Calendar of Events in New Mexico

The majority of events listed below are Pueblo celebrations. We have nineteen pueblos in New Mexico and they each have feast days in addition to other dances and celebrations. The Feast Days are named after the Pueblos' patron saint and bring together tribal members to celebrate their culture. Most Pueblos open up their respective Feast Days—and even their homes—to the public. The families prepare food for the celebration and to share with invited visitors and even sometimes those who stop by. Pueblo Feast Day dates do not change and are held on the same date each year. We also have Navajo and Apache reservations in the state. The events below are not all inclusive, but what I could ferret out of different sites.

JANUARY

Jan 1st

Most Pueblos have various dances; Transfer of the Canes of Authority to new Tribal Officers

TAOS Pueblo: Turtle dance, marking the beginning of the new year

JEMEZ Pueblo (**), afternoon dances (Matechines)

Jan 6th

Most Pueblos: King's Day Celebration in honor of new Tribal Officers; Buffalo, Deer, Eagle and Elk Dances

Jan 12th

POJOAQUE Pueblo, Reyes Day Dance

Jan 22nd

SAN ILDEFONSO: Evening Firelight Dances

Jan 23rd

SAN ILDEFONSO Feast Day

Comanche, Buffalo and Deer dances

Jan 25th

St. Paul's Feast Day

OHKAY OWINGEH (San Juan) and PICURIS Pueblos

FEBRUARY

Feb 2nd

Candelaria Day Celebration

PICURIS and SAN FELIPE Pueblos

First Weekend of February

OLD ACOMA, Governor's Feast Day, various dances

Second Week of February

SAN JUAN Pueblo, Deer dances

Mid to late February

COCHITI, Buffalo Dances

MARCH

March 19th

LAGUNA Pueblo, Saint Joseph's Feast Day, Harvest and various other dances

APRIL

Easter Weekend

Dances at most pueblos. Please call ahead.

MAY

May 1st

San Felipe Pueblo Feast Day and Corn Dance

May 3rd

Santa Cruz Feast Day

TAOS and COCHITI Pueblos, Blessing of the Fields and Corn Dance

May 7th

ACOMA Pueblo, Santa Maria Feast Day

JUNE

First Saturday of the Month

Tesuque Pueblo, Blessing of the Fields, Corn Dance

June 13th, San Antonio Feast Day

PICURIS, SANDIA, SAN ILDEFONSO, OHKAY OWINGEH, SANTA CLARA, TAOS

Comanche or Corn Dances

June 24th, San Juan Feast Day

TAOS Pueblo, Corn Dance

OHKAY OWINGEH (San Juan), Buffalo, Comanche, and Corn Dances

June 29th, San Pedro Feast Day

SANTO DOMINGO and SANTA ANA Pueblos, Corn dances

JULY

July 4th

MESCALERO APACHE Maidens Puberty Rites and Mountain Spirits Dance

NAMBE Pueblo, Waterfall Ceremonial and Bow and Arrow, Buffalo, Corn Harvest and Snake Dances by visiting tribes at Nambe Pueblo

Second Weekend

Toas Pueblo, Annual PowWow

July 14th

COCHITI Pueblo, San Buenaventura Feast Day (Santa Cruz Feast Day), Corn dance

July 25th and July 26th

Santiago and Santa Ana Feast Days

SAN ILDEFONSO, TAOS, LAGUNA, SANTA ANA Pueblos, corn dances

AUGUST

August 2nd

JEMEZ Pueblo (**) Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles Feast Day and Corn dance

August 4th

SANTO DOMINGO, Saint Dominic Feast Day, Corn dance

August 9th

PICURIS Pueblo, San Lorenzo Feast Day, Sunset Vespers

August 10th

San Lorenzo Feast Day

ACOMA, COCHITI, LAGUNA

(At Laguna, this is Throw Day and dancing, whyere people named Lawrence or Lorenzo throw items from rooftips to visitors.)

August 12th

SANTA CLARA Feast Day, featuring Buffalo, Comanche and Corn Dances

August 15th

Assumption of Our Blessed Mother's Feast Day

LAGUNA Pueblo (Village of Mesita), Harvest and other dances

ZIA Pueblo (San Antonio Feast Day), corn dance

Usually third weekend

SWAIA, Santa Fe Indian Market

August 28th, San Augustine Feast Day

ISLETA Pueblo San Augustine Feast Day, featuring a mass in the morning and a procession following the mass, with dances in the afternoon.

SEPTEMBER

September 2nd

ACOMA Pueblo, San Estevan Feast Day, Harvest Dance and Corn dance

September 4th

ISLETA Pueblo, Saint Augustine Feast Day, Harvest Dance

September 8th

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Feast Day

LAGUNA Pueblo, Harvest and Social Dances

SAN ILDEFONSO, Corn Dance

Second or Third Weekend

JICARILLA APACHE, Go-Jii-Yah Feast Day (for date and time call 575-759-3242 or 575-843-7270)

September 19th

LAGUNA Pueblo, St. Joseph's Feast Day, Buffalo, Eagle, and Social Dances

September 25th

LAGUNA Pueblo, St. Elizabeth Feast Day, Harvest and Social Dances

September 29th and 30th

TAOS Pueblo, San Geronimo Feast Day, Buffalo, Comanche and Corn Dances

OCTOBER

October 4th

NAMBE Pueblo, St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day, Corn or Elk Dance

October 5th - 13th

BALLOON FIESTA

October 17th

LAGUNA Pueblo, St. Margaret Mary's Feast Day, Harvest and Social Dances

NOVEMBER

November 12th

San Diego Feast Day

TESUQUE and JEMEZ (**), Buffalo, Comanche, Corn, Deer and Flag Dances

DECEMBER

December 11th

Nuestra Senora de Guadelupe Feast Day

POJOAQUE and JEMEZ (**) and TESUQUE and SANTA CLARA

Vespers at Pojoaque usually held at 6 pm

Dances include Bow and Arrow, Buffalo and Comanche Dances

Jemez Pueblo, Los Matachinas Dance

December 24th, 25th Christmas Celebrations

SAN JUAN and PICURIS, Spanish Dance drama “Los Matachines”

SAN JUAN and TAOS, Pine Torch Procession

December 24th

TAOS Pueblo, Sundown procession with bonfires

ACOMA Pueblo, lit with luminarias beginning at scenic viewpoint

LAGUNA, After 10 pm Mass and various dances

SAN FELIPE, SANTA ANA, TESUQUE, after midnight Mass

NAMBE, after Mass Buffalo, Deer & Antelope dance

December 25th

TESUQUE, various dances

TAOS, Deer or Matachina dance

SAN ILDEFOSO, Matachina dance

December 25th - 28th

LAGUNA, Christmas Eve Mas, Deer, Harvest, Arrow and other dances after mass. Harvest dances continue for 3 more days

ZIA Pueblo, dances

** Please NOTE about JEMEZ Pueblo: Jemez has a CLOSED Village Policy out of respect for those who live there, open only on feast days, but the Pueblo chooses NOT to publicize feast days. Please visit the Walatowa Visitors Center to learn more about Jemez.