1 Stop and smell the flowers.

The lilacs in Taos are in full bloom—and oh, is the fragrance heavenly. Legend has it that many of the plants are descendants of ones imported from France in 1852 by Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy. Today, their pastel petals make a stunning scene, standing out against Taos’s adobe homes and walls. To celebrate, the Taos Lilac Festival takes over Kit Carson Park with arts and crafts, live music, and food trucks on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stroll through town along the Lilac Walk where store windows blossom with displays.

Joy Harjo is part of a star-studded lineup of poets, authors, and writers at the inaugural Santa Fe Literary Festival. Photograph by Shawn Miller.

2 Be part of the story.

The inaugural Santa Fe Literary Festival brings renowned authors to the City Different for a long weekend of biblio-fun. Margaret Atwood, Sandra Cisneros, Colson Whitehead, Joy Harjo, Deborah Madison, John Grisham, and Hampton Sides are just a few of names gracing the stage at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. The event goes beyond lectures with intimate chef lunches, afternoon teas, and excursions where attendees can get to know the authors on another level.

“Storytelling, like music and art, has the power to transport people across borders, cultures, and worlds beyond their own,” says co-founder Clare Hertel. “Our unique mix of global and local authors working in multiple genres is intended to feed readers’ appetites for a range of creative and educational literary experience at once familiar and unknown.”

Theatre Santa Fe hosts performances by 18 companies for Theatre Walk on Saturday. Photograph courtesy of Theatre Sante Fe.

3 Live for the drama.

The Fashion Outlets of Santa Fe turns into a thespian’s dream during Theatre Walk 2022, an event hosted by Theatre Santa Fe. Four empty units at the outlet mall convert into stages where performances by 18 theater companies happen on Saturday from noon to 6:30 p.m. The fun spills into the courtyard with wandering minstrels, kids’ entertainers, and La Montaña and Il Encanto food trucks. 

“In one afternoon, you can sample the best of live theater in Santa Fe,” says organizer Talia Pura. Each of the four venues will run three shows an hour, with performances that include classical and contemporary works, musicals, and American classics like The Time of Your Life. Participants include Teatro Paraguas, Wise Fool New Mexico, New Mexico Actors Lab, Upstart Crows of Santa Fe, and Theater Grottesco.

Sample New Mexico chile and Southwest chili at the Sky City Chile/Chili Cook Off and Acoma Arts & Crafts Show. NMTD

4 Eat some chile. And some chili.

A jackpot of delicious eats and artistic treats await at the Sky City Casino Hotel & Conference Center, in Acoma, on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the Sky City Chile/Chili Cook Off and Acoma Arts & Crafts Show. The cook-off has separate competitions for home cooks and restaurants with prizes in both the New Mexico green chile and Southwest-style chili categories. An art market features works by 32 artisans, plus music from Cadillac Whiskey.

The Mine Shaft Tavern, in Madrid, hosts 21 bands and plenty of good food for the CrawDaddy Blues Festival. Photograph by Steve Gleydura.

5 Fill up on blues and crawfish.

Prepare for a crustacean feast in Madrid during the 15th annual CrawDaddy Blues Festival on Saturday and Sunday. The Mine Shaft Tavern serves up bayou-size helpings of crawfish, barbecue, Cajun specials, and live music. Twenty-one bands perform, including Felix y Los Gatos, Hillary Smith, Levi Platero, Santa Fe Revue, Rudy Boy Experiment, CW Ayon, and Animal Parade. Tickets are $25. Park at the Madrid Ballpark and take the shuttle.