Pancakes are back on Plaza to kick off Santa Fe's Fourth of July celebrations

Claudia L. Silva, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·2 min read

Jul. 3—Pancakes on the Plaza is returning for the first time since 2019, bringing a sense of normalcy to July 4 after two years of a pandemic that limited traditional celebration.

The event, hosted by the

Santa Fe Rotary Club for 45 years, begins at 7 a.m. Monday and draws thousands to the downtown area. Attendees will be able to get breakfast, view an extensive collection of classic cars and listen to live music.

"It is quite a celebration for our nation's birthday," said event coordinator Terry Williams-Keffer. "We're delighted to be able to try and pull it together again this year."

Bookending the city's celebration will be a July 4 fireworks display at the Santa Fe Place mall. The event, a partnership between the city and the Kiwanis Club, is planned from 4-10 p.m. in the mall's parking lot. The fireworks display is expected to start around 9:30 p.m. after the sun sets.

There will be a variety of food trucks and entertainment from Una Mas y La ChaCha, the Alex Maryol Band, Dream Noise and False Summit.

Organizers of Pancakes on the Plaza initially expected to be able to hold the event in 2021, but they soon realized they did not have enough time to prepare for the event after COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed.

Classic car owners were able to put on a show but were limited to the Plaza. But all that's in the rear-view mirror, and Williams-Keffer said she expects roughly 70 classic cars to line Lincoln Avenue on Monday.

In previous years, the Santa Fe Rotary Club was able to serve breakfast to 8,000 to 10,000 people and has had up to 20,000 attendees in a single day.

The pancake breakfast costs $10 per person. Tickets also can be purchased online.

Proceeds from event have been used to fund grants to charity programs that directly serve youth, such as the

Santa Fe Youth Symphony, Gerard's House — a children's grief support center — and The Food Depot.

This year, the Rotary Club will donate the funds from the event to the Santa Fe Children's Museum to create a mobile museum to travel throughout Northern New Mexico.