Plan Your End-of-Summer Trip to Albuquerque

From Visit Albuquerque

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day Weekend is the perfect time to take a trip to Albuquerque. With sunny weather and a plethora of events, it’s easy to take advantage of the long weekend. Start planning your trip now! 

Spend a Labor Day weekend full of locally grown food, music and fun at the Fiber and Art Gathering at Wildlife West Nature Park. Fiber artists will be here showing off fleeces, hand spun yarn-to-finish products: woven, wet felted, crochet and knitted.

This annual celebration of local wineries and vineyards offers a tantalizing array of wines to sample, from crisp whites to luscious reds. Alongside the wine, you'll find local food vendors serving up delicious bites, live music to get your feet tapping, local artisans showcasing their handcrafted wares and a silent disco. It's not just a wine tasting event, it's a vibrant community gathering that truly celebrates the spirit of Albuquerque. What better way to toast to the end of summer?

Discover Labor Day Fun!

Discover the Fun at the New Mexico State Fair

The New Mexico State Fair is a place to celebrate local food, competition, culture, creativity and fun. Enjoy unique fair foods like green chile-battered corn dogs along with expos, rodeos, cultural performances and more. You won’t want to miss all the excitement Sept. 5-15 in the heart of Albuquerque.

There is a lot of art to explore at the State Fair, and a good place to start is the Hispanic Arts Building. Walking in is an explosion of color. It is incredible to see the artists’ creativity. My personal favorites included a couple renditions of Zozobra and a beautifully crafted tin replica of the New Mexico State Fair ferris wheel. I also love to go to the Indian Village and Villa Hispana. The Indian Village was pretty quiet early in the day, but there were still quite a few people in line to buy a Pueblo Meat Pie, the winner of this year’s Unique Food competition. Over at Villa Hispana, papel picado decorate the walkways. It’s an extremely pleasant atmosphere to listen to some live music. I was able to enjoy part of Daniel Rivera’s performance, which was the perfect way to relax after spending a couple hours walking around in the sun.

No state fair would be complete without the spinning and soaring fun of the midway. The Ferris wheel soars high into the sky and can be spotted from across the grounds. There are multiple rollercoasters, swings and other fun and exciting rides. If you’re like me and not the most ride-inclined person, take a trip on the Skyride. This chair-lift soars above Main Street, giving riders an incredible view of the State Fair and Albuquerque. I had to indulge in at least one carnival game. Unfortunately my basketball skills were not up to snuff and I walked away empty-handed.

Get Your Tickets Now!

Experience a New Mexican Tradition in Albuquerque

Chile peppers are a key ingredient in New Mexican cuisine. The sweetly spicy flavor can be ladled over enchiladas, wrapped into burritos or even added as a pizza topping. Peak harvesting season for chile is just beginning, and you’ll find people roasting green chile throughout Albuquerque. Don’t miss out on this fragrant tradition.

The end of summer and beginnings of fall mean one thing here in Albuquerque - it’s chile harvesting season; and chile harvesting means chile roasting. While we enjoy our chile year round, this is many locals’ favorite time of year, and chile roasting season is something every Albuquerque visitor should experience.

August through September, a distinct, sweet, smoky smell saturates the city as local grocery stores, farmers markets and roadside stands throughout Albuquerque fire up their roasters - large steel cylinder cages rotating over an open flame. It only takes a few minutes to char the tough skin of the chile and roast the inside meat of the pepper.

Discover A New Flavor Sensation

Last Chance for Summer Family Fun

The end of summer is fast approaching, so now is the time to experience Albuquerque as a family before the school year starts. Albuquerque has many opportunities for family fun, from thrilling amusement parks to fun museums. Use our handy guide to map out your family trip.

Let The Fun Begin!

Winrock Park Market

Join us every Saturday from 9am to 1pm at the new Winrock Park Market, where local growers, artisans, makers, food trucks and live music come together for a vibrant community experience! Winrock Park Market takes place in the Winrock Park located behind Dillard's. Free parking available.

Go Shopping

Pirate Viking Summer Festival

The festival is an annual celebration for all ages that are pirates and Vikings, Nordic Daughter is headlining as well as Johnny Hexx. 100’s of creative craft merchants, exceptional food, local brews and spirits!
Games and activities include the Festival Quest with side quests for the fun challenged guests, camping at this festival is a blast, FOF ticket includes the camping, weekend passes, Saturday night special adult party! Grab a ticket
August 24-25 Sat-10:am to 6:pm and Adults only 6:30-9:30pm
Sun-10:am to 6:pm
At the Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood New Mexico.
Gate fees: $30 per adult day pass
$20 per senior/military/veteran
$10 add on Saturday Adult party
Kids 17 and under are free with parents

Relive Ancient Times!

Sandia Heights Artists Studio Tour

The 21st Sandia Heights Artists Studio Tour takes place September 7 & 8, 2024 in the Sandia Heights neighborhood located near the intersection of Tramway and Paseo Del Norte (follow the signs). Forty-three accomplished artists will participate at fourteen locations in a scenic neighborhood nestled in the foothills.

This free event continues to evolve with new work from established artists, several new guest artists, and an increasing range and quality of work. Each stop features three or four different artists who work in pottery to painting, woodworking to wearable creations, glass art to algorithm art---to name a few--- the offerings will delight. You might find an irresistible piece to enhance your home, to gift, or even to immediately wear! Take advantage of this opportunity to purchase directly from a local artist.

In addition, a preview show with examples of each artist’s work will be featured throughout August at The Gallery ABQ in Hoffmantown at 8210 Menaul Blvd. NE. Events during the month will include the First Friday Arts Crawl, August 2, 2024, as well as a Meet the Artists reception Saturday, August 10, noon-4PM. For more gallery information visit www.thegalleryabq.com
If you are traveling or meeting visitors, the Albuquerque Sunport will host a sampling of Sandia Heights artists’ work in a showcase exhibit at the entrance to the lower level parking from August 1 through August 29.

The Sandia Heights artists proudly support La Mesa Arts Academy, a free after-school program for students at La Mesa Elementary School. For more information about the tour and to download a brochure, visit www.sandiaheightsartists.com

Experience the Beauty and Creativity

New Mexico Ice Wolves Season

Celebrating its 50th season in 2024-25, the NAHL is the oldest and one of the largest junior hockey leagues of its kind in the United States and one of only two USA Hockey-certified leagues that operate under the free-to-play model. The NAHL is also one of the best in the world at advancing players to NCAA and professional hockey.

With 349 NCAA commitments so far during the 2023-24 season, the league has set a new standard with 300+ NCAA commitments in each of the last eight seasons. That also includes 270 NCAA Division I commitments this past season. In addition, six players with NAHL ties were listed in the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft.

Check out their website for tickets and more information.

Go Wolves!

Check Out:

Albuquerque, New Mexico: A Photographic Portrait Hardcover - $26.99 @ Amazon.com - Order Here

In this portrait of Albuquerque, a beautiful and venerable city by a great river on the northern edge of a desert, acclaimed photographer Knate Myers achieves the goal of portrait photographers; he captures both the beauty and the character of his subject. Albuquerque is a city in the center of the Rio Grande Valley encompassing, and surrounded by, great physical beauty. It is also a city of contrasts. Its first inhabitants, Ancestral Puebloans, left their mark on their descendants and all those who followed. Spanish conquerors arrived and they, too, left permanent impacts on the city, as did Americans who arrived in the mid-nineteenth century. As you will see looking through the photography in this book, the result is a beautiful city with a long history, unique character, and a wealth of places waiting to be experienced.

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