1 Say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day. 

El Grupo Mezcal concert & four-course meal (Taos)

Bring your Valentine to Daleee KTaos and boogie to bangin’ tunes from El Grupo Mezcal, a Taos-based Spanish ensemble that rocks classic tunes, Norteño music, and dancey cumbia melodies. Chef Juan is curating a special four-course surf and turf menu for diners. So, come hungry and dance the meal off to live tunes. The music starts at 7 p.m. 

Casa Flamenca (Albuquerque)

Renowned flamenco venue Casa Flamenca in Albuquerque opens its 2025 season with a special Valentine’s Day performance, Historias de Amor (Love Stories). The 90-minute production takes the stage Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. It features flamenco artists from around the world, like Carmen Montes “La Chispa,” a dancer and vocalist from Mexico; Juani de la Isla, a guitarist from Cadíz, Spain; and Raquel Heredia and Diego Amador Jr., who perform a passionate set of this treasured traditional folk art. Find tickets here. 

Love, Love, Love 

Feel the magic of love during a romantic round up of classical love songs in this Valentine’s Day special concert, Love, Love Love, by the New Mexico Philharmonic at Popejoy Hall in Albuquerque. The orchestra performs compositions like Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” “I Could Have Danced All Night,” by Frederick Loewe, and “Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi” from the score of La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini. Conducted by Jason Altieri and featuring soprano Donata Cucinotta, the concert starts at 7 p.m. Find tickets here.

The fifth annual New Mexico Burlesque Festival brings three days of bombastic and beautiful performances with nearly 50 acts from around the country. Photograph courtesy of the New Mexico Burlesque Festival.

2 Attend a burlesque festival. 

Three days of bombastic and beautiful burlesque performances take over the Duke City during the fifth annual New Mexico Burlesque Festival. Featuring nearly 50 acts, the festival is the successor to the Southwest Burlesque Showcase, which was held at the Kimo Theatre for 15 years. “There’s an audience who has been looking forward to this event for a long time,” says Joy Coy, a coproducer of the festival and a burlesque artist. “We have performers coming in from around the country.”  

Each showcase features different performers, with about 15 acts taking the stage Friday and Saturday evening at the Kimo Theatre. Sunday, attend the first-ever Brunch Showcase at the Albuquerque Social Club. “It’s a more immersive experience,” Coy says. “You’re closer to the performers, and you can interact where appropriate.”

With many styles of burlesque represented, from traditional fan dances to more current movements in neo-burlesque, this festival may surprise attendees with its breadth of performances. The nighttime shows start at 7:30 p.m., and there’s a fun lounge with a photo booth and refreshments to enjoy before the event.

Vines in the Pines, an annual winter wine celebration in Ruidoso, features a dozen New Mexico vintners, local breweries, and boutique vendors. Photograph courtesy of Ruidoso.

3 Sip local wine. 

An annual celebration of wine in the winter, Vines in the Pines brings a dozen of New Mexico’s best vintners and two local breweries to Ruidoso. Attendees can sip samples, buy bottles, and get to know the local wine industry through its product and people. “We also have a lot of boutique vendors selling anything from jewelry to paintings and clothes to lavender products,” says Deborah Douds, executive director at the Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a great way to try local wines, it’s indoors so you will be warm, and with Valentine’s Day this weekend, it’s a fun way to spend the holiday with your loved ones.” 

Vines in the Pines takes over the Ruidoso Convention Center Saturday noon to 6 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. You can buy tickets at the door, and the entrance fee comes with a souvenir wine glass.

Join the fourth annual Plutomania at the Las Cruces Museum of Nature & Science. Photograph courtesy of Spaceport America.

4 Celebrate a legend in astronomy. 

Prepare to be awed by a rocket launch during the fourth annual Plutomania at the Las Cruces Museum of Nature & Science. Happening Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the shindig is a birthday party for the renowned late astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930, plus hundreds of stars, asteroids, and comets during his career. He worked at New Mexico State University for a time, and the on-campus observatory is named in his honor, in addition to working as the chief of observational measurements in White Sands National Park. He passed away in his nineties at his home in Mesilla. To mark his birthday, the museum hosts Plutomania with an appearance from FLARE Rocketry at 9 a.m., and hands-on activities throughout the day.
 

The New Mexico Natural History Museum in Albuquerque unveils the Hall of Ancient Life, showcasing over 300 fossils from across the state. Photograph courtesy of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.

5 Go back 500 million years in time. 

A new permanent exhibition at the New Mexico Natural History Museum in Albuquerque gives visitors a look at life in the Land of Enchantment during the Paleozoic era and before dinosaurs. The Hall of Ancient Life opens for the first time on Saturday, featuring hundreds of fossils found throughout the state, including a trilobite fossil dating back 500 million years, examples of ancient sharks that swam the oceans that once covered New Mexico, and giant arthropods. 

“We were able to display over 300 fossils and tell stories the public has never heard before,” says Dr. Anthony Fiorillo, director at the museum. “At least half of the counties in New Mexico are represented by the fossils in this hall. People will be able to connect to these stories, which come right from their backyards.” 

Some rare and awe-inspiring scientific specimens are on display in the Hall of Ancient Life. “We have this gorgeous shark specimen from Tijeras. Sharks are cartilaginous, and that doesn’t usually preserve. But we have a complete shark skeleton, and a model of that shark hanging over it,” Fiorillo says. Another unique display shows the fossilized footprints of a 6-foot millipede that used to roam New Mexico. “We have a model that helps people understand how big these things were,” Fiorillo says.  

Attendees can also snap a prehistoric selfie against one of the six backgrounds included in the Hall of Ancient Life’s dioramas. “We are really excited about that interactive component,” Fiorillo says. 

On Sunday, the museum is offering free admission for New Mexico residents and a beach party to celebrate the hall’s debut. The Paleozoic Beach Party includes story time for toddlers and ancient sea creature crafting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.