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    Good view watching a bright spot light.

    Would not recommend. This event has to be organized by actual idiots. The line to get in is just a mass of people pushing forward towards whichever entrance they end up at. Simple ropes or barriers to define the lines could fix this. They don't really even check tickets once you're thru the first security checkpoint so there's no capacity threshold checks going on. There's a second security checkpoint that's even more chaotic and badly organized. The park is too small for how many people are there. There's one trash can for the entire crowd. There's 4 port a potty's for the entire crowd. And there's a big tree blocking your view of anything.

    Burn him!!
    Tim S.

    It's interesting that Zozobra isn't better known. Or known at all for that matter. before going I asked friends around the country about it, and no one knew about it. Once we were in Santa Fe I asked people about it and of course they had heard of it, but many hadn't been to it. I was surprised. I had been as a kid a couple times when I lived in Santa Fe. I had great memories, but I questioned that it could be as good as I remembered. We decided not to take on the parking challenge, so we took a ride share. It was an easy walk from there. There was strict metal detectors and security and there was no alcohol, so I was not surprised at how family friendly it felt once inside. We were only slightly early, but we got to enjoy some of the live music before there show. Pretty good stuff. The show itself started slow. I realized 20 minutes in it was on purpose, as to build the suspense. the fire dancer built things up,, small fireworks going off one by one. I don't want to spoil things and tell you all that happens, but it stay till the very end, things get bigger and bigger. It was easy to leave, and we all had a good time. And honestly, I was fine they didn't have beer, it was a nice trade off that it was a friendly non-drunk crowd. I'm sure if we are in town again at the right time, it would be nice to go back.

    Greshka P.

    This is a tradition in Santa Fe, and it was my first time going with someone that had experienced it as kid. The idea of the festival is to mark the start of the fiestas, and to do so, they burn this giant marionette. The marionette is called "old man gloom" and inside of him are all the worries and troubles people want to leave behind, forget, and symbolically see them burn when the marionette burns at the end of the festival. The burning of old man gloom is the finale, followed by a show of fireworks that will keep everyone in awe. While the festival gets to this point, there's music, food trucks, and vendors keeping the people entertained. It is a first come event, so if you get there early the better chance you get to be closer to the stage but honestly it doesn't matte much. The main event, as mentioned, is the burning of mad who stands 50 feet tall, so everyone in attendance can see it and celebrate the start of a "new year". I was very impressed with how organized and safe the whole thing was, especially when there was (reported) about 60K people there. Nice to have started my trip to Santa Fe with a local tradition.

    Rachel C.

    The BURNING OF ZOZOBRA, or OLD MAN GLOOM, has taken place for 83 years as a kick-off to the FIESTAS DE SANTA FE. Any chance this was the pre-cursor to BURNING MAN?????? www.zozobra.org "Zozobra is a hideous, but harmless FIFTY FOOT MARIONETTE. He is a toothless, empty-headed facade. He has no guts and doesn't have a leg to stand on. He is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. He never wins. He moans and groans, rolls his eyes and twists his head. His mouth gapes and chomps. His arms flail about in frustration. Every year we do him in. We string him up and burn him down in ablaze of fireworks. At last, he is gone, taking with him all our troubles for another whole year. Santa Fe celebrates another victory. Viva la Fiesta!" - A.W. Denninger (from the website - www.zozobra.org/history) This tradition of kicking off Fiestas has ENDURED SINCE 1924! It is the city's way of releasing all the BAD SPIRITS THAT LURK ABOUT and the GLOOM WE CARRY INSIDE US for another year. The celebration begins slowly as nightfall sets in. The FIRE SPIRIT DANCER appears! Zozobra begins to slowly move his arms and head with a very slow moaning & groaning beginning. The Fire Spirit Dancer, dressed in red, with increasing intensity drives alway the SPIRITS OF GLOOM, dancers dressed in white, from the steps at the base of Zozobra . As they begin to dance FASTER AND FASTER to the music, they light the bottom of Zozobra's LONG DRAPED ROBE, it slowly burns up & up, he begins to thrash violently and with increasingly LOUDER AND LOUDER FURY! FIREWORKS begin to light up the sky shot from the base of the figure and the music INCREASES IN INTENSITY and his GROANS BECOME LOUDER . . . . until . . . . . . finally he is caught up in a FURY OF FLAMES and GROANS and . . . . then . . . then . . . he is GONE. . . along with ALL OUR GLOOM so we can CELEBRATE FIESTAS for yet another year! A renouned tradition, the OLDEST CIVIC CELEBRATION IN NORTH AMERICA, Zozobra was created by one of the original Santa Fe artists, Will Schuster, and is carried on by the local Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe as a community fundraiser. "The fire dance was created by Jacques Cartier, a former New York ballet dancer and local dance teacher, who performed the role for 37 years. His dance student, James Lilienthal took over the fire spirit role in 1970 and has continued it for 32 years." FIESTAS DE SANTA FE is a time of music, dancing, fun & celebration, good food & friendships. When my parents were still in Santa Fe, they lived right next door to this park, so I always had front row seats - of course I was looking at Z's backside, but, hey, the food was free and the wine bottle was bottomless! A TIME OF JOY each September! A TIME YOU WON'T EVER FORGET, if you are lucky enough to be at the BURNING OF OLD MAN GLOOM! ZOZOBRA! www.zozobra.org

    Zozobra food art at

    Very fun experience must recommend we got front row seats and got some free merch along with a free pass to look at him up close.

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    Review Highlights - Zozobra

    The burning of old man gloom is the finale, followed by a show of fireworks that will keep everyone in awe.

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    Lensic Performing Arts Center

    Lensic Performing Arts Center

    3.5
    (29 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    Love this theater. Small enough that every seat is amazing. Love the Symphony here. It feels like…read moremy own private show. You can get drinks during intermission too.

    This review is based on my experience trying to purchase tickets on line. I don't consider myself…read morecompletely technologically challenged but I had a nightmare of a time trying to purchase tickets to the Gay Men's Chorus for tomorrow evening. I wasn't sure if I already had an "account" with the theater so I tried opening one. Had to identify the pictures with motorcycles. I clicked on a wrong square by mistake. Then had to identify all the squares with things made by humans. So that got me to the log in screen. "That email is already associated with an account" Tried logging in with that email but didn't remember the password (it's been years). "Incorrect password. Create new password." Tried creating a new password. "Password must be at least 13 characters, an upper case and lower case and a number and a symbol. Typed it in. Kept getting incorrect password message. There was no little eyeball to click on to see what I was doing wrong. Closed the screen. Had to start over again. "Select the squares with images similar to the one at the top" I selected all the basketballs. Was that blurry squirrel holding a basketball or is he holding an acorn? It must be an acorn. Wrong. "Select the squares with images similar to the one at the top" Ah, the squirrels again. I got this. So I clicked on all the pictures of basketballs and squirrels with basketballs. "Choose a new password" I typed in very carefully, then realized the caps lock was on. WELL IF YOU TICKET PEOPLE HAD PUT A WAY FOR ME TO ACTUALLY SEE WHAT I WAS TYPING I WOULD HAVE CAUGHT THE CAPS LOCK!!! For your security, an eight digit security code will be sent to the email address you supplied. No email. Went back to the previous screen. Clicked on send code again. Two emails arrived with codes. Entered the newest code. "Welcome to your account." Meanwhile other windows are popping up asking if I want to save this username and password. Clicked them away. Not now. So I navigated to the show I wanted to buy tickets for and finally got to where I could select our seats. But the thingy went round and round and round - no seat selection screen. Clicked on the back button. "Click here and we will assign the best available seats." Click. Click to view price. Click to continue. Click to view cart. Where is the pay now? Went back to previous screen to see if I missed something. Selected the tickets again. "Continue" Now I have selected 4 tickets instead of 2. Delete 2 tickets. Continue to cart. Two tickets plus fees. OK. Continue to check out. Enter credit card information. Did something wrong. Credit card info disappeared. Entered credit card again. (I'm sure there was another security code but I really can't remember as I was so angry and frustrated.) Continue. Order Confirmation: Showed customer number etc. Then this note: If you selected digital tickets as your delivery method (default option) you can access your tickets within minutes after purchasing them at (website) Log in with the same email and password you use for (the theater) account, or you can request a one time access code via email. From there you can share tickets with your guests and save the tickets to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. I DON'T HAVE APPLE WALLET OR GOOGLE WALLET! I went to the ticket website to access my tickets and viewed the tickets. They had all the info except a QR Code and this Note: Your refreshing QR code will display at 5:30 PM on Sat, June 20, 2026. DISPLAY WHERE? I AM NOT GOING TO TRY TO ACCESS MY ACCOUNT ON MY PHONE! I WILL BE AT DINNER AT 5:30 AND WON'T HAVE MY COMPUTER AND PRINTER. I printed EVERYTHING out (5 yes FIVE pages but are any of them valid tickets? I doubt it.) By this point I had cursed, swore, screamed and yelled so loud they could have heard me across town. It was more than an hour trying to buy two tickets. NEVER AGAIN. I tried calling the Box Office to make sure I could use my receipt and print outs, but of course they were closed for the holiday. I can go on other websites, select an item, place it in the cart, choose "Pay Now", enter my credit card and I'm DONE. No pictures of motorcycles, or basketballs, or squirrels holding basketballs that look like acorns, no security codes, no QR codes no Apple Wallets or Google Wallets. This whole process was ridiculous and a waste of time. And dare I say "PRETENTIOUS".

    Photos
    Lensic Performing Arts Center
    Under the balcony
    Under the balcony
    Lensic Performing Arts Center

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    House of Eternal Return - Meow Wolf

    House of Eternal Return - Meow Wolf

    4.3
    (1.4k reviews)
    4.7 mi
    $$
    Hipster vibe
    Kid friendly

    I've reviewed two other Meow Wolf venues: Convergence Station in Denver and the location in…read moreGrapevine, Texas. I made a special trip to Santa Fe from Denver just to get a gander at this one. This is the original. As I said in a separate review, Denver's convergence station is the largest at 90K square feet. But it felt more sprawling and convoluted than the smaller Texas and NM venues. I haven't seen the supermarket themed Vegas venue. This is smaller than Denver, but more coherent. Still a lot to touch and do and see. Weird things to connect. And again, if you've seen other Meow Wolfs, you'll understand all others better. In true Meow Wolf style, brilliant, bright, jubilant art that you can lay your hands all over. Stair cases to climb. Tunnels to crawl through. Someone else compared it to a colorful real life board game, and that tracks. It was busy, but not uncomfortably crowded. Like Denver, you can grab a drink at the bar and sip booze as you stroll. There are puzzles to solve here (I confess, I didn't have the fortitude or patience, but you can spend all day here solving riddles). You can go again and again and find new things every time. I am positive I am not even close to scratching the surface of any of the Meow Wolf experiences. If you want a bit more of an idea of how things work, Meow Wolf has an instagram!

    This place was cool with the artist exhibits but we found the performers and performance to be a…read morebit spiritually dark. I think we would have enjoyed it more without it but they were a bit creepy. It definitely looks cooler only but it's a fun option for something to do in Santa Fe when it's hot. I don't think it was worth $90 because we only stayed an hour due to weird & dark vibes.

    Photos
    Hall to restrooms
    Hall to restrooms
    Small toddler roaming safely and freely.
    Small toddler roaming safely and freely.
    YASSSSS

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    YASSSSS
    El Flamenco Cabaret

    El Flamenco Cabaret

    4.4
    (49 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    This was my favorite part of our Santa Fe trip. (Season was April to June). I bought tickets a…read moremonth in advance which I recommend. I bought the best seats and we ordered dinner when we got there, definitely go right at opening, we were late and they almost did not serve us dessert. For dinner we had the Chicken in Lemon Sauce, and the Pork Roast. It came with veggies and a side potato salad. I also ordered the Spanish Omelette which we liked. And I ordered the Assorted cheese board which we loved. For dessert we had the flan, and vanilla ice cream, which was simple but a nice way to end the meal. The show was fantastic, loved the dancers in their costumes, and the live flamenco guitarist was marvelous. Excellent show, well worth it and very much, a treat.

    Show Review Only- I…read morewas only in Santa Fe for a short time, so I took the advice of other reviewers and ate dinner before the show so I wouldn't potentially be disappointed. I booked my solo bar seat about 3 weeks before the date of the show. There are different ticket tiers and I selected the cheapest one that was $25 a ticket. Despite being in the back row, I was able to see the performance very clearly due to there not being any obstructions and the comfortable size of the space. I wouldn't hesitate to get the same seating again, especially if it was just me again or with one other person. I ordered their red sangria and thought it was pretty good. The wait staff was also nice. The performance was outstanding! Every single performer was so energetic and talented. I wouldn't hesitate to come back here again if I was in the area and will recommend this spot to others.

    Photos
    Sangria.
    Sangria.
    Entrance
    Entrance
    Dinner plates, Chicken Stewed in Lemon Sauce was good.

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    Dinner plates, Chicken Stewed in Lemon Sauce was good.
    The Santa Fe Opera

    The Santa Fe Opera

    4.2
    (57 reviews)
    4.6 mi

    I have never been to a true opera but was so happy to be invited to the Apprentice Scenes performed…read moreby students that are moving from academics into the professional world of Opera. My daughter's very good friend went to school for Music/Opera and has an incredible voice. She was part of the Apprentice Program for Singers this past summer. This program has had more than 1500 singers participate in the program. When we found out she would perform here, we decided to fly in for the weekend and support her. The theater itself is called the The Crosby Theater as the property was taken over in 1956 by John O. Crosby who then with the help of others found a location on the property that was a natural amphitheater. Construction was then began and this magnificent open air theater was completed. With this being an open air venue, the acoustics are incredible, views are phenomenal and the vibe is exciting. Our seats were more towards the back of the house which I enjoyed providing a full view of the stage and a front row seat to an exquisite New Mexican sunset. The show itself was set up as one act operas and were performed by the apprentices. They featured eight different and uniques scenes from operas such as Hansel and Gretel, La Clemenza Di Tito, Sweeney Todd, Aida, and Hamlet. I had no idea that many of these operas are so old. For example, La Clemenza Di Tito premiered in Germany in 1791. WOW! What I loved most of all were the caption boxes in front of each seat. When an opera is being performed in a foreign language these boxes translate into English the words being sung, thus allowing the listener to fully understand the opera being performed. Pure magic! Restrooms were very clean and snack bar available before the performance is open. Parking is no issue at all with a huge lot in front of the theater. Sustainability was high on the list for the theater during its most recent renovation. The roof collects over 80,000 gallons of rain water annually and delivers the water through underground cisterns which irrigates the property. Happy I was able to enjoy this experience.

    Went to see Orfeo at the beautiful outdoor Santa Fe opera. The story where Legendary lovers, Orfeo…read moreand Euridice, face sudden death and separation. Yes, a snake caused it. They undertake a perilous journey from the underworld of death back to the world of the living. But one rule must be followed, Orfeo cannot look at Euridice. Tragedy obliged his conviction falters, as he cannot resist and succumbs to the temptation. The new production directed by Yuval Sharon was too avant-garde for my taste. Really did not like the set and costumes and unfortunately starring tenor Rolando Villazón was not there because of an accident. Such a pity as he was discovered in Mexico by his neighbor singing in his shower and became one of the best tenor in the world! So, we hope it is not too serious. Needles to say that for our family and friends, this was a major disappointment, as we travel from Texas to see him.

    Photos
    The Santa Fe Opera
    Gorgeous New Mexican sunset
    Gorgeous New Mexican sunset
    View to the stage from my seat

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    View to the stage from my seat
    Benitez Cabaret Theater

    Benitez Cabaret Theater

    5.0
    (1 review)
    1.2 mi

    I saw "La Emi" last night at the Maria Benitez Theater at The Lodge at Santa Fe. It was fantastic…read more I loved the dancers, I love the singing, the music, the atmosphere. The dancers were very good. The show had a variety numbers, and the they were all very talented. I have two things I want to comment on: Our tickets were the most affordable option, and I wish I had been able to see the theater first before purchasing. Every seat in the place will give you a good view, but the seats in the back are not great for comfort. The show is about 1.5-2 hours with a 15 min intermission. The back row chairs are high top chairs for a bar, and do not have a table or anything. It is good to help you see, but not suggested for a bad back, for older people, or probably very uncomfortable for someone who is wider. If I could do it again I would definitely spend the extra to have a regular seat or a table. The other thing was people were asked to put their phones away, and several people were not compliant. I do wish they enforced this better. The theater does an amazing job giving you a good experience. The theater is pretty intimate and when the lights are down or off, a phone ruins that experience. There is a bar, but there is not food. Grab dinner before the show. Currently the restaurant at the hotel is closed too. Overall I would go again and again. It was great. Everyone in my party was completely awed by the show. They had never seen flamenco presented like that before.

    Photos
    Flamenco brochures
    Flamenco brochures
    Theater entrance

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    Theater entrance
    Wise Fool

    Wise Fool

    4.7
    (3 reviews)
    4.3 mi

    Everyone is so nice-- from the instructors to the students. Their classes are fun and inclusive,…read moreand they teach all ages and skill levels. Highly recommend if you've ever wanted to try circus arts!

    This is a studio my wife and I came across while venturing in Santa Fe. It teaches acrobatic and…read moreaerial circus courses as well as offers an open gym for those seeking a place to train. We happened to see an aerial partnering course listed online while we were win town and decided to drop in. Neither of us knew what to expect considering we did not know what aerial partnering was until twenty minutes into the class. Despite our lack of skill, however, we had lots of fun learning partner poses on a giant trapeze and a couple poses on dangling strands of silk. The instructor was great and catered to our skill level while still attending to the more skilled members of the class. Afterwards, we stayed and practiced our newly found talent with the gym manager. Without realizing, two hours quickly slipped by, and were it not for our aching muscles we would have continued longer. Since I do not live in Santa Fe, I cannot comment on the regularly scheduled classes held during the weekday. However, if they are anything like the workshop we attended this weekend, I would highly recommend those active spirits out there to check it out. The Wise Fool Community seems very friendly and excited to share their passion.

    Photos
    A photo from Wise Fool's original 2023 production, ReUnite
    A photo from Wise Fool's original 2023 production, ReUnite
    Wise Fool's logo

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    Wise Fool's logo
    Museum of International Folk Art

    Museum of International Folk Art

    4.5
    (126 reviews)
    2.4 mi

    Folk art (now more often called outsider art) is one of my favorite genres. I love the edginess,…read morethe roughness. The lack of refinement. At first I was not excited because the first couple of exhibits were southwestern themed (it's a me thing, not a them thing, it's just not my style or particular area of interest). A lot of pottery and Mexican/southwestern blankets. They also had a couple of other rotating exhibits. But then I entered their main exhibit. It's a GIANT room with winding pathways full of folk figurines and scenes. Western scenes, English scenes, Indian, indigenous, Mexican, African. All types. Many presentations of whole worlds throughout this room. My primary complaint is what others have voiced: most of it is exhibited without any context. There is a bare bones basic museum guide you can get at the exhibit entrance, but it still doesn't really tell you much about each scene. I can't remember what I paid, but it was less than 20 dollars. It's also on museum hill, so you can catch a couple other museums while in the area. This spot is away from the main drag for sure. I had to take a Lyft. The staff was helpful and super kind. I had forgotten my credit card at a restaurant and had to leave and go get it. They didn't make me pay a second time for coming back in, and I really appreciated that. Probably my favorite and most impactful museum in Santa Fe. Probably spent a couple of hours here. Very worthwhile, even without the in depth explanations. Enough eye candy to make up for it.

    I really enjoyed this museum! They had an impressive collection of folk art from around the world…read moreand throughout many decades. I have never been to a purely folk art museum before, so this was cool to see and definitely opened my eyes to more of what folk art is and exposed me to some new concepts. My one wish is that there would be more explanations about the art piece, such as who made it, meaning, where it was found, year, etc. Some pieces had this but it wasn't consistent throughout (and I am sure that info is hard to know so I get why). Located in Museum Hill near the botanical garden, this is a great place to visit and definitely felt like a unique draw to the area.

    Photos
    Frida
    Frida
    Frida Kahlo (from the Mexican exhibit)
    Frida Kahlo (from the Mexican exhibit)
    Museum of International Folk Art

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    Zozobra - theater - Updated July 2026

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