Santa Fe Fiesta Inc. on Monday officially announced the cancellation of all public events on the city’s downtown plaza.
“We have made the difficult decision to cancel all events on the historic Santa Fe Plaza as the pandemic’s impact on public gatherings is uncertain,” Aaron Garcia, president of Santa Fe Fiesta Inc. said in a news release. “Our primary concern is for our guests. We want to ensure everyone is safe, health and can reunite with us on the plaza in 2021.”
The oldest community celebration in America, however, does plan to announce a modified schedule to keep the promise city founders made 308-years ago. The 1712 proclamation said there should be an annual celebration with ‘’vespers, Mass, sermon and procession through the Main Plaza.”
“We’re committed to this promise for the long run,” Garcia said.
Most of Santa Fe’s marque events have been canceled, including Indian Market, Traditional Spanish Market, the International Folk Art Market and the Santa Fe Opera.
The Burning of Zozobra, the unofficial opening of the Fiesta, is still scheduled for Sept. 4, but organizers say they are considering holding a “virtual” event this year due to the coronavirus outbreak.
