09/05/2026
Tonight, Santa Fe burns its worries. 🔥
If you’ve never experienced Zozobra, this is one of those traditions that tells you almost everything you need to know about Santa Fe.
For 102 years, we’ve gathered to burn Old Man Gloom, a 50 foot marionette stuffed with thousands of people’s “glooms”: regrets, worries, bad memories and all the things we’re ready to leave behind.
It started in 1924, when Santa Fe artist Will Shuster created the first Zozobra, and somehow the tradition has only gotten bigger, louder and more beloved.
And tonight’s 102nd burning has a particularly great twist.
In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, the 2026 theme is “The Tyranny of Gloom vs. the Spirit of ’76.” This year Old Man Gloom has apparently gotten a little too big for his britches and stolen King George III’s crown, robes and scepter. 😂
The plan?
Overthrow the tyrant.
The Fire Spirit wins. The crowd screams “BURN HIM!” Zozobra groans dramatically, the fireworks begin, and 50 feet of gloom goes up in flames.
And yes, it is every bit as wonderfully weird and spectacular as it sounds.
Tens of thousands of people will gather at Fort Marcy tonight for a tradition that is part celebration, part theater, part collective exhale.
There’s something I’ve always loved about the idea behind it.
Write down what you’re carrying.
Give it to Old Man Gloom.
Watch it burn.
Start again.
That feels pretty Santa Fe to me.
Happy Zozobra, Santa Fe. 🔥
BURN HIM!