Every August, approximately 1,000 Native North American artists from across North America gather on the historic Santa Fe Plaza for Santa Fe Indian Market, a celebration of Native art, heritage, and culture. And this August 2025, Indian Market celebrates its 103rd anniversary!
Produced by Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, whose mission is "bringing Native arts to the world by inspiring artistic excellence, fostering education, and creating meaningful partnerships,” Indian Market is the largest and most prestigious juried Indian art market in the world. Native American artisans and their work are the main draw, but there is far more going on than just great shopping! Make your Indian Market experience a robust one. Events run Friday, August 15 through Sunday, August 17, and some are ticketed.
1. The Art
The 1,000 or so juried artists hail from more than 200 Nations in the US and Canada and from a long lineage of traditional arts and teaching. Because the Indian Market artist application process requires adherence to strict guidelines on production and materials, you can expect high-quality authentic pieces in a variety of juried mediums, including pottery, basketry, jewelry, painting, sculpture, wood carvings, and textiles. The Saturday and Sunday markets are free and open to all on the Plaza from 8 am to 5 pm.
2. Native Performances on the Santa Fe Plaza and Cathedral Park
During the Saturday and Sunday markets, take a moment to pause from your browsing and enjoy the music, dances, comedy, and storytelling shared by Native American performers, including the Lightning Boy hoop dancers, Red Feather Woman, and Adrian Wall on the historic Plaza's gazebo and at the Cathedral Park stage. Free to all!
3. Friday's Best of Show and Classification Ceremony and Luncheon
Sponsored by JoAnn and Bob Balzer and celebrating the top artists of the year in all 10 juried market categories, this event begins at 11:30 am with an awards ceremony for Best of Classification winners and the Best of Show winner. You will glimpse a stunning preview of the year’s entries from all classifications. The ceremony is followed by a luncheon 1 pm for Best of Show and Best of Classification winners, their guests, and ticket holders, sponsored by the Institute of American Indian Arts in the Santa Fe Community Convention Center courtyard. Click here for tickets.
4. Friday's Sneak Peek and General Preview of Award-Winning Art
Friday afternoon (from 2 to 4 pm), buy tickets for the opportunity to see the best of Indian Market art in a Sneak Peek after the Best of Show Awards ceremony. From 4:30 to 6 pm, purchase tickets for an opportunity to see this award-winning art during the General Preview. Both opportunities take place in advance of the Saturday and Sunday markets.
Santa Fe Indian Market Gala (Photo by Shayla Blatchford for SWAIA)
5. Saturday's SWAIA Gala Reception, Fashion Show, and Live Auction
The SWAIA Gala takes place at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center and is your chance to bid on some of the most sought-after pieces of the Market via an exciting live auction. Attendees will enjoy cocktails in the courtyard with a silent auction, a seated dinner with a live auction, and an engaging runway fashion show produced by longtime designer Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo) and a mesmerizing musical performance from Native American flute player Robert Mirabal (Taos Pueblo). Click here for tickets.
6. Sunday's Native Fashion Show
The annual SWAIA Native Fashion Show at Indian Market, from 3 to 4 pm, co-produced by Dallin Maybee (Seneca & Northern Arapaho) and Peshawn Bread (Comanche) presents cutting-edge collections from premier North American Indigenous fashion designers, including Jamie Okuma (Luiseno, Shoshone Bannock, Wailaki, and Okinawan), Lauren Good Day (Arikara, Hidatsa, Blackfeet and Plains Cree), Penny Singer (Navajo), Osamuskwasis (Cree and Dene designer from Pigeon Lake, Alberta) and Jontay Kham (Plains Cree). This is a highly popular event and it will sell out! Click here for tickets. For more information, read our recent blog, The Art of Native Fashion at Santa Fe Indian Market.
Indigenous food vendors sell traditional specialty foods
7. Native Food Vendors
A visit to Indian Market would not be complete without sampling some of the amazing Native American homemade cuisine. Enjoy a variety of traditional specialties such as Indian Fry Bread, Frito Pies, roasted corn on the cob, turkey legs, Pueblo stews, and more!
8. Other Opportunities to Enjoy Native Arts and Culture
Naturally, the allure of Santa Fe Indian Market also attracts several other Indigenous shows. You can find free, open-to-the-public displays of Indigenous art in a variety of galleries and pop-up style shows. For more unique Native art, visit the nearly 600 artisans at Free Indian Market, which is hosted outside at the Federal Courthouse park on Paseo de Peralta and the Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival, held at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino, August 15–17. Also, the Institute of American Indian Art's Museum of Contemporary Native Arts hosts many related events, including Breaking Ground: Art & Activism in Indigenous Taiwan. And the IndigenousWays Festival showcases legendary Indigenous performers, including roots-reggae from Innastate, hip-hop from G Precious, spoken word from Def-I, and more at the Railyard Park from 5 to 9 pm on Friday, August 16. Vendors and food trucks, too.
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