Shhh! Here’s a little secret: October is one of the best times of year to visit Santa Fe. Temperatures drop and the crowds dissipate, giving you the opportunity for a “secret season” visit to experience some of the city’s most exciting happenings. So here are the must-see events and activities in The City Different during the month of October!
Fall Activities at Ski Santa Fe
through Oct 12
Ski Santa Fe
The new Santa Fe Express High-Speed Quad lift at Ski Santa Fe will give enthusiasts a thrill in celebration of one of the prettiest times of the year. Take a ride to the top of Upper Broadway, marveling at the golden aspens along the way. Then, play some disc golf, enjoy live music, a car show, pet adoption event, and the beer garden! Season passes for sale!
53rd Annual Santa Fe Harvest Festival
October 4 & 5, 2025
El Rancho de las Golondrinas
Taste syrup from a burro-driven sorghum mill, help make cider by cranking a traditional apple press, and pick a pumpkin from the scarecrow-guarded patch. Children can stomp grapes by foot, make cornhusk dolls, or roll their own delicious tortilla by hand. There is fun for the entire family at this long-running season-celebrating event.
Take the Shuttle to the 53rd Annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
October 4–12, 2025
Albuquerque
This is an event like no other! Hundreds of hot air balloons (500+, in fact) fill the sky at dawn and dusk for nine days, with races, night flights, and more. If you want to find a tranquil respite from the lively balloon action, consider lodging in Santa Fe and taking advantage of our $55 per person (plus a processing fee) roundtrip shuttle service from three different hotels directly to and from Balloon Fiesta Park. To start planning, check out our guide on experiencing the Balloon Fiesta from The City Different.
Santa Fe Pro Musica Season Opener
October 5, 2025
Lensic Performing Arts Center
Don't miss the opening to the great Santa Fe Pro Musica season (October 5 through May 3) at our historic Lensic Performing Arts Center with Anthony McGill on clarinet, Gabriel Kahane as singer and conductor and Colin Jacobsen, violin and leader, playing DVOŘÁK's Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 KAHANE's clarinet concertos.
Santa Fe Indigenous Peoples' Day Weekend Celebration
October 11–13, 2025
Santa Fe Plaza
Join us for a weekend celebration of the citizens and cultures of the 23 Tribes, Nations, and Pueblos in New Mexico. Members of these groups will perform traditional dances and music on the gazebo at the Santa Fe Plaza. Other celebrations include the Institute of American Indian Arts' 2024 IAIA Fall Powwow on October 5 and the 3rd annual Santa Fe Indigenous Center's Intertribal Powwow on October 13.
17th Annual Santa Fe International Film Festival
October 15–20, 2025
Various locations
MovieMagazine Magazine named the Santa Fe International Film Festival among 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee. Jacques Paisner, SFiFF artistic director, says, “As Santa Fe becomes a major hub for production, SFiFF remains consistent in its dedication to filmmakers and the art of making movies in this community." The 17th annual Santa Fe International Film Festival, presented by the Santa Fe Film Institute, hosts five days of independent and cutting-edge cinema, community events, filmmaker and industry Q & As and panels, select free screenings, educational workshops, a student day, and much more. The festival features more than 100 features and shorts in various inviting venues across Santa Fe. Not to be missed!
Canyon Road Paint & Sculpt Out
October 18, 2025
Santa Fe's Canyon Road
Watch as finished paintings appear from blank canvases. Enjoy sculptors creating their work using clay, wax, or stone. Artists working in every imaginable genre and media will fill the historic Canyon Road Arts District during the annual Paint & Sculpt Out.
Spirits of New Mexico
October 24 & 25, 2025
El Rancho de las Golondrinas
GET YOUR TIX NOW! This event will sell out! Meet the ghosts of history who lived and died in the Land of Enchantment. Step back in time and encounter a diverse assortment of characters from New Mexico’s illustrious and often little-known past. Listen to their amazing stories and experience intriguing bygone events. Lit by lantern light and campfires, Santa Fe’s wondrous historic site takes on a family-friendly but spooky Halloween atmosphere for two nights, due to its immense popularity!
Día de los Muertos
October 26, 31 & November 1, 2025
Santa Fe Plaza & Museum of International Folk Art
Sunday, October 26: Celebrate with free hands-on art making activities, including sugar skull decorating, face painting and dance performances by Los Ninos de Santa Fe, plus enjoy traditional Pan de Muerto, and more at the Museum of International Folk Art from 1- 4 pm
Join your fellow Santa Feans for the 4th annual Día de los Muertos on the Plaza as we honor all of our fellow ancestors on Friday, October 31 from 4–10 pm with festive mariachi music and boleros on the Plaza stage, festooned for the occasion with papeles picados (traditional colorful paper decorations). Grab a bite to eat and some refreshments from the variety of food trucks serving signature Mexican foods. Enjoy brightly colored masks, decorative skulls, and hundreds of marigolds!
Saturday, November 1, the celebration continues from 10 am to 10 pm with more music, decorative ofrendas—commemorative altars—and a candlelight parade.
2nd Annual Canyon Road Walk to Celebrate Halloween
October 31, 2025
Historic Canyon Road Neighborhood
The Canyon Road Summer Walk to celebrate Halloween is back for a second year! Join the community in costume for an engaging amble, complete with food, music, arts & crafts, to celebrate this fun, spooky night and the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Santa Fe's historic Canyon Road.
Art Studio Tours
through October 2025
Northern New Mexico
No more than an hour away from Santa Fe on nearly every weekend in October, there's a community art studio tour, featuring several local artists, working in jewelry, sculpture, painting, textiles, and more. The intimate Pecos Studio Tour (Oct 4 & 5) features a handful of artists whose work you'll want to see. October 11, 12 & 13, the 31st annual Abiquiú Studio Tour, a self-guided driving tour, takes you through the village of Abiquiú and the surrounding Chama River Valley on visits to the studios of up to 25 talented artists; grab some food and drink at local vendors, too. During the 37th Annual Galisteo Studio Tour (Oct 11 & 12). artists open their studios, allowing you to experience their photography, paintings, pottery, ceramic art, jewelry, bronze sculpture, custom knives, and handcrafted traditional arts. Their community center sports food trucks! And, in downtown Santa Fe, be sure to check out the final weekends of the Santa Fe Society of Artists (throughout October), who show their fine work in the lot across from the New Mexico Museum of Art and at the Railyard. Put one or all of these tours on your itinerary!
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.
