1 Attend a film festival.

For the first time, the Santa Fe International Film Festival (SFIFF) expands to six full days of programming, showing more than 200 films, including 74 features, at venues throughout the city. Thirteen films are official submissions from their home countries to the Academy Awards.

“Sentimental Value was one of my favorites this year,” says Jacques Paisner, SFIFF artistic director. The Norwegian film sees Stellan Skarsgård play Gustav, a father and director trying to make a comeback with a new project while navigating complicated family dynamics.

New this year, the festival hosts Coffee Chats at Collected Works Bookstore. “It will feature writers and actors on stage for one hour as they talk about their crafts,” Paisner says. “It’s a chance for us to expand our educational programming downtown.” Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver, Miami Vice) will receive the lifetime achievement award on Saturday night at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. “He’s one of the most celebrated Hispanic artists of our time.”

Watch community spirit ignite during the Burning of the Bull. Photograph courtesy of the Otero County Fair.

2 Have a ball in Alamogordo.

Corks & Shells Wine & Pistachio Festival

Head to Alameda Park, in Alamogordo, for a fun and tasty Saturday at the Corks & Shells Wine & Pistachio Festival. Food trucks, art vendors, a selection of local wines and pistachio goodies make the festival a family-friendly time from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition to heaps of fresh, buttery nuts, attendees can try nut-forward dishes like pistachio ice cream and pistachio pesto pasta, participate in a paint and sip, and enjoy live music from the Doso Dirtbags, Dzaki Sukarno, and Rosewater Blues.

Burning of the Bull

Head to the Otero County Fairgrounds on Saturday night to catch the Burning of the Bull, a fiery celebration that culminates in an effigy set ablaze to turn your worries to ash. Expect piñatas, arts and crafts vendors, fireworks, food, and beer, plus live music from the Justin Kemp Band. The party runs from 6 p.m. to midnight. Find tickets here.

Dig for vintage vinyl while supporting Albuquerque's Wheels Museum, where every spin helps preserve the city's transportation history. Photograph courtesy of the Wheels Museum.

3 Buy records for a cause.

If you’re a music lover, spin over to the Wheels Museum, in Albuquerque, on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to expand your record collection. The museum hosts a music sale by the Albuquerque 78 Spinners, with all proceeds benefiting the museum, which showcases the city’s transportation history. Browse records, sheet music, posters, turntables, and other musical treasures.

Artist Basia Irland shares her poetic vision for river stewardship and the melting "Ice Book" sculptures that plant seeds of change along the Río Grande.

4 Steward the river.

Artist and author Basia Irland gives a talk at the Rio Grande Nature Center on Saturday at 10 a.m., giving listeners an insider’s view into her work. Founder of the art and ecology program at the University of New Mexico, Irland focuses on improving and preserving riparian ecosystems. Her large-scale Ice Book sculptures, which can weigh hundreds of pounds, are embedded with local seeds, such as cottonwood. When floated on the Río Grande, the sculptures release seeds as they melt, helping local flora maintain strong roots in the region. Folks interested in this kind of work can register to participate in a New Mexico Wild stewardship project here.

Celebrate New Mexico's cultural mosaic with dancing, horno baking, and live music during the Fiesta of Cultures. Photograph courtesy of New Mexico Historic Sites.

5 Appreciate our many cultures.

Celebrating New Mexico’s rich cultural diversity, the Coronado Historic Site, in Bernalillo, hosts the Fiesta of Cultures on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day includes cultural performances from the Wilde Bunch, a LGBTQ+ square-dancing ensemble; McTeggart Irish Dancers; and Jemez Pueblo Dancers, as well as live music by Felix Peralta, horno baking, and kiva tours.

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