Five Things to Do This Weekend

1 Rock out in T or C.

The Sierra County Rock and Gem Society hosts the Truth or Consequences Rock & Gem Show this weekend at the Sierra County Fairgrounds. Attendees can shop for minerals, gems, beads, jewelry, and fossils and participate in fun hands-on activities like panning for gold, geode cracking, screening for Montana sapphires, and rock painting for kiddos.

On Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m., a field trip takes novice and experienced rockhounds to a claim near Hatch owned by the Sierra County Rock and Gem Society. “Since it’s a claim owned by the club, this field trip is a unique opportunity,” says Megan Holden, a member of the society. The property is packed with quartz in a variety of colors from pink and peach to black. “You walk out of your car and there are just crystals everywhere,” Holden adds.

A second group trip heads to the Candy Rock claim in Truth or Consequences. Owned by Jason Brousseau—who gives the club special permission to visit—the property offers a rare opportunity to visit a claim chock-full of colorful rhyolite minerals in shades of red, yellow, and gray.

Kids can enjoy rock paintings and egg-carton rock collecting. “The rock collecting is new this year,” Holden says. “They will learn about minerals, how to start their collection, and how to label the samples.” The show runs Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, and you can sign up for field trips on the event’s webpage.

2 Feel the heat.

Spice up your weekend at the National Fiery Foods & BBQ Show at Sandia Resort and Casino in Albuquerque. More than 100 vendors bring hot treats and eats, including hot pickles, BBQ plates, bizcochitos, heaps of hot sauce, spicy nuts, hot dogs, Italian ices, chili, and much more. It’s open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

3 Experience the world’s Carnaval traditions.

Celebrating 20 years in Albuquerque, Carnaval 2025: Veinte Años hits the stage at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Featuring Frank Leto and PANdemonium along with the Odara Dance Ensemble, the production includes music and dance styles from Carnaval celebrations around the world.

“Being onstage in the theater really upped our game and elevated the show,” says Leto. “It has allowed us to use projection art and lights, and focus on costumes.”

This year’s production features traditions from Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, and New Orleans. “The audience gets to experience the music and rhythms, but also the different instrumentations, dance styles, and costumes from those locations,” adds Leto.

In addition to celebrating 20 years at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, this performance is deeply meaningful for Leto, who is dedicating it to his late wife, Pilar Leto. “She passed away last year,” he says. “She would want everyone to dance and celebrate.”

4 See cutting-edge contemporary art.

Two new exhibitions open at SITE Santa Fe on Friday with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Harmony Hammond: FRINGE features works by an artist who has led feminist artistic discourse since the 1970s. She incorporates textiles and fabrics into her pieces as nods to “women’s work,” deconstructing the art world’s hierarchy of mediums that place craft below others. FRINGE includes works made in the last decade that feature monochromatic palettes, some in deep shades of burgundy and reds, others with pale natural tones of birch, eggshell, and tan.

DAHOHIYNII-Sacred Places by Dakota Mace also opens Friday. Mace (Diné) uses mediums ranging from beadwork to photography, sound, and installation to explore connections between land, memory, and place. Creating the works required her to research personal and local history, which she transformed into ideas about how a place filled with sorrow can be turned into one that offers healing. Diné cosmology, natural dyes, and collaboration with the land make this tapestry of work a collection of stories.

5 Spend a full day in Alcalde.

Get to know more about New Mexico’s culinary history during Dawn ’Til Dusk Day at the Los Luceros Historic Site in Alcalde on Sunday. The new hourlong documentary Eating History: A Taste of New Mexico plays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. Attendees are welcome to explore the farmyard, Victorian cottage, and onsite chapel during their visit. At 11:30 a.m., kids can enjoy story time with a reading of Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard.

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