Over 300 years old, Santa Fe’s biggest celebration is a ten-day series of bailles, processions, parades, and musical performances, various venues.
This year will mark the 44th time that the Balloon Fiesta has filled Albuquerque’s crystal blue skies. The Balloon Fiesta is still the premier international ballooning event, powered by the perfect October climate and a phenomenon called the “Albuquerque Box,” (a combination of weather patterns and geographic landscape, the box allows balloonists to control and even retrace their adventure).
One of Santa Fe’s most beloved holiday traditions, the Canyon Road Farolito Walk, lights up the hearts and souls of thousands who promenade this famous path on Christmas Eve.
Small, sand-filled, paper bags illuminated with votive candles line the historic neighborhood streets and adobe walls. Carolers gather around the farolitos (Spanish for paper lantern) or luminarias (small bonfires), and sing for joy as they warm themselves, and our hearts, from the cold night.
The Farolito Walk is free, and has become a celebrated annual tradition.
The Santa Fe Indian Market is a 96-year-old Native art market. It is the largest and most prestigious juried Native arts show in the world and the largest cultural event in the southwest. The yearly event is held during the third weekend of August. Over 1,100 Native artists from the U.S. and Canada sell their artwork. The Indian Market attracts 150,000 visitors to Santa Fe from all over the world. Buyers, collectors and gallery owners come to Indian Market to take advantage of the opportunity to buy directly from the artists. For many visitors, this is a rare opportunity to meet the artists and learn about contemporary Indian arts and cultures. Quality and authenticity are the hallmarks of the Santa Fe Indian Market.