The Burning of Zozobra: Letting Go in Santa Fe

Every September, before the parades and the plaza dancing and the mariachi horns, Santa Fe does something a little stranger, and honestly, more moving. Fifty feet of muslin and wood, built to look unmistakably like a grumbling old man, gets carried into a field north of downtown and set on fire while several thousand people cheer.

They call him Zozobra. Everyone else calls him Old Man Gloom.

Meet Old Man Gloom

The tradition started in 1924, when Santa Fe artist Will Shuster built the first Zozobra in his own backyard, inspired by Yaqui Easter ceremonies he'd seen in Mexico and a hunch that a town could use a good excuse to burn off its troubles once a year. A century later, the effigy has grown from a modest six feet to a fifty-foot marionette with glowing eyes and a groan that carries across the field, but the idea hasn't changed. Before the burning, Santa Feans write down whatever they'd like to let go of, a hard year, a breakup, the thing they keep replaying at 2am, and those "glooms" get tucked inside him. When he burns, so do they.

It's part bonfire, part theater, part group therapy for an entire city. There's a slow build of dancers and drums, a mock trial where Old Man Gloom is found guilty of his usual crimes, and then, once it's fully dark, the burn itself. Fire climbs through fifty feet of muslin against the night sky, followed by about fifteen minutes of fireworks set to music.

How the Night Unfolds

The 102nd Burning of Zozobra takes place Friday, September 4, 2026 at Fort Marcy Park, a few blocks from the historic Plaza. Gates open at 4pm, the burn happens at dark, usually around 9:10pm, and it runs rain or shine. Kids ten and under get in free with an accompanying adult. For guests arriving in Santa Fe a little earlier that week, ZozoFest runs August 26 through 30 with art activities and the chance to write and deposit your own gloom before the big night.

More Than a Spectacle

What makes Zozobra worth experiencing, rather than just watching footage of it later, is the strange comfort of doing it alongside a few thousand strangers who are all there for the same reason. It isn't a solemn night. There's music and beer and kids on their parents' shoulders. But underneath the spectacle is something genuinely cathartic, a whole city agreeing, out loud, to start over. Zozobra's burning is also what officially opens Fiesta de Santa Fe, nine days of parades, masses, and plaza celebrations that follow close behind.

Getting There, and Getting Home

Fort Marcy Park sits close enough to downtown that walking is genuinely the better option. Parking near the field disappears fast, and the surrounding streets close for the evening, so guests driving in from farther out often spend more time in traffic than they do watching the fire. A Doña Luz home within walking distance means you can leave when you're ready, no shuttle line, no hunting for a car in the dark, just a short walk home while the smell of woodsmoke is still in the air.

Featured Home

Casa Estrellas lies within the closed off area for the event making this THE home to stay in for easy viewing outside the crowds. The home also includes a pass for access the home with your car despite road closures. View listing here.

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