5 Must-See Summer Festivals in Santa Fe
Come to Santa Fe and See These Exciting Summer Festivals
Santa Fe, NM is a city rich with culture and history. Throughout the year, visitors come from far and wide to witness Santa Fe’s incredible art scene, learn about Native American and old west history, and to explore the area’s epic landscapes.
However, with late spring and summer comes an added incentive to visit Santa Fe. From June through August, the city hosts a wonderful array of festivals and events. These summer festivals include everything from soothing fine art weeks to the celebratory burning of a 50-foot tall wooden marionette.
Of the many Santa Fe summer festivals, these are the ones you definitely don’t want to miss.
CURRENTS New Media Festival
June 16-25, 2023
Taking place in mid-June, the CURRENTS New Media Festival is an annual celebration of art and technology. This festival showcases new media arts, which refers to art exhibits that utilize media technology such as robotics, virtual reality, interactive media, computer art, and much more.
In addition to the many exhibits at CURRENTS New Media Festival, you’ll find artistic workshops, multimedia performances, experimental documentaries, and more art-meets-tech experiences to entice the mind. Head over to the festival website to learn more about this year’s exhibits, performances, and events.
International Folk Art Market
July 6-9, 2023
The International Folk Art Market is a unique cultural experience that’s a must-see if you’re visiting Santa Fe in July. The market showcases the incredible handmade art and crafts of approximately 160 artists from over 50 countries. It is an exciting celebration of the world’s cultural heritage, with colorful displays of textiles, ceramics, jewelry, and other traditional crafts.
Outside of the incredible art on display, the International Folk Art Market features fun live music performances, great food vendors, and plenty more in the way of entertainment. To see the complete event program for this year’s event, head over the International Folk Art Market website.
Santa Fe Art Week
July 7-16, 2023
Santa Fe is unquestionably an art city, and the Santa Fe Art Week in July is when the city goes all out with artistic celebration. The event showcases Santa Fe’s diverse and vibrant artistic community with a range of exhibitions, live music, artist demonstrations, and cultural events throughout the week. You can also get in touch with your own artistic spirit by attending workshops and lectures led by local artists.
If you’re into art, then attending the Santa Fe Art Week should definitely be a the top of your to-do list when visiting Santa Fe. Keep an eye out for upcoming 2023 event information on the Santa Fe Tourism website.
SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market
August 19-20, 2023
The annual SWAIA Indian Market in Santa Fe is the world’s largest intertribal art market. Over 1,000 of the best Native American artists across dozens of tribes come together to showcase their artwork and handmade crafts. At the market you’ll find beautiful jewelry, textiles, baskets, beadwork, sculptures, and more all available for purchase.
In addition to the art and crafts on display, you can catch an Indigenous fashion show along with music, storytelling, and comedy performances. Keep an eye out for more information on this year’s market on the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market website.
The Burning of Zozobra
September 1, 2023
Say what you will about Santa Fe, but the city sure knows how to send off summer with a bang! Or rather, they send it off by setting fire to a 50 ft-tall marionette named Zozobra on the eve of Labor Day Weekend. Let us explain.
Zozobra was originally created by the artist Will Shuster in 1924. The character of Zozobra is depicted as part ghost and part monster, and the citizens of Santa Fe know him as the enemy of all that is good. Hence, every year, locals and visitors alike gather at Fort Marcy Park to set Zozobra alight to ceremoniously burn away his spells of doom and despair. Plus, there’s a fun pageant!
There’s a ton more about the history of this festival and the other events which accompany the illuminating main display. Learn more about the history and this year’s festival on the Burn Zozobra website.
Those are our picks for the five must-see Santa Fe events happening this summer. Of course, Santa Fe is a lively city with so much more happening throughout the summer season. You can also catch a myriad of shows at the beautiful Santa Fe Opera between July and August. Or stop by the Traditional Spanish Market in late July to discover a whole other angle of Santa Fe’s diverse artistic culture.
Whichever event(s) you choose to attend, make sure you stay in the very best Santa Fe accommodations by book a vacation rental with Casas de Santa Fe. We have luxurious rentals fit for any group’s unique travel needs, and we can’t wait to help your craft the ultimate Santa Fe vacation this summer!