1 Shop small at these Christmas markets.

String of Lights Market, Santa Fe

Sixty vendors take over the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Pavilion at the Railyard on Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. The eighth annual gathering includes cocktails from Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery, beer and wine from Second Street Brewery, and a holiday-themed photo booth. “I love to create a sparkly holiday vibe,” says Lisa Evans, founder of High Desert Markets, which decks the pavilion’s halls in lights and snowflakes. “It’s the first time we’re back at the Railyard since 2019 with an evening event and cocktails. I think it’s important to make it as magical as possible.”

ABQ Holiday Market, Albuquerque 

The beloved Rail Yards Market, in Albuquerque’s Barelas neighborhood, hosts its holiday iteration on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 150 vendors sell home wares, delicious treats, and gifts including handmade crafts and wellness products at the 10th annual festive gathering.

IAIA Holiday Market & SFCC Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair, Santa Fe

On Saturday and Sunday, the Institute of American Indian Arts and Santa Fe Community College throw a dual bash and market from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Between the two creative spaces, hundreds of artists from throughout the state, including Cochiti Pueblo, Taos, Farmington, and Santo Domingo Pueblo, will sell their uniquely crafted goods.

“This year is going to be our biggest market, with over 120 artists at IAIA alone,” says Danielle Murzynsky-Obiekwe (Chickasaw), associate director of institutional advancement at IAIA. Alumni participants include potter Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo), ledger artist Terran Last Gun (Piikani), and jeweler Steve LaRance (Hopi). Meet and greet the artists, snack on bites from concessions, and sip coffee donated by Ohori’s Coffee Roasters.

Shop over 100 New Mexico artists at the IAIA Holiday Market & SFCC Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair. Photograph courtesy of the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Yucca Blossom Christmas Jamboree, Artesia

More than 70 vendor booths take over the Artesia Center on Saturday and Sunday for this holiday market. Food trucks offer tasty treats to fuel your holiday shopping, as well as fun activities like wreath making and face painting on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m, with visits from Santa from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday.  

Pop-up Holiday Art Market, Gallup

Make snowflakes, drink hot cocoa, snack on bake sale sweets, and shop the holiday pop-up market with more than 20 vendors at Arts123 Gallery, hosted by gallupARTS. The market runs Tuesdays–Fridays from 2–6 p.m. and Saturdays from noon–6 p.m. through December 21.

Alumbra Holiday Fair, Questa

Questa creatives set up shop at the VFW on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to celebrate the season of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. Elves, Santa, and plenty of holiday gifts will be there hosted by the Questa Creative Council.

Lena Street Holiday Market, Santa Fe

Stroll local shops like Bread Shop, Modern Aphrodite Boutique, Whiskey & Clay, and Living Threads Studio for this Lena Street holiday block party on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.

Native American Portal Artisans’ Winter Youth Show, Santa Fe

The future of Indigenous arts is on display on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lobby at the New Mexico History Museum during this annual market. The event showcases work by young Native artists who are the children and grandchildren of the museum’s Portal Program.

Catch the New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus at the Lensic in Santa Fe and at the Hiland Theater in Albuquerque. Photograph courtesy of the New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus.

2 Listen to the sweet sounds of the holidays.

Something Must Be Wrong with My Mistletoe, Santa Fe and Albuquerque

The New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus puts on a holiday performance focusing on the fun and chaos surrounding the holiday season. Catch a performance on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Lensic, in Santa Fe, or on Saturday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Hiland Theater in Albuquerque.

“The show is about the things that can go wrong during the holidays,” says Jerry Matthews, board chair, head of marketing, and choir member at the New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus. “We’re doing classics like “Blue Christmas” and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and a suite of songs from the Nightmare Before Christmas.” In classic NMGMC style, the performance includes dancing and a plot, and involves much more than standing and singing. “You’re going to laugh, you’re going to cry, you’re going to feel something,” Matthews says. “And you’re going to embrace the chaos of the holidays.”

Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe and Albuquerque

Performers in the Santa Fe Opera’s Young Voices program, which fosters talent in future opera stars, sing a program of classic carols at Body of Santa Fe on Friday at 5:30 p.m. during the spa and boutique’s holiday sip and shop. Catch the carolers in action again at Placitas Community Library on Sunday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Handel’s Messiah, Albuquerque and Rio Rancho

Three performances of this holiday masterpiece happen this weekend: two at the First United Methodist Church in Albuquerque and another at V. Sue Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho. Sung by vocalists of the Coro Lux Chamber Chorus with the New Mexico Philharmonic, conducted by Bradley Ellingboe, the concert is a classic cheery event.

Taos Community Chorus Winter Concert, Taos

The Taos Community Chorus performs Blow, Blow Thou Winter Winds, a seasonal set with holiday songs and selections from Handel’s Messiah, at St. James Episcopal Church in Taos on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Revelers warm up during Bonfires on Bent Street, in Taos. Photograph courtesy of the Town of Taos.

3 Deck the halls (and streets) at these holiday events.

Bonfires on Bent Street, Taos

Shop owners welcome guests with Yuletide cheer during Bonfires on Bent Street, the 35th annual block party in Taos. The shops along Bent Street and the John Dunn Shops are decorated with farolitos, small bonfires, garlands, wreaths, and holiday lights to welcome gift-seekers and revelers on Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m.

Noche de Familia: Invierno, Albuquerque

Take the family to the National Hispanic Cultural Center to make holiday crafts, eat bizcochitos, and drink hot chocolate before seeing a screening of Disney’s Encanto in the Bank of America Theatre on Friday at 7 p.m.

Christmas Parade & Christmas Village, Cloudcroft

Cloudcroft knows how to do Christmas. The first-ever Christmas Light Parade lights up Burro Avenue on Saturday at 5:30 p.m., followed by decorations, photo ops, and holiday cheer at Christmas Park at 7:30 p.m.

Lights of Gisewa, Jemez

Pueblo dancers, a makers’ market, Native music, food vendors, and hundreds of farolitos bring festive feelings to the Jemez Historic Site on Friday and Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m.

Luminaria Beach Walk, Elephant Butte

The beach at Elephant Butte Lake State Park glows with holiday lights and farolitos during this community event on Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Elephant Butte State Park. More than 3,000 luminarias, Santa Claus, hot cider, posole, and 25 bonfires bring the cheer.

Holiday Lights at Rockhound State Park, Deming

Gobble bizcochitos, drink hot cider, and see over 1,100 luminarias placed along the walkways and the visitor center at Rockhound State Park, in Deming, on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. Park entrance fees apply.

Christmas on the Chicorica, Sugarite Canyon State Park, Ratón

Snap a pic with Santa and roast a marshmallow on Saturday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. during this annual holiday celebration hosted by the Friends of Sugarite Canyon. The riverwalk is decked in festive decorations, and telescopes are available to gaze at the stars.

Festival of Trees, Taos

See 26 Christmas trees decorated by local businesses at Bataan Hall on Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. Hosted by the Taos Milagro Rotary Club, the event features trees, wreaths, and gift baskets available in a silent auction that benefits literary and scholarship programs.

Join carolers as they serenade the crowds under the Santa Fe Plaza display of lights. Photograph by Candace Walsh.

4 See Las Posadas on the Plaza.

Commemorating the journey Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem, Las Posadas is a tradition kept in Mexico and other Hispanic countries around the world. The New Mexico History Museum marks the occasion with a candlelit procession on the Plaza on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Afterward, carolers serenade the crowds under the stunning display of lights.

Take a breather from the holiday madness with a glass of wine at the 12th annual Winter Wine Festival. Photograph courtesy of Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce.

5 Sip some wine at the Winter Wine Festival.

Take a breather from the holiday madness and enjoy a glass of vino at the 12th annual Winter Wine Festival in Carlsbad on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. Local wineries Sheehan Winery and D.H. Lescombes will bring their varieties to the Pecos River Village Conference Center.

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