Every year, the burning of Zozobra gets better. More music. More fireworks. More dancers. More and more and more people. That isn’t to deter those of you planning to go, it’s just a well known fact that Downtown Santa Fe is madness on Zozobra night. Every New Mexican should attend the burning of Old Man Gloom at least once in their life, like the Balloon Fiesta or the Roswell UFO Festival. It’s as New Mexican as green chile.If you’re goin’ to Santa town for the burning and haven’t been before (or haven’t been in a while) there are a few things to consider. First and foremost is parking—it is a nightmare. If you get there early, you’ll likely find a parking spot within four to six blocks. If you get there after 6 p.m., you’re going to be trekking it. Santa Fe Trials is offering a shuttle service that could come in handy. You can park on the south side of the Santa Fe Place Mall (behind PC Penney at the mall formerly know as Villa Linda) or behind Albertson’s at De Vargas Center then snag a bus ride. The drop off is about one block from the plaza, so says the website, which is much, much closer than you’ll likely be able to park. Call them for more details: (505) 955-2001.Make sure you bring cash. If you don’t already have tickets, you can buy one from a number of vendors before getting to the gates, and last I remember it was cash only. Tickets are $10 per person over the age of 6.The burning starts at night fall. It will be crowded and everyone will be standing. Enjoy the gloomies, the fire dancers and then watch the curmudgeon become toast. After the show, everyone will be pouring out of the gates. Here’s where the second phase of madness starts—getting home. Zozobra used to be burned on Friday nights, but they changed this some years back under the assumption that it would encourage the crowds to head home to get some sleep before work/school/whatever the next day. Good theory. In reality, many people don’t go to work/school/whatever the next day and just get the fiesta started early, so choice your path wisely when leaving Fort Marcy. Avoid the plaza, if you can, and when the cops on horses tell you to keep moving—keep moving. If you don’t mind waiting out the crowd, there’s usually music at Fort Marcy for a little while as crews clean up the ashes. Or, if you hate crowds all together, you can watch the burning on Santa Fe public access television. I still don’t know the channel.Oh! If you have some paper items you’d like burned to help relieve your gloom (journal pages, bad report cards, credit card bills, etc.) you can take them up to a box near the stage and they will be stuffed in Zozo before he’s lit aflame. Bye, bye, gloom.
It's Gloom Burnin' Time
It's Gloom Burnin' Time
3 min read
