The Burning of Will Shuster's Zozobra

The Burning of Zozobra is an iconic New Mexico cultural event staged annually by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe on the Friday before Labor Day as an exciting and fiery finale to the last days of summer.   

Zozobra is the creation of Will Shuster, one of a group of artists known as Los Cinco Pintores, who made their way to New Mexico in the 1920s. The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe became keepers of Zozobra's flame in 1964 when his creator, artist Will Shuster, assigned all rights to Kiwanis. Shuster’s creation first burned in his backyard in 1924 as a 6-ft. marionette, and over the years, has grown to a towering 50-ft. tall. Made of wood, wire and cotton cloth and stuffed with hundreds of bags of shredded paper, Zozobra is an eerie character, part ghost and part monster. Since those early days, the people of Santa Fe, families and friends new and old, have annually made their way to Fort Marcy Park, a few blocks from the historic Santa Fe Plaza, to view this unique Labor Day Friday pageant.