1 Don’t miss Indian Market weekend.

The biggest Indigenous arts gathering in the world, Santa Fe Indian Market takes the City Different by storm this weekend. Hundreds of artist booths, spanning 12 city blocks surrounding the plaza, showcase ceramics, paintings, photography, prints, drawings, ledger art, textiles, and more. In addition, Indian Market brings fashion shows, parties, performances, and auxiliary events that highlight and rejoice in the beauty and diversity of Indigenous cultures. Its legacy and roster of artists are unmatched.

Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival ensures even more Native artists get to showcase their works at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino in Pojoaque. Led by the Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Program, this event includes over 350 Indigenous artists selling their work, a fashion show, and the “Poeh-chella” festival with tons of live musical performances, Indigenous-made films, and food vendors. It’s open August 16 through 18.

IndigenousWays Festival focuses on the musical side of Indigenous arts, which hits the hearts of founders Tash Terry and Elena Higgins, who are musicians and alumnae of the Institute of American Indian Arts. At Santa Fe Railyard Park, on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m., see performances from Pura Fé (Tuscarora/Taino), Wade Fernandez (Menominee), and Simona Rael. IndigenousWays also offers face painting, Wise Fool puppet appearances, and other hands-on activities.

Tlingit artist Preston Singletary’s glass art is nearly impossible to look away from. His use of translucent and opaque textures makes his pieces feel like old deities with inner luminance. Singletary’s 40 years of practice are evident in the glass sculptures he produces, and in a new body of work, Raven Opened the Door to the Ocean, debuting at Santa Fe’s Blue Rain Gallery on Friday. Featuring works inspired by traditional stories, the exhibition warrants careful attention. Attend an opening reception Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., and see Singletary at work during an artist demonstration on Friday and Saturday starting at 11 a.m.

The Santa Fe Railyard is becoming another hub of activity during Indian Market with the Indigenous Futures 4ever fashion show hosted by designer Amy Denet Deal’s 4Kinship. In collaboration with Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, Supernaturals Models, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, and artists from Turtle Island, the immersive runway show combines elements of performance art and live music on Saturday at 5 p.m. 

The free Off the Rails! concert in the Santa Fe Railyard includes live DJ sets from multidisciplinary artist Jaque Fragua (Jemez Pueblo) aka Mobil Savage, DJ Jon Ray (Laguna/Acoma Pueblos), and more on Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. 

The Lumpkins Ballroom and mezzanine at La Fonda on the Plaza hotel host Sovereign Santa Fe, and expo of contemporary Indigenous artwork Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Indigenous artists from Pueblos and tribes throughout the country show and sell their works during the immersive show. Sovereign Santa Fe spotlights fashion during Sovereignly Fit, a two-night ticketed runway show happening Friday and Saturday evening. Don’t miss Petroglyph, a 1973 Dodge Dart painted by artist Jessie Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa Pueblos) with designs inspired by Pueblo pottery, an homage to Littlebird’s childhood dreams and mixed heritage. 

The 8750’ BBQ and Music Festival in Red River features a lakeside BBQ, diverse musical acts across four venues, and culinary competitions. Photograph courtesy of ’8750 BBQ and Music Festival.

2 Enjoy BBQ and country tunes.

Relish savory bites and sumptuous sounds at the 8750’ BBQ and Music Festival in Red River, which kicks off Friday with a lakeside barbeque dinner and concert at Bitter Creek Ranch. Musical performances happen at fun venues throughout town like the Motherlode Saloon and Brandenburg Park. “We are proud of the fact that we have four venues, and that we don’t do any overlapping shows,” says Charlie Wenger, general manager of events at the festival. “We have a mix of country through Americana, rock ’n’ roll, and blues. There’s a little bit of all of that in there. We want it to be a great block party with an everyone-is-welcome vibe.”

Culinary competitions include a chili cookoff, a green chile state championship, and a BBQ championship. On Saturday, over 50 chile, chili, and BBQ competitors offer samples of their competitive dishes, while vendors sell snacks and meals all weekend long. “We’re sitting on some ideal weather, too,” Wenger says. With nighttime temps in the high 40s, the festival is a great place to cool off after months of heat. It wraps on Sunday with a concert at the ski basin from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Art presents "Arctic Highways: Unbounded Indigenous People," an exhibition exploring borders and environmental challenges by Sámpi and North American Indigenous artists. Photograph courtesy of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Art.

3 See two new exhibitions.

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe opens two new exhibitions this weekend, Arctic Highways: Unbounded Indigenous People, and Common Thread: Indigenous Perspectives from the Arctic.

Arctic Highways displays works from 12 Sámpi and North American Indigenous artists who contemplate the idea of borders. As people who see each other as kindred spirits despite their geographical distance, the artists communicate their thoughts about land loss, environmental threats, border issues, and what it means to be unbounded in their works. The traveling exhibition is curated by Tomas Colbengtson (Sámi), Gunvor Guttorm (Sámi), Dan Jåma (Sámi), and Britta Marakatt-Labba (Sámi). See it through March 2.

Common Thread: Indigenous Perspectives from the Arctic presents works by 12 artists who are motivated by imagining positive change in the climate crisis. Northern Indigenous communities feel the effects of climate change in ways that are forcing shifts in their traditions and ways of life. Common Thread’s artists dig into these consequences of colonization, and address opportunities for healing. Among the dozen artists are individuals from Indigenous communities in places like Sweden, Norway, and Greenland. See it through January 5.

The Red & Green VegFest in Albuquerque offers a comprehensive introduction to plant-based eating with cooking demos, expert talks, and a variety of vegan foods to try. Photograph courtesy of the Red & Green VegFest.

4 Eat your veggies!

If you’re curious about plant-based foods, and how to eat more of them, the Red & Green VegFest is a great place to start. The Albuquerque festival promotes plant-based recipes with cooking demonstrations, lectures from vegan experts, and tons of tasty treats to sample. “We believe that the VegFest has a positive impact on our community,” says Nancy Arenas, president of the nonprofit Sprouting Compassion, which puts on the event. “People who are attending can find others to connect with about plant-based foods. We support inspiration and education for those who want to find out more about healthy living and doing their part for the planet.”

Everyone is welcome: vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike. The food vendors serve up vegan New Mexican chile dishes, cheesecake, donuts, and more. It’s open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Marriott Pyramid Hotel in Albuquerque.

"Pueblo Revolt," a new play by Dillon Christopher Chitto, explores the historic 1680 uprising in New Mexico through the lives of two Indigenous brothers, blending history with Indigenous Futurism and humor. Photograph courtesy of Santa Fe Playhouse.

5 Watch the revolution take center stage.

The most successful Indigenous uprisings in history, the Pueblo Revolt saw the Spanish routed from New Mexico in 1680. The new play Pueblo Revolt by Dillon Christopher Chitto is timed around the revolution and follows two Indigenous brothers—a budding revolutionary, and a gay idealist—and their ideas about colonization and the survival of their people.

The script-in-hand workshop performance at the Santa Fe Playhouse includes elements of  history and Indigenous Futurism, as well as plenty of levity. The production, which won the Rella Lossy Award for Best New Play, stars Bradley Lewis and Montana Miller. It’s up this weekend only. Get tickets here.

Read more: For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.