Every year Laguna Development Corporation employees have a day off in honor of the Laguna Feast. The Feast is held every year on September 19th in the village of Laguna. While each of the six villages of Laguna hold their individual feast day celebrations on separate dates, the Laguna Feast is a time for the entire Pueblo of Laguna to come together on one day to celebrate with food, fun and dancing.
The original Laguna Feast is celebrated on March 19th, the date the Franciscans initially completed construction on the church that now stands on the hill in Laguna. Over the years the feast day has been celebrated on both March 19th and September 19th. The September feast day was initiated due to the harvest, an ideal time to bring together the community to trade for other crops and textiles. Both Feast Days are held in honor of St. Joseph, the patron Saint of Old Laguna, named by the early Franciscans who built the church. Seama Village celebrates a feast on July 26, Mesita on August 15th, Encinal on September 8th, Paguate on September 25th and Paraje on October 17th. Today’s feast day activities include ceremonial eagle, buffalo and arrow dances. Each pueblo has adapted these dances to their individual Pueblos. Recently Laguna has opened up the feast dances to other pueblos including the Zuni and Hopi tribes. In addition to the dances, you can find over 250 booths lining the streets of Laguna selling jewelry, arts, crafts and food during the celebration. Over the years the Laguna Feast has grown to be one of the largest feast days in the region, with over 2,000 attendees coming from all across New Mexico and Arizona.