A fantastic festival recap!

The 10th anniversary celebration of Santa Fe TradFest was so much fun – many first time attendees, a large number of young families, beautiful weather, well received workshops, and new and returning performers.

The festival began Friday afternoon with the Singer/Songwriter Showcase – so many talented people whose passion for songwriting resonated with a full room of music lovers. And then, for the second year, The Next Stage: Youth Band Showcase brought together youth from four bands. What a hard decision the judges had to make as the competition was tight and every band put a lot of heart into their performance. Every band member received a 10th anniversary t-shirt and an Iconik Coffee Shop gift card. The first-place winner also received a professional recording studio session from our sponsor at Sol Sound Lab as well as tickets to Meow Wolf.

Throughout the weekend, workshops gave attendees opportunities to learn new instrument playing abilities, hone songwriting skills, dance, and spend the day jamming with old and new friends. The Family Zone was alive with activities and kiddos all day Saturday! It was delightful to see so many youngsters strumming on ukeleles, singing together, and listening with wide eyes during storytelling.

The main stage welcomed new performers including Shelley Morningsong and Fabian Fontenelle (Scandinavian/Northern Cheyenne), one of the Southwest’s most respected and recognizable Native contemporary artists; High Fidelity, drawing their influence from 1950s and 60s bluegrass; and Marla Fibish and Rebecca Fishman with Jimmy Murphy, prominent voices in Irish music. Saturday began with a performance by the ATC Stringband, and it is always a pleasure to welcome back those who are so well loved by the TradFest audience – Lone Piñon, Tim May and Steve Smith, Mariachi Sonidos del Monte, The Onlies, Elliott and Janice Rogers, and the Adobe Brothers.

Approximately 800 individuals were in attendance throughout the weekend, the campgrounds were full, and ticket sales increased by 30% over 2025. Over 100 new and returning volunteers participated in set-up/tear down, ticketing, parking, transportation, health and safety, and merchandise sales. Volunteers are the heart of TradFest and we owe them a tremendous thank you for the hours that they spend, the expertise that they share, and the commitment and enthusiasm they bring – we could not do this without them.

A huge thank you goes to all of our sponsors and donors! Traditionally, ticket sales cover only about 40% of budget needs and all other revenue comes from the generosity and commitment of businesses, public/private funders, and individual donors. We welcomed four new sponsors and thirteen returning sponsors. The post-festival evaluations tell us that the planning committee is bringing well received and loved performers and workshops and we thank you for your support.

As we close the books on the 10th anniversary celebration, we are grateful to each of you for your support of live music and your enthusiasm for Santa Fe TradFest. THANK YOU and look forward to seeing you in 2027!