by Kyla Romero on
1 Stop and smell the lavender.
Let your plant curiosity bloom on Saturday during the 20th annual Lavender in the Village Festival, held at Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta Park. From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., 120 vendors present lavender offerings, including plants, beauty products, fine art, artisan crafts, and foods and beverages. Local wine and beer is also available at what is billed as the Southwest’s largest lavender fest.
“Lavender is very diverse,” says Jamie Welles, executive director of Rio Grande Community Farm, the nonprofit that hosts the event. “You can use it in cooking, tinctures, and all kinds of things. It is a good plant to grow in our environment.” Activities include Explora science center’s hands-on experiences and DIY lavender sachet-making. Visitors can also register to participate in a ceramic tile and mug painting class. Throughout the day, catch live music by Seth Hoffman, the Ukuladies, and True House Story, along with presentations every hour to educate visitors about sustainable agriculture in New Mexico, including visits from Indigenous famers and workshops on permaculture. Buy your tickets here.
2 Celebrate the Mother Road’s 100th birthday.
Grants Route 66 Centennial Pow-Wow, Grants
Follow the beat of the drum to the Grants Route 66 Centennial Pow-Wow at the Grants Rodeo Grounds & Cow Palace. On Friday, the event begins with a gourd dance honoring veterans, ancestors, and spiritual strength at 6 p.m, followed by a grand entry and a country-and-western dance accompanied by southern drums from Southern Gunz and northern drums played by Powerhouse. On Saturday, a gourd dance happens at 1 p.m., and the event concludes with a grand entry at 6 p.m.
Route 66 Rides, Gallup
Rev your engine all weekend long at Route 66 Rides in Gallup. The event includes fun for the entire family, including a classic car show on Coal Avenue featuring Farmtruck and AZN, a Burger Burn, a food and art market, games for kids, pedal car races, fire dancers, a balloon mass ascension from the Gallup’s Fox Run Golf Course, and a hot-air balloon glow at Gallup Municipal Airport. Live music includes the Silver Country Band and the Black Pearl Band. In the evenings, check out the Tunnel of Fire, where cars drive through a literal chute of flames.
3 Dance under the New Mexico sky.
Experience a weekend of small-town norteño celebration and tradition at the 2026 Mora Fiestas. The event includes arts and crafts, vendor booths, a car show, and can’t-miss live music featuring the New Mexico Hispano Music Association’s Band of the Year, Severo y Grupo Fuego, plus Las Vegas’s Sangre Joven, former fiesta queen and singer Ane Romero, and much more. The festival begins on Friday at 5 p.m., while the celebration on Saturday and Sunday starts at 8 a.m. Saturday’s parade is followed by a rodeo, cornhole tournament, and the crowning of fiesta royalty. See the website for a full lineup.
4 Browse and booze.
Become part of an annual tradition this weekend by tasting local vino and supporting fine art from artists all over the country during the 55th annual Art and Wine Festival at the Ruidoso Convention Center. Originating as a small, tented art show in 1971, the festival now includes live music and 100 acclaimed artists who work in various mediums. The fest’s juried fine-art show features paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewelry, and more. Sample wines from Jaramillo Vineyards, Black’s Smuggler Winery, Tularosa Vineyards, and more. A silent auction benefits the Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce’s special project fund. Get your tickets here.
5 Experience a cultural journey.
Celebrate Spanish art traditions that date back to the 16th century during the 2026 Traditional Spanish Market on the Santa Fe Plaza. The market takes place on Saturday and Sunday, complete with live music, art demonstrations, local food, and cultural performances. The Spanish Market features works by only the finest traditional Hispano artists, who have been hand-selected and screened by a panel of experts. Additionally, the market shows more than 20 youth artists who get a chance to display their talent and potential. The event hosts 18 traditional art categories, including tinwork, straw appliqué, weaving, woodcarving, retablos, and more. The Traditional Spanish Market emphasizes the heritage of Hispanic artists not only through art techniques, but through the generations of families who have taken part over the past 100 years.
Adjacent to the Traditional Spanish Market north of the Plaza on Lincoln Avenue, the Contemporary Hispanic Market puts a modern twist on traditional Spanish art. As one of the largest markets of its kind in the world, Hispanic Market creations include paintings, jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, photography, printmaking, and more. While Traditional Spanish Market focuses on maintaining traditional techniques, the Contemporary Hispanic Market allows artists to explore and alter traditional techniques, themes, and styles that result in innovative art pieces. Make sure to bring an umbrella, as it tends to rain every year during our monsoon season, which many call the “market blessing.”