1 Get jazzy in Taos.

The great alto saxophonist Frank Morgan called Taos home for five years before his passing in 2007. Now, the Frank Morgan Jazz Festival honors his legacy by bringing some of the best musicians from around the world together to commemorate his musical prowess, including his protégé Grace Kelly, who has headlined the festival every year since its inception. Now in its 10th year, the festival includes six concerts over four days. It starts on Thursday with a performance from the Django Festival Allstars, an ensemble from France, at the Taos Center for the Arts. Japanese pianist Tadataka Unno performs Friday at the Harwood Museum, while Kelly has two shows on Saturday.

Celebrate the holidays with Handel's "Messiah," performed by the Santa Fe Symphony and Chorus at the Lensic this Saturday and Sunday.

2 Ring in the season.

A Santa Fe holiday tradition for 20 years, George Frideric Handel’s Messiah hits the Lensic Performing Arts Center stage on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Performed by the Santa Fe Symphony and Chorus, the program of high baroque music carries a strong message of hope.

“It’s one of our longest running traditions,” says Emma Scherer, executive director at the symphony. “And a huge production that’s really fun.” Concert-goers may be familiar with a few of the arias and choral pieces, like the famous “Hallelujah,” during which the symphony invites the audience to join in and sing along.

“It’s a piece that has a long history,” Scherer says. “It was first performed in the 1700s and includes text from the Bible. But we perform it with the intention that people from all faiths and walks of life can appreciate it as a holiday tradition.”

Join the Fall Festival at Alamogordo Zoo for free entry, animal antics, live music, and market fun this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Photograph courtesy of the Alameda Park Zoo.

3 Go wild at the Alameda Park Zoo.

The Alameda Park Zoo, Tularosa Vineyards & Winery, and Alamogordo Street Market team up to put on the Fall Festival at the Alamogordo zoo. On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., enjoy free entry to the zoo, where the animals will be participating in some fall-themed activities. See the black bears bob for apples and the capuchin monkeys smash pumpkins, learn more about other animals during educational talks, get artsy during a paint-and-sip, listen to live music, eat delicious treats from food trucks, and shop at an artists’ market.

Explore South African telephone wire art at the Museum of International Folk Art's new exhibition, "Weaving Meanings," opening Sunday with music and talks. Photograph courtesy of the Museum of International Folk Art.

4 Get wired with South African art.

The Museum of International Folk Art debuts iNgqikithi yokuPhica/Weaving Meanings: Telephone Art from South Africa, the first exhibition in North America celebrating the medium, on Sunday. Featuring works by artists who carry on this vibrant tradition, which has been part of South Africa’s artscape for centuries, the exhibition includes both contemporary and historical examples including baskets, platters, plates, vessels, sculptures, and ceremonial objects.

An opening reception from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday includes live music by South African composer and cellist Dr. Thokozani Mhlambi and a curatorial roundtable discussion with guest curator Dr. Elizabeth Perrill, community curator and lead Indigenous knowledge expert Muziwandile Gigaba, and weavers Ntombifuthi (Magwaza) Sibiya and Bongeleni Mkhize. See the exhibition through November 17, 2025.

Celebrate 25 years of Yjastros with "PLATA," a blend of contemporary and traditional flamenco, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center this Friday and Saturday. Photograph courtesy of National Institute of Flamenco.

5 Celebrate home-grown flamenco.

Flamenco is the unofficial dance form of New Mexico, a flourishing art that is maintained by the commitment of the National Institute of Flamenco in Albuquerque. Its repertory flamenco company, Yjastros, celebrates 25 years with a full-length original program, PLATA, taking the stage at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. Highlighting contemporary and innovative flamenco styles alongside traditional techniques, the program allows the Yjastros dancers to showcase their skills and passion for the centuries-old folk art. Created by artistic director Joaquín Encinias, PLATA features guest flamenco artist Ricardo Moro from Madrid, vocalist María del Mar Fernández from Cádiz, and guitarist Ángel Ruiz from Córdoba.

Read more: For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.