Spring warmth has taken hold, flowers are in bloom across The City Different, and the calendar is filled with special events—it must be May in Santa Fe! Memorial Day weekend—the unofficial start to summer—is near and now is the time to begin planning a getaway to Santa Fe. Here are 9 May events in Santa Fe to include in your vacation plans.
High Road, May 3
Celebrate the Route 66 Centennial on the Mother Road at El Rey Hotel with High Road, an annual daylong music festival, complemented with tasty food, libations, curated vendors, and happy families and friends. Come for the FREE FUN!
SWAIA Native Fashion Week, May 8 & 9
In its third year, SWAIA Native Fashion Week kicks off with Native Creatives Market, free and open to the public, on Friday and continues on Saturday, both hosted at the Eldorado Hotel's Anasazi Ballroom. Spend the day exploring a trunk-show atmosphere featuring ready-to-wear Native fashion and accessories while connecting directly with Native designers, including Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo), Himikalas Pamela Baker (Squamish/Kwakiutl/Tlingit/Haida), Lauren Good Day (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara Nation) and more! The weekend culminates in A Taste of Native Fashion, a seated culinary and fashion experience showcasing each designer’s collection. Purchase tickets here.
The Santa Fe Margarita Trail Turns 10 on May 5!
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the 10th anniversary of the Santa Fe Margarita Trail on Monday, May 5 at your choice of 50+ participating restaurants and bars, offering a participating margarita, on the trail! For ease and excitement, use the Santa Fe Margarita Trail app, available on Google Play (Android) and the App Store (iPhone). The app includes an interactive map, tracks your collection of virtual stamps, and sends notifications of progress towards earning rewards. Similar to the original paper Passport, which you can pick up at all Santa Fe Visitors Centers, the app provides Margarita Trail participating location descriptions, the recipe for each featured margarita, and a $1 discount (BONUS!) on each margarita purchased. And check out the following bennies. This is a club you want to join!
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5 Stamps = Margarita Trail T-shirt
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10 Stamps = Provisional Member to the Margarita Society for 1 year
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15 Stamps = Full Member to the Margarita Society (invitations to special events, seminars, tastings)
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20 Stamps = Signed copy of Recipes for Margarita Cocktails
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30 Stamps = Margarita Bartender Kit
For some great background, read our blog, Fascinating Tequila and Margarita Origin Stories or check out the Top 8 Spots on the Santa Fe Margarita Trail.
13th Annual Canyon Road Spring Art Festival, May 9
The Canyon Road gallery scene comes alive on Saturday, May 9 for the Canyon Road Spring Art Festival, as dozens of artists display their work and demonstrate their techniques in every imaginable medium as a part of a “paint out” or demonstration-style event on the iconic art road. Collectors will have the rare opportunity to meet artists and ask questions during a daylong festival. Individual galleries feature rich programs of complimentary special events, art tours, artist demonstrations, and more at myriad locations along the road.
Santa Fe International Literary Festival, May 15–17
World-renowned authors and thinkers join passionate readers at the Santa Fe International Literary Festival, May 15–17, to create meaning, celebrate community and explore issues of consequence to all of us at a time of extraordinary change.
The lineup is literally full of literati: Isabel Wilkerson, Judy Blume, Ocean Vuong, George Saunders, James McBride, Alison Bechdel, Lauren Groff, Colm Toíbín, Carl Hiaasen, and more!
The weekend includes conversations, tastings, evening receptions, live music, walk-and-talks, and more. The Festival's Literary Day Trips expand the weekend, offering opportunities to deepen your understanding of authors, their works and the writing process. The weekend opens Friday evening with Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson.
Santa Fe Century, May 16 & 17
Do you love distance riding and the camaraderie of fellow cycling enthusiasts and fans? Then plan your visit during one of the most popular cycling events in Santa Fe, the Santa Fe Century, May 16 & 17. Riders of all ages and abilities are invited to participate along a variety of routes, ranging from 20 to 106 miles, both Saturday and Sunday, that include the historic Turquoise Trail and the old mining towns of Madrid and Golden, as well as terrain with striking scenery, including the Ortiz Mountains, the Galisteo Basin, and Rowe Mesa. There's truly something for everyone, including kids, with timed and untimed rides on gravel and road terrain. Did we mention outstanding food stops along the way? The start and finish is at the ever-popular and convenient Railyard Park.
Native Elements Art Festival & Market, May 21–24
A celebration of Native land, plants, and people, the Native Elements Art Festival + Market kicks off on May 21 at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden with music, food, entertainment, live and silent auctions, and a chance to mingle with featured artists. The recipient of the newly established “Native Elements Distinguished Achievement Award” will also be announced that evening. After a Night Market and a Meet the Artists event on Friday, May 22, the event continues Saturday and Sunday with the work of approximately 160 Native artists at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.
Northern New Mexico Fine Arts & Crafts Guild, May 23–25
(Photo courtesy Northern New Mexico Fine Arts & Crafts Guild)
The Northern New Mexico Fine Arts & Crafts Guild juried show, celebrating 60 years, takes place Memorial Day weekend May 23–25. Artists and craftspeople come from both Santa Fe and serene villages throughout our scenic countryside to sell their work in this show, including jewelry, metal, glass, painting, weaving, photography, leather, textiles, pottery, and more. It's conveniently near the historic Plaza at the leafy Cathedral Park.
TACO WARS & New Mexico Cocktail Week, May 28–June 7
Kicking off New Mexico Cocktail Week, Cocktails & Culture Festival darling Taco Wars (Thurs, May 28) where 15 fab local chefs and equally audacious mixologists do their best work and you vote, is a hot ticket, so get yours early! There are so many more ways to pay homage to the mighty cocktail that cajoles our inner curmudgeon and tickles our perspective. Additional Santa Fe events include Cocktails & Culture Festival's May 29–June 1 events!
Get a taste of The City Different! Order your Official Santa Fe Visitors Guide now or browse our deals and specials to help you plan your next trip to Santa Fe.
