New Year’s Eve on the Santa Fe Plaza
- 🗓️ Thursday, December 31, 2026
- 🕘 9 p.m. to 12:15 a.m.
- Free and open to all
Live music on the Bandstand, crackling piñon bonfires, free hot chocolate and bizcochitos, and at the stroke of midnight, Santa Fe does what no other city does: instead of dropping something, we raise the Zia.
A night on the Plaza
The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe is honored to host the City of Santa Fe’s 12th annual New Year’s Eve on the Plaza. Bring the whole family, bundle up, and spend the last night of the year in the heart of America’s oldest capital city.
Live music
Local bands keep the Bandstand going and the crowd dancing right up to the countdown.
Warmth
Piñon bonfires and heaters around the Plaza, plus a warming tent for families with small children, elders and emergencies.
Hot chocolate
Kiwanis serves free hot chocolate and bizcochitos, New Mexico’s official state cookie, while supplies last.
Food trucks
Follow your nose to the food trucks for a late-night bite.
Hopes and Dreams
Write your wish for the year ahead on the Hopes and Dreams banner, or share it online for the big screen.
Twinkling lights
The Plaza shimmers with holiday lights all evening.
Music under the stars
Santa Fe’s favorite local bands take the Bandstand all night long. Past New Year’s Eve performers include the Alex Maryol Band and Sol Fire.
Nothing drops. The Zia rises.
In keeping with Santa Fe’s spirit as The City Different, we welcome the new year by raising a Zia hand-crafted by a traditional local artisan and used with the permission of Zia Pueblo, against a sky full of fireworks launched from the roof of La Fonda on the Plaza.
- 9 p.m.Festivities begin with live music on the Bandstand.
- Around 11:45 p.m.The Mayor and city officials invite the crowd to count down to a peaceful, prosperous new year.
- MidnightThe Zia rises and about ten minutes of high-altitude fireworks light the sky over the Plaza.
- Just after midnightWe sing Auld Lang Syne and Las Mañanitas together to say ¡Bienvenidos! to 2027.
Behind the Zia
Get involved
New Year’s Eve on the Plaza is free because neighbors, volunteers and local businesses make it happen. Here’s how you can help ring in 2027.
Volunteer
Pour hot chocolate, greet families, tend the Hopes and Dreams banner and help the night run smoothly. Shifts are short and the view at midnight is the best on the Plaza.
Sign up to volunteerSponsor
Put your business in front of thousands of families on the biggest free night of the year, and help keep it free.
Become a sponsorVend
Food trucks and vendors keep the crowd warm and fed until midnight. Apply for a spot on the Plaza.
Vendor informationGive
Every gift helps cover the music, the bonfires, the hot chocolate and the fireworks that make this night special.
Make a giftPlan your visit
🧣 On the Plaza
- Dress warmly. Santa Fe winter nights are cold.
- No alcohol is permitted on the Plaza.
- City restrooms are in the Water Street parking lot.
- Arrive early for the best spot near the Bandstand.
🅿️ Parking
- Meters operate as normal until 6 p.m.
- Some meters near the Plaza are red-bagged for police and fire use. Parking there is strictly enforced.
- Please keep ADA spaces and loading zones clear.
🚧 Road closures
- San Francisco Street, Palace Avenue, Lincoln Avenue and Old Santa Fe Trail around the Plaza close at 7 a.m. on December 31 and reopen once event staging is cleared.
- Old Santa Fe Trail from Water Street to the Plaza also closes from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
🎆 Fireworks advisory: The fireworks begin at midnight with loud booms and last about ten minutes. Plan ahead for little ones and pets.
Hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe
New Year’s Eve on the Plaza is a City of Santa Fe celebration produced by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, the volunteers behind The Burning of Zozobra.
