1 Party with some cool clowns.

Attend an otherworldly party on Saturday at Fusion Theater, in Albuquerque. Sadness, Madness, and Mayhem: A Haunted Folk Formal with Dust City Opera is a one-of-a-kind experience featuring live folk music from the beloved local group and the Giovanni String Quartet, as well as special cocktails, street food, tarot readers, carnival performers from Conservation Carnival, and carnival games.   

“This has been about a year in the making,” says Sydney Counce, manager of Dust City Opera. “We were in New York this time last year at a performing arts conference and we were thinking what we could bring to New Mexico that people haven’t seen before.”

The suggested dress code is “Depression-era formal circus,” or simply grab a mask or prop at the door. “We want folks to dress up, let loose, and lean into the fun,” Counce says. Attendees will be among the first to hear music from Dust City Opera’s new album, debuting this spring. Grab tickets in advance; the fun starts at 5:30 p.m.

Gather at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Pavilion to sample some of New Mexico's best craft beers. Photograph courtesy of Winterbrew.

2 Don’t worry, be hoppy.

Sip beer made by 16 of New Mexico’s best breweries at the Farmers’ Market Pavilion in Santa Fe on Friday during Winterbrew, a hoppy gathering. Hosted by the New Mexico Brewers Guild, the event highlights the rich community of brewers in the Land of Enchantment.

Ebbie Edmonston, executive director at the New Mexico Brewers Guild, says the event is something special. “It’s a sampling event, so the ticket comes with 16 sample tickets and one full pint ticket,” she says. “When you figure out which beer you like best, you can grab a pint.” Expect lots of barrel-aged porters and stouts (great for winter!), as well as unique barley wines. The gathering officially starts at 6 p.m., but VIP ticket holders receive entry an hour earlier to sip brews when it’s less crowded.

Sample some of the city's best soups and support the Food Depot at the Souper Bowl fundraiser. Photograph courtesy of Food Depot.

3 Soup it up.

Slurp scrumptious soup for a cause at Souper Bowl XXVIII on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. Twenty-five local chefs—including Charlie Kelemen from Sweetwater Harvest Kitchen, Kiko Rodriguez from Izanami, and Jeffrey Kaplan from Rowley Farmhouse Ales—compete for the title of best soup in Santa Fe. Proceeds from the event benefit the Food Depot, which fights food insecurity in northern New Mexico. 

Dana Claxton's "Headdress–Shadae, 2019," is among the works featured in the Albuquerque Museum's exhibition, "Coast to Coast to Coast: Indigenous Art from the McMichael Canadian Art Collection." Photograph courtesy of Dana Claxton.

4 See the artwork of Indigenous artists from Canada.

Artwork from Canada’s First Nations takes center stage in Albuquerque Museum’s newest exhibition, Coast to Coast to Coast: Indigenous Art from the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Featuring the archives from the Canadian Collection, the exhibition displays pieces in a myriad of mediums that depict Indigenous heritage, culture, and connection to the land. With historic and contemporary examples that include 18th-century ceremonial regalia and paintings by Kent Monkman (Cree).

Catch musician Megan Diana at Whiskey Creek Zócalo. Photograph courtesy of Megan Diana.

5 Beat the Sunday scaries.

Wrap up the weekend with live music and a cocktail on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Whiskey Creek Zócalo, in Silver City. From Portland, Oregon, musician Megan Diana calls her genre “dream country disco,” which sounds like the perfect Sunday soundtrack, especially when admission is free.

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