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 11, 2026
Ski Santa Fe
The 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!
54th Annual Santa Fe Harvest Festival
October 3 & 4, 2026
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 54th Annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
October 3–11, 2026
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 Indigenous Peoples' Day Weekend Celebration
October 10–12, 2026
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 4th annual Santa Fe Indigenous Center's Intertribal Powwow on October 12.
18th Annual Santa Fe International Film Festival
October 14–19, 2026
Various locations
MovieMagazine Magazine named the Santa Fe International Film Festival among 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee for the 4th year in a row, noting "The festival does a great job of highlighting many of the things that make New Mexico such a top filmmaking destination. Santa Fe is home to many filmmakers who like their privacy, but they come out in force for this stellar award-season festival led by the brother-sister duo of artistic director Jacques Paisner and executive director Liesette Bailey." The 18th 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 17, 2026
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 23 & 24, 2026
El Rancho de las Golondrinas
Spirits of New Mexico 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!
Review Santa Fe Photo Festival
October 24
Santa Fe Farmers' Market Pavilion
(Photo courtesy of Chris Mortenson)Dozens of photographers from all over the world converge in Santa Fe for a weekend of photography review and critique. You are invited to the Portfolio Walk + Book Fair (pictured above) at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Pavilion on Saturday evening.
Día de los Muertos
October 30 & 31, 2026
Santa Fe Plaza
Join your fellow Santa Feans for the 4th annual Día de los Muertos!
Sunday, October 25, 11 am–4 pm. FREE day at Museum of International Folk Art, with hands-on art making activities, including sugar skull decorating, face painting and Mexican folkloric dance performances by Los Niños de Santa Fe. Enjoy traditional Pan de Muerto and Chocolate Mexicano.
Friday, October 30 from 4–10 pm, FREE day on the Plaza as we honor all of our fellow ancestors on 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, October 31, the celebration continues on the Plaza from 10 am to 10 pm with more music, decorative ofrendas—commemorative altars—and a candlelight parade.
Art Studio Tours
through October 2026
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 3 & 4) features a handful of artists whose work you'll want to see. October 10, 11 & 12, the 32nd 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 38th Annual Galisteo Studio Tour (Oct 10 & 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 (October 3 & 4; 10 & 11), 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.
