Albuquerque residents can plan on a one-hour drive north for a free, one-night concert on Friday, August 14, 2026, when the IndigenousWays Festival brings Keith Secola, Levi Platero, and Sage Bond to the Santa Fe Railyard Water Tower.
The event is organized by IndigenousWays, a Santa Fe-based nonprofit that has spent nearly two decades putting Indigenous artists in front of live audiences and keeping that access free. The structure is simple: one stage and one evening.
- IndigenousWays Festival 2026: Quick Facts
- About the IndigenousWays Festival
- Who is on the 2026 lineup?
- How does IndigenousWays take part in the America250 initiative?
- What does IndigenousWays do beyond the festival?
- Drive from Albuquerque to IndigenousWays Festival at Santa Fe Railyard
- IndigenousWays Festival FAQs
The lineup moves from Secola’s long-recognized songs into Platero’s guitar work and Bond’s vocals in a setting where Indigenous artistry holds the stage from start to finish.
IndigenousWays Festival 2026: Quick Facts
- Date: Friday, August 14, 2026
- Time: 6-10 p.m.
- Location: Santa Fe Railyard Water Tower
- Distance from Albuquerque: About 60 miles (≈1 hour drive)
- Cost: Free
- Accessibility: ASL interpretation and wheelchair access
About the IndigenousWays Festival
The IndigenousWays Festival is a free, one-night concert organized by IndigenousWays, a Santa Fe-based nonprofit founded in 2007.
IndigenousWays puts Native artists on stage, pays them for their work, and keeps the event open to the public. That approach runs through everything they produce year-round, and the festival is one place where it is fully visible.
The lineup places Native artists with long-standing recognition alongside those continuing that work today. Keith Secola’s songs have remained in rotation for decades, while Levi Platero and Sage Bond bring different sounds into the same program.
For those coming from Albuquerque, this event offers direct access to Native artists whose work has been carried across radio, touring, and live performance, without tickets or barriers to entry.
Who is on the 2026 lineup?
The August 14 program centers on three performers whose work spans rock, blues, and contemporary Indigenous music.
Keith Secola
Best known for “NDN Kars,” Secola’s work has remained in rotation on tribal radio since the early 1990s. His sound moves between rock and folk, with a career that includes performances across the U.S. and internationally.
Levi Platero
A Diné guitarist from the Navajo Nation, Platero’s style pulls from Texas blues and classic rock. His live sets shift between fast, technical guitar work and slower, more expressive passages. He received a Native American Music Award for Best Blues.
Sage Bond
Bond’s vocal style moves across blues, rock, and heavy metal. Her songwriting addresses mental health and personal history, and she has worked with youth programs across the Navajo Nation.
How does IndigenousWays take part in the America250 initiative?
The 2026 IndigenousWays Festival is included in the NEA America250, a national effort marking 250 years since the founding of the United States.
IndigenousWays uses that platform to present Indigenous artists within the same national conversation, without separating their work from it. The festival places current musicians on stage as part of an ongoing presence, making clear that Indigenous history and contemporary work exist alongside, and beyond, the timeline being marked.
What does IndigenousWays do beyond the festival?
IndigenousWays operates a range of year-round programs supporting Indigenous artists and communities.
These include:
All programs are free and designed to expand access to Indigenous arts while supporting the next generation of cultural leaders.
Drive from Albuquerque to IndigenousWays Festival at Santa Fe Railyard
For those based in Albuquerque, the drive to the Santa Fe Railyard Water Tower leads to a one-night event where Indigenous artists take the stage and hold the space throughout the evening.
That work does not start or end here. IndigenousWays carries it forward year-round, from public concerts like this to smaller gatherings such as Monthly Wisdom Circles, where people come together to listen, speak, and share knowledge more directly.
Showing up is part of it. So is supporting it. Contributions help keep the festival free and sustain the programs that continue long after August 14.
To plan your visit, follow updates, or learn more about the work behind the event, visit IndigenousWays.org.
IndigenousWays Festival FAQs
Yes. The IndigenousWays Festival is about a one-hour drive from Albuquerque and offers a free, one-night lineup of live Indigenous music at the Santa Fe Railyard Water Tower.
The drive north on I-25 is straightforward and quick, making it realistic to attend without staying overnight. Because the event runs as a continuous evening program, you don’t need to arrive at a specific time. You can leave Albuquerque after work, arrive mid-program, and stay as long as you want.
The Railyard District also makes the trip more flexible. Nearby restaurants, parking areas, and walkable public space allow you to build the evening around the event. For a free concert featuring artists like Keith Secola, the trip is short, low-commitment, and easy to plan.
No. The IndigenousWays Festival is free and open to the public, with no tickets, reservations, or entry checkpoints.
This means attendees can arrive at any time during the evening, move in and out of the space without restrictions, and stay for as long as they choose.
Funding for the event comes from grants, donations, and community support, which covers artist fees, production, and accessibility services like ASL interpretation. This model allows IndigenousWays to keep the event open while maintaining professional production and artist compensation.
The IndigenousWays Festival presents live music across rock, blues, and contemporary Indigenous styles, with each artist bringing a different approach to performance.
The 2026 lineup includes Keith Secola, whose work blends rock and storytelling, Levi Platero, known for blues-driven guitar rooted in classic rock, and Sage Bond, whose vocals move between blues, rock, and heavier influences.
Rather than focusing on a single genre, the program moves across styles over the course of the evening. This creates a lineup where each set feels distinct, while still fitting within a broader range of Indigenous music being performed today.
IndigenousWays Wisdom Circles are smaller, recurring gatherings focused on conversation, storytelling, and knowledge-sharing, rather than live performance.
These sessions are typically led by artists, speakers, or elders and take place in a more intimate setting than the festival. While the festival centers on a public concert format, Wisdom Circles create space for discussion, reflection, and direct exchange.
Topics vary depending on the session, but often include lived experience, creative work, and broader perspectives connected to Indigenous arts and life. For attendees who want a different kind of engagement beyond live music, Wisdom Circles offer a more focused and conversational experience.
IndigenousWays keeps its events free through a combination of grants, donations, and ongoing community support.
This funding model covers artist compensation, production costs, and accessibility services, including ASL interpretation and captioning. It also supports year-round programs such as film screenings, media arts training, and internships for emerging artists.
As a nonprofit organization, IndigenousWays prioritizes access alongside sustainability. Contributions from individuals, organizations, and funding partners make it possible to maintain open entry while continuing to produce events at a consistent level. Attending events, sharing information, and contributing financially all play a role in keeping the model in place.
Images by Mariano Frisoli.
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