London Day of the Dead Parade

Columbia Road is famous for its flower market, and flowers are an intrinsic part of this annual 'Day of the Dead' celebration. Flowers (especially marigolds) decorate the outside of houses and help the dead find their way back to the land of the living and represent the transience of life.

Like the Celtic festival of Samhain, the Christian 'All Hallows Eve' and the Chinese 'Hungry Ghost' festival, the 'Day of the Dead' marks the end of the harvest season. The festivals take place at Liminal Time, when the boundary between our world and the other world is more porous, allowing ancestors to move easily between the two.

Nearest Underground is Bethnal Green (Central Line) or Old Street (Northern Line).

Bus: 8, 26, 55.