A spicy way to welcome the new year

In Las Cruces, New Year’s Eve isn’t marked by a falling ball. It’s commemorated with a giant chile pepper descending in the heart of the downtown plaza. Since its debut in 2014, the Las Cruces Chile Drop has evolved into one of southern New Mexico’s signature holiday celebrations.

“Back in 2014, I was called to the city for a meeting with the planning department,” said event organizer Russ Smith. “They said. ‘You've got some good things going on Main Street, and you've done a great job with that. It really makes us think maybe you could do a chile drop.’ I'm thinking, okay we'll figure something out, and we did that year. Now we are into our 12th year. We’ve had it every year. Even during the pandemic, we had a virtual version of it, but it was just a wonderful, sweet moment.”

Inspired by iconic New Year’s Eve moments such as the Times Square ball drop in New York, Las Cruces organizers sought a uniquely regional way to welcome the new year. Working with Smith, they came up with the Chile Drop, a 19-foot chrome chile pepper outfitted with hundreds of feet of programmable LED lights, to represent the region’s deep agricultural roots and most visual product.

The inaugural event featured live music, food vendors, family activities and, at midnight, the dramatic descent of the illuminated chile. That remains, but the numbers have expanded as more than 9,000 people now descend on Las Cruces downtown to mark the event.

The Chile Drop has received national attention, ranking among USA Today’s the top New Year’s Eve countdowns. It has been featured on major media outlets, boosting Las Cruces’ profile as a cultural tourism destination.

CNN first came to the 10th annual Las Cruces Chile Drop in 2023 as part of its national New Year’s Eve broadcast.

“CNN did a wonderful job with what producers out of New York would do with good old Las Cruces, New Mexico,” Smith said. “It's one thing to hear them say when they've got their truck here and their content here and their field producer here and their talent here and they're saying, ‘Well we think we can do this, but we can't promise anything. It's all up to New York.’

“You can imagine this guy in a big dark room in a studio in New York with screen after screen all over the world looking at where he wants his cameras to light up.”

They decided to give Las Cruces an 11 o'clock hour.

“It was a wonderful moment, a wonderful experience,” Smith said. “They did a great job with it, and they turned the lights out after that, but I get a tap on the shoulder about 20 minutes later from a producer here locally and they said, ‘It worked out and they liked it so much in New York, they want to do it again at midnight here in Las Cruces, so we got a double dose.”  

In recent years, the Chile Drop has expanded its interactive elements. Since 2021, people can vote on whether the chile should light up red or green, the traditional New Mexico question.

The event is organized by Main Street Las Cruces (formerly the Downtown Las Cruces Partnership) in collaboration with the City of Las Cruces and has become a downtown block party, complete with live bands, carnival games, food trucks and a dedicated Kids Zone that keeps the celebration family friendly.

“It serves the community beautifully,” Smith said. “It's one thing to be a family trying to figure out what to do on a New Year's Eve night, and where you're not going to spend $50 for entry, and another $50 for dinner. We do it for free, though you do have to pay for the food.”

In 2025, organizers received a $10,000 Tourism Event Growth and Sustainability grant from the New Mexico Tourism Department to expand programming and marketing for the festival, and to upgrade the chile itself. Smith notes how often we upgrade laptop computers, so the original chile that was still in use through last year was certainly due for a technology update.

The 11th Annual Las Cruces Chile Drop is scheduled for Dec. 31, with festivities beginning in the evening and culminating in the chile’s descent at midnight. The games and amusements begin at 6 p.m.

“It’s a great moment for the family, early evening,” Smith said. “It’s hard to have kids out at midnight. Sometimes they can do it, sometimes they can't, so the families that want to generate some fun for the family can come out to Main Street, Plaza de las Cruces, and enjoy themselves.”  

Then it’s about the entertainment and the countdown to the new year.

“In that shared countdown, you can feel what makes Las Cruces home: our culture, our warmth, and our love of chile,” Smith said. “This year, the Las Cruces Chile Drop once again invites everyone to gather in our historic downtown. From 8 p.m. to midnight, the plaza will be full of dancing and the sound of Daniel Solis Band, followed by people greeting each other with ‘Happy New Year’ as the illuminated chile waits high above, ready to welcome the year ahead.”

It's a source of great community pride and a celebration of the state’s chile industry.

“They like it, they enjoy it, and it serves the community well,” Smith said.