Diez y Seis de Septiembre Parade and Fiesta
Mesilla, Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Parade and Fiesta.
Details
- Where
- Mesilla Plaza, Calle Principal, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88005 United States, Mesilla, NM 88005. Directions
- When
- Last held September 13, 2026; next year’s date not yet stated.
- Getting there
- The parade runs along Avenida de Mesilla.
- Fees
- Admission is free.
- Hours
- Saturday parade at 10:00 a.m.
- Access
- No vehicles may be driven onto the Plaza. Keep pets under control or on a leash and clean up after them.
- Phone
- 575-524-3262
- Website
- mesillanm.gov
- Managed by
- Town of Mesilla.
The Diez y Seis de Septiembre Fiesta begins in the street. In 2026 the parade set off along Avenida de Mesilla at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, and the town told spectators to find a spot along the route early. That year’s theme was “Colors of Our Culture.” At least one past edition, listed by the town for September 13 and 14, awarded trophies for Best Overall in first, second, and third place.
After the parade the crowd moves onto the Historic Mesilla Plaza, where no vehicles are allowed and dogs stay on leash. Through the 2026 weekend the program ran on ballet folklórico and mariachi, with variety shows by ODD Lab Productions, sets by the Canek Prehispanic Dance Group and Danza Tonantzin, and live music. Vendors sold food and goods on and around the plaza. Andele Restaurant sponsored the traditional piñatas and the greased pole contests. In the Kids Zone, children had bounce houses, a mechanical bull, and adobe making with Mi Querencia, all free. Admission to the fiesta is free as well. Saturday was hot, and that evening the town thanked everyone “who braved the heat.” Sunday ran from 12 noon to 7 p.m.
The fiesta commemorates Mexico’s independence, in the words of Visit Las Cruces, which lists it among the region’s fall events. The Town of Mesilla organizes it, keeps a tent on the plaza near the Billy the Kid Gift Shop, and runs a Cinco de Mayo fiesta on the same plaza in spring. A photographer posted pictures of the 2025 edition on the Plaza de Mesilla in September 2026, a year after it took place.
On the Sunday morning of the 2026 fiesta, the town posted that someone had gone home Saturday night with one shoe. The other shoe was waiting at the town tent, and Dorothy would take calls about it on Monday. The post closed with a word of advice for the second day: “Shoes are strongly encouraged… preferably both of them.”