Summer in Santa Fe: Lowriders cruise the Plaza, Farmers’ Market people-watching is at its peak and restaurant patios overflow with margarita-sipping tourists. It’s a heady time of year, with a veritable carousel of art openings, fairs and fests; here are some we try not to miss. Grab a highlighter, mark your favorites, and stick it on the fridge.
Canyon Road Summer Art Walk
5-8 pm first Wednesdays June–September. Free Canyon Road, canyonroadsummerwalk.com
If checking out Canyon Road on a weekday night hasn’t always been a summertime must-do—same. But last summer’s popular Canyon Road Summer Walk series, which saw galleries and other businesses open their doors not just to art buyers but to curious locals, is back, and replete with artist demos, live music, and all kinds of other fun stuff like pop-up churro bars and after-dark theatrical performances.
CURRENTS New Media Festival
Opening Day: 5-10 pm Friday, June 13, then daily through Sunday, June 22
$10–$15; kids under 10 free. El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 555 Camino de la Familia, currentsnewmedia.org
CURRENTS New Media Festival will return to its original digs in the Railyard this year, taking over El Museo Cultural for 10 days of immersive digital art experiences that explore the ever-changing interaction of tech and human touch. International exhibitors at the top of their fields—be it animation, VR, AR, and other digitally driven art disciplines—invite visitors to engage, explore and have a complete blast.
Native Dance Series presented by Museum of Indian Arts & Culture
Various times, Saturday, June 21; Saturday, July 19; August 2–3. Free. Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, 710 Camino Lejo, indianartsandculture.org
If you’re planning a trip to Museum Hill this summer, consider timing your visit to catch one of three performances from MIAC’s Native Dance Series. Against the mountainous open-air backdrop of Museum Hill’s Milner Plaza, you’ll see Puebloan dance troupes from Albuquerque, Ohkay Owingeh and beyond sharing centuries-old dance traditions resplendent with pride and spirituality.
Santa Fe Pride on the Plaza
9 am-5 pm Saturday, June 28. Free. 63 Lincoln Ave. hrasantafe.org/pride-2025
Blossoming apricot trees, thrumming insects and penetrating cerulean skies? Summer in Santa Fe is downright sensuous. Celebrate love’s abundance in every vibrant shade of the rainbow at Santa Fe’s 32nd annual Pride on the Plaza from the Human Rights Alliance Santa Fe. There’s a parade, live music, drag performances and community booths on June 28, but all sorts of other events like Queer Prom Night, Madrid’s funky and fabulous Pride Parade and Pride After Dark to keep the party going all month long.
Rodeo de Santa Fe
5 pm Wednesday, June 18 through Saturday, June 21. $10-$25. 3237 rodeo Road, rodeodesantafe.com
Mustachioed cowboys, boot-scootin music and American prairie-core aesthetics are everywhere right now, so why not embrace it? Throw on your bolo tie and check out our town’s annual Rodeo de Santa Fe, where the energy is electric, the outfits are iconic and the people-watching alone is worth the price of admission. In the arena, catch bull riders and barrel racing, then peep the vendor area for games, beer and classic fair treats.
Santa Fe Opera
Various times and shows Friday, June 27 through Saturday, Aug 23. $48-$264. 301 Opera Drive santafeopera.org
Heartache, forbidden love and cosmic destiny are all part of the juicy drama unfolding nightly at this summer’s 68th annual Santa Fe Opera. This season’s five rotating productions—La Bohème, The Marriage of Figaro, Die Walküre, Rigoletto, and The Turn of the Screw—offer timeless stories told with world-class voices and state-of-the-art set design. Opera aficionados can catch pre-show lectures, apprentice nights, and chic-but-laid-back tailgating.
Pancakes on the Plaza
7 am-5 pm Friday, July 4. $8-$10. 63 Lincoln Ave. pancakesontheplaza.com
Independence Day celebrations begin at 7am, when volunteers spread out across the Plaza and flip pancakes for patriotic—or just hungry—visitors. After breakfast, stroll the tree-lined Plaza to admire vintage cars and browse handmade goods from local artisans. Best of all, this syrupy carb fest supports do-good youth programs like YouthWorks! and the Children’s Museum.
Santa Fe Wine Festival
Noon-6pm Saturday, July 5 and Sunday, July 6
$10-$80. 334 Los Pinos Road, golondrinas.org
Do you get a kick out of Southwestern history, regional wine tasting or both? The Santa Fe Wine Festival, now celebrating its 31st year at living history museum El Rancho de las Golondrinas, is for you. Here, local vintners invite you to sample wine, and you can browse handmade crafts, and grab bites from beloved regional vendors. Carve out some time to break from the crowds and meander around the enchantingly rustic, cottonwood-shaded grounds.
International Folk Art Market
All Day Friday, July 11 through Sunday, July 13
Free-$311.52. 740 Cerrillos Road, folkartmarket.org
Santa Fe’s annual International Folk Art Market, hosted in the Railyard Park, is the world’s largest fair of its kind. Around 150 craftspeople from 50 countries make the trek to Santa Fe each July, where they sell handmade goods and share creative practices. Where else can you meet weavers from Peru, basket-makers from Rwanda and silversmiths from Uzbekistan? Music, art demos, delicious food, and connecting with world-wide creatives await.
Traditional Spanish Market
8 am-5 pm Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27. Free. traditionalspanishmarket.org
Each summer, The Atrisco Heritage Foundation’s Spanish Market transforms the Plaza into a celebration of Northern New Mexican art traditions, many of which have been lovingly practiced here for centuries. You’ll find plenty of devotional art, much of it emphasizing beloved regional Catholic saints, as well as weavings, tinwork and silver jewelry. Steps from the main show, check out the Contemporary Hispanic Market, which hosts established and emerging Latino artists.
Santa Fe Beer & Food Festival
Noon-6 pm Saturday, August 9 and Sunday, August 6. $8; kids 12 and under free
334 Los Pinos Road, golondrinas.org
New Mexico’s food culture is the stuff of legends, but we also enjoy a truly impressive regional brewing scene. Check out some of the friendliest vendors around at the Santa Fe Beer & Food Festival at El Rancho de las Golondrinas. Sip craft beers made with locally grown hops, savor dishes from regional food vendors and enjoy live music, artisan markets and hop-harvesting demos, all on the stunning, historic grounds of a centuries-old ranch.
Santa Fe Reporter’s Best of Santa Fe Party
Each year, Santa Feans cast thousands of votes for our favorite local businesses, service providers, and personalities. Once the results are in, the Santa Fe Reporter’s Best of Santa Fe Bash throws a big, free block party to celebrate the winners and the community that loves them. Meet the folks behind your favorite spots, grab some great food, and enjoy live music [BAND?], drinks, and local flair.
Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival
All Day Friday, Aug. 15-Sunday, Aug. 17. Free. poehcenter.org/pathways
Hosted by the Poeh Cultural Center, the now-annual Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival at Pojoaque’s Buffalo Thunder Resort Casino is well worth the 15-minute drive from downtown Santa Fe. The show is run by and for Indigenous artists, and you’ll find over 300 of them in a relaxed, come-one-come-all vibe. Think of Pathways as a chilled-out version of Indian Market, and browse paintings, pottery, jewelry and more without having to elbow your way through the Plaza.
Santa Fe Indian Market hosted by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA)
8 am-5 pm Saturday, Aug 16 and Sunday, Aug 17 Free. Santa Fe Plaza, 63 Lincoln Ave.,swaia.org
For over 100 years, the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts’ Santa Fe Indian Market has transformed the Plaza into the nation’s largest and best-known Indigenous art fair. With 1,000 top-tier Native artists representing more than 200 tribes, plus food vendors, dance performances, film screenings and evening galas, the event is a can’t-miss, vibrant celebration of Indigenous creativity and culture.
101st Burning of Zozobra
Friday, Aug. 29. $30-$374.99; kids 10 and under free. Fort Marcy Park, 490 Bishop’s Lodge Road burnzozobra.com
If you’ve ever stood in the crowd at Zozobra, cheering as a 50-foot puppet full of strangers’ regrets goes up in flames, you know it’s more than an impressive feat of pyrotechnics and crowd-management; it’s Santa Fe’s annual collective emotional exorcism. Old Man Gloom moans, flails, and burns, taking our bad vibes with him in a blaze of fire and fireworks. This year, the theme is steampunk, so consider casting off your gloom in goggles and a jaunty tophat.
