Marigold Miles 5K: Día de los Muertos Run

Marigold Miles 5K: Día de los Muertos Run is a 5K in Downtown Los Angeles incorporating Day of the Dead traditions. Thousands of families and friends gather to run, walk, and remember departed loved ones. The event supports the Olvera Street Merchants Association Foundation, which funds traditional, historical, cultural, and educational events connected to Olvera Street. The race begins on Main Street within El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, the city's oldest area and Olvera Street's location. The course travels through lower Chinatown and passes Los Angeles State Historic Park. Before the start, traditional Aztec dancers conduct a purification ceremony; around the course, participants paint their faces like skulls and place marigolds, candles, photos, and memorabilia on altars, including an official Community Altar. Following the finish, the festival proceeds with mariachi bands, folkloric dance groups, and stilt walkers, and the top three finishers in each gender category are awarded hand-painted skull trophies.