"This community wants its little artists to flourish," the Placitas Elementary art teacher told the Sandoval Signpost in January 2025. That was the day Barb Belknap showed up at the school with about $1,000 for art and music supplies. The money came from one raffle at one of the sites during the 2024 Placitas Holiday Market: the one at Placitas Winery, which Barb co-owns with her husband, Ty. It went to the school through the parent-teacher organization.
That one check shows how the whole weekend works. Each site on Highway 165 runs its own sale for its own local cause, so where you buy a raffle ticket decides who gets the money. This year's market runs Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at six sites on or near NM-165. Whichever stops you pick, you're choosing who you support.
Why the market is split across six sites
For nearly four decades, the November tradition was the Placitas Holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Sale. The Placitas Community Library says the sale did not return after the pandemic, so the community organized the Holiday Market to replace it. A December 2023 Signpost report explains why it spread out. In 2021, the library was finishing an expansion project and couldn't host its usual show, so the Belknaps and the library held a benefit holiday event at the winery. Over time it grew into several site sales, each raising money for a nonprofit or charity of its own choosing.
The new market kept one thing from the old sale. It is always held on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Each venue runs its own raffle, vendor list and cause, so the money stays split up instead of going into one pot.
Who each stop supports in 2026
The Placitas Holiday Market site lists all six venues. Each one's own page names its beneficiary.
| Site | Address | Who benefits | Food and extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Hearts Gallery | Homestead Village, NM-165 | Placitas Wild, Sandy Johnson's wild-horse sanctuary, gets part of the sales | An artists' collective of painters, potters, jewelers, woodworkers and more |
| Placitas Community Library | 453 NM-165 | Library programs, through a raffle | Holiday Fiesta theme, bake sale and book sale |
| Placitas Winery | 26 Camino de los Pueblitos | Placitas Elementary art and music programs, through a raffle | Wine, beer, spirits and food |
| Las Placitas Presbyterian Church | 7 Paseo de San Antonio | Placitas Artists Series | Homemade tamales, posole and Frito pie |
| Placitas Elementary School | 5 Camino del Carbon | The school's educational programs, through a raffle | Home-baked goods |
| Placitas Community Senior Center | 41 Camino de Las Huertas | Placitas Community Center, through a raffle | Baked goods |
Most of these causes are part of village life all year. The church site's sales support the Placitas Artists Series, the nonprofit that puts on music performances and art exhibits in that same church. The Senior Center describes itself as offering classes, exercise and field trips, along with congregate meals, meal delivery and transportation for seniors. The winery raffle has a track record you can point to. In 2024, the 28 vendors at the winery each donated an item to the raffle, and that raffle produced the roughly $1,000 check for the elementary school. The year before, the winery's 2023 raffle had also sent $1,000 to the school's art and music supplies. Placitas Elementary benefits at two stops this year, since the school runs its own site with a raffle for its educational programs.
The lineup changes from year to year
Compare 2026 with the 2023 market and two changes stand out.
First, the number of sites. The 2023 market had seven stops, including the Historic San Antonio Mission at 43 Paseo San Antonio. The Mission was established in 1840 and hosted 18 local artisans, a raffle and New Mexican food that year, with sales supporting its charity projects. The 2026 list has six sites, and the Mission isn't one of them. If the Mission was part of your usual route, you'll find New Mexican food at the Presbyterian church down Paseo de San Antonio this year.
Second, the causes. In 2023, part of Wild Hearts Gallery's sales went to the Placitas Volunteer Fire Brigade to mark 50 years of the community's volunteer fire department. This year the gallery is giving part of its sales to Placitas Wild.
So if you went last year, don't assume your favorite stop is supporting the same cause. Each site page on the market website shows who benefits this year.
Planning the route
All six sites sit on or near NM-165, but they're spread out. Homestead Village is on the west end near I-25, and the church, school and Senior Center are up in the village. A few details can help you plan.
Start at the church if you want lunch. The tamales, posole and Frito pie at Las Placitas Presbyterian Church are the most filling food on the market's list. The church page says it opens Sunday at 10 a.m.
Visit the winery while it's open to everyone. Placitas Winery is usually open by appointment and for special events, with no regular walk-in hours. It makes small-batch dry wines from local hand-picked fruit and doubles as an event venue with indoor and outdoor space. Market weekend is an easy chance to stop in without booking.
Homestead Village has the most options for eating. Placitas Pizza Co. moved into the old café space this year. Its new address is 221 NM-165, Suite D, and it's open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with specialty pizzas, salads, sandwiches and sides. Albuquerque Business First reported that the larger suite seats 38 indoors. The market closes at 4 p.m., which is when Unbridled, the speakeasy at Suite A2 in the same center, opens. It serves craft cocktails until 10 p.m. on Saturday and 9 p.m. on Sunday. If you finish your route at Wild Hearts Gallery around closing time, dinner and a drink are a short walk away.
Bring cash for the raffles and bake sales. Five of the six sites list a raffle, and the library, school and Senior Center all sell baked goods. The market site doesn't say which payment methods each table takes, so cash is the safe bet for the small purchases.
The week before
Several of the same groups have events in the days before the market.
- "The Committee gets Artsy" runs November 8–17 at the Placitas Community Library. It shows work by members of the library's Art Committee, coordinated by Linda Hughes and John Streicher. It closes four days before the library opens as a market site.
- Sol y Canto plays Sunday, November 15, at Las Placitas Presbyterian Church as part of the Placitas Artists Series' 40th season. This pan-Latin ensemble starts at 3 p.m., the visual arts reception is at 2 p.m., and there's no pre-concert talk this time. Individual tickets are $30. Buying a ticket supports the same nonprofit the church raises money for the following weekend.
- "The Language of Turquoise" opens at the library on November 24, two days after the market, and runs through January 3, 2027. The artist reception is December 11, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
After that, the Placitas Artists Series closes the year with Trio Confero on December 13, a piano, clarinet and cello program at the church.
If you're getting your own Placitas house ready for the holidays, or wondering what the next few years might look like for you here, Liz Estrada at House of Homes NM is happy to talk it through, ideally after you've had the posole. Let's Talk About Your Goals.
