Santa Fe (New Mexico) festivals · Festivals in Santa Fe (New Mexico)
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Festivals in Santa Fe (New Mexico)
Festivals in Santa Fe (New Mexico)
Santa Fe hosts a seemingly unending series of community fairs, festivals and celebrations, of which the most characteristic is the Fiesta de Santa Fe . This grand city-wide festival is held over the weekend after Labor Day in mid-September, after most of the summer tourists have left (and has been described as Santa Fe throwing a party for itself to celebrate the tourists leaving!). The celebration commemorates the reconquest of Santa Fe in 1692 by the Spanish after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Fiesta opens with a procession bearing a statue of the Blessed Virgin known as La Conquistadora to the Cathedral of St. Francis. Revelry starts with the Thursday night burning of Zozobra, also known as "Old Man Gloom," a huge, animated figure whose demise at the hands of a torch-bearing dancer symbolizes the banishing of cares for the year. Prepare for BIG crowds - this event is not for the faint of heart and can be downright scary for small children! The crowning of a queen (La Reina) of the Fiesta and her consort, representing the Spanish nobleman, Don Diego de Vargas, who played a key role in the founding of the city, is a matter of great local import. Revelry continues through the weekend and features such events as the hilarious children's Pet Parade on Saturday morning and the Hysterical/Historical Parade on Sunday afternoon. A Fiesta Melodrama at the Community Playhouse effectively and pointedly pokes fun at city figures and events of the year past. The Fiesta closes with a solemn, candle-lit walk to the Cross of the Martyrs.
A few of the other festivities during the year, arranged in (usual) chronological order through the year, are:
ArtFeast, Edible Art Gallery Tour, , February 22-25, 2007
Santa Fe Community Days, mid-May
Santa Fe Plaza Arts and Crafts Festivals, mid-June and Labor Day weekend
Rodeo de Santa Fe, late June-early July
Santa Fe Wine Festival, , usually first weekend in July, located at Rancho de las Golondrinas, taste and enjoy some of the finest wines in New Mexico in the beautiful outdoor setting of a living history museum
Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, , early July, a huge gathering of folk artists from around the world showing their work on the Milner Plaza at Museum Hill
Summer Antiquities Show, July
Santa Fe Jazz Festival, , mid- to late July
Summer Spanish Market , late July in the Plaza
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival with a series of internationally known musicians, July and August
Mountain Man Rendezvous, mid-August, Palace of the Governors
Santa Fe Indian Market . This annual mid-August event is the most significant Santa Fe festival for tourists and collectors. The entire downtown area is filled with vendors of American Indian arts and crafts, ranging from $10 tourist trinkets on up to breathtaking works of the highest quality. It advertises itself as the world's largest show for Native American artisans, and the description is probably accurate; an artisan who wins one of the top prizes in the juried competitions here is "made" as a significant folk art figure. Lodging is tight in town on Indian Market weekend, so if you're attending, make plans early -- Indian Market weekend in 2008 is August 23-24.
Thirsty Ear Music Festival , August-September, Eaves Movie Ranch
Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta , in late September, pairs wines from vintners around the world with the spicy foods for which Santa Fe is known. Winemakers' dinners, special tastings and the Grand Tasting on the Santa Fe Opera grounds make for a vintage weekend! This event is a sell-out for Santa Fe, so lodging is at a premium - reserve early.
Santa Fe Film Festival , early December; the web site is usually updated in the fall to reflect the coming offerings
Winter Spanish Market , early December
Las Posadas, a pre-Christmas commemoration of Mary's and Joseph's search for lodging taking place outdoors on the Plaza. This event takes place in mid December and is a truly unique experience. The audience "participates" in the play by holding candles and following Mary and Joseph in their search for lodging. El Diablo (the devil) appears on rooftops throughout the plaza and hurls insults at the crowd, which responds in kind. This is a wonderful family event.
Farolito Walk, a Christmas Eve walk around the historic areas of downtown Santa Fe, throughout which have been set farolitos, small brown bags filled with sand and a votive candle, to light the way for the Christ Child
Winter Antiquities Show, late December
In addition, many of the Native American pueblo communities nearby schedule dances and other ceremonies to celebrate specific feast days throughout the year that welcome tourists (along with a few that are for tribe members only).
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Santa Fe (New Mexico) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.