Corpus Christi blocks 10 downtown streets for free Saturday Day of the Dead festival

The Coastal Bend region prepares for a weekend filled with Halloween and Day of the Dead celebrations. The main event is the 19th annual Día de los Muertos Street Festival, scheduled for Saturday in downtown Corpus Christi.

The free festival occupies 10 downtown blocks from 1 p.m. to midnight. Organizers have arranged live music, art displays, food vendors, and cultural performances for attendees. A community ofrenda will be available for families to honor deceased relatives. The holiday focuses on remembering those who have passed and celebrating their lives.

The Holiday Inn Downtown Marina hosts the Villain Invasion Halloween Fest on Saturday and Sunday. Participants can meet horror movie actors, enter costume contests, and compete in gaming tournaments. Visitors who donate two nonperishable food items to the Coastal Bend Food Bank receive a special-edition event poster. Weekend passes cost $20, and children 12 and under enter for free.

The Monster Mash Cupcake Dash returns to Water's Edge Park on Saturday morning. Runners and walkers can choose a 5K, 10K, or 2-mile route while dressed in costumes. Every finisher receives a cupcake. Proceeds from the event support Family Counseling Services, a provider of mental health care in the region.

Asbury Methodist Church offers a quieter alternative with family pumpkin painting from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Families can purchase pumpkins and decorate them together. The church's pumpkin patch stays open through Halloween. A new event, Hocus Pocus Corpus, debuts at the Hilliard Center from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday. It features free activities, trick-or-treating, door prizes, and a community resource fair that includes a presentation on renters' rights.