Night Market.
11. Sat., Dec. 5, 6 p.m.: Holiday Parade, downtown.

After that come the Playhouse's White Christmas screenings on Dec. 12 and the Dec. 18 bonfire. The city's Sunset on the Avenue series returns to Cultural Plaza on Jan. 16.

Bonfire nights have a schedule of their own

The beach bonfires have been renamed Bonfires & Night Market on the city's event page. They run on the first and third Fridays from November through February. January is the exception, when they move to the second and fourth Fridays: Jan. 8 and 22. Every night runs 6 to 9 p.m., with a different live band each time, sound by DJ Chico561, and local vendors. Admission is free.

Each month has a theme. November is Fall Fires, December is Fireside Holidays, January is New Year, New Flame, and February is Love & Flames. The city suggests bringing lawn chairs and blankets and arriving early to get a good spot.

None of these takes the festival's place on the map. The Independent called the Day of the Dead festival at The Hatch "one of the few big events west of U.S. 1 in Lake Worth Beach."

A new table downtown before the parade

One part of the fall calendar didn't depend on any grant. Man Ray, from Rodney Mayo's Subculture Group, opened at 522 Lucerne Ave. this summer. It had a debut on Aug. 12, and full opening was planned for Aug. 19, with Subculture Coffee pouring from 7 a.m., the Lake Worth Beach Independent reported. The Independent describes it as a Dada-themed restaurant serving Retro Americana food and craft cocktails. Lucerne Avenue runs through the downtown that hosts the Dec. 5 Holiday Parade.

Whether the festival comes back in 2027

Both sides have said they want it back. "We plan on bringing the event back next year," Oliva told the Independent. Mendez has said he hopes the festival can return to Lake Worth Beach in 2027.

The funding question is still open. At the July 31 workshop, Commissioner Anthony Segrich pointed to county tourist development tax money as a possible source. "We pay well over $2 million a year into tourist development tax from our city. We have received zero dollars and we hold some of the largest festivals in Palm Beach County," he said, as reported by the Lake Worth Beach Independent.

For now, the next local date to put on the calendar is the first bonfire, on Friday, Nov. 6, at the Casino & Beach Complex.

At The Silver Team, we've lived in Palm Beach County for three decades, and the bonfires and the Holiday Parade are a big part of what makes this a home and not just an address. If you're starting to think about what your Lake Worth Beach home is worth, we'd be glad to talk it over. Get your free home valuation and consultation whenever you're ready.