The Burning of Zozobra is one of the most highly-anticipated events in Santa Fe, with visitors coming from every corner of the globe to experience this only-in-Santa-Fe celebration. This unique cultural event is staged annually by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe on the Friday of Labor Day weekend as an exciting and fiery finale to the last days of summer.

Zozobra is the creation of Will Shuster, one of Los Cinco Pintores, a group of artists who made their way to New Mexico in the 1920s. Shuster’s creation first burned in his backyard in 1924 as a 6-foot effigy, and over the years, has grown to a towering 50-foot high marionette.

Made of wood, wire and cotton cloth and stuffed with hundreds of bags of shredded paper, Zozobra is a dark and eerie character, part ghost and part monster. Since those early days, the people of Santa Fe, families and friends new and old, have annually made their way to Fort Marcy Park, near the historic Santa Fe Plaza, to view this one-of-a-kind Labor Day Friday pageant.

In 2019, a record crowd of almost 64,000 attended the event. In 2020, Zozobra was the only live event safely produced in New Mexico, televised and streamed without live attendance. In 2021, the televised streamed event safely welcomed back a limited in-person audience. The Burning is on track for a great year, en route to a gala 100th anniversary in 2024.

Zozobra makes local, regional and national news. By burn time, social media is off the charts, and hotels and restaurants are full of travelers eager for new adventures. Cultivating strong partnerships boosts Zozobra’s charitable mission and elevates this treasured event as a global destination experience.