1 Sip wine in the sunshine.
In the 30-plus years since Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta started, it’s become one of the most exciting culinary events in the City Different. Over five days, 60 restaurants and 90 wineries host dinners, luncheons, seminars, and tastings. Tickets for some events are sold out, while others still have spots available, like the Rosé All Day bash on Sunday. There, attendees are invited to sip rosy-pink wines from around the world and snack on bites from local chefs, who include Jeffrey Kaplan of Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Martín Rios from Restaurant Martín, and Paddy Rawal from Raaga-Go. The event takes place on the green lawn at Bishop’s Lodge from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Find a full list of events and tickets here.
2 Bask in the glow of golden leaves.
Satiate your craving for fall in Red River during Aspencade, a four-day bash that celebrates changing leaves and autumnal vibes in the high mountain town. Vendors set up shop at Brandenburg Park and live music at the Motherlode Saloon. “It’s great to celebrate the fall colors in the northern New Mexico mountains,” says Max Khudiakov, director of economic development and tourism in Red River. “The festival is a big celebration of the New Mexico art community. We have about 35 artists coming from all around the state, bringing everything from fiber art, to paintings, to jewelry.” Hear live concerts from Americana musicians like Junior Brown and Joe Purdy at the saloon and enjoy snacks and drinks while you peruse the park. “The festival has something for everyone,” says Khudiakov.
3 Support Indigenous students’ art.
Buyers and collectors love the Friends of the Hubbell Native Art Auction, where they get the chance to choose from more than 400 unique works of art that cross the auction block. Catch the action Saturday with viewing of the items at the Gallup Community Services Building from 9 a.m. to noon, and the auction starting at noon. From baskets and jewelry to fetishes and weavings, the Indigenous-made works represent an array of mediums. The proceeds from the auction support Indigenous students going to college and fund scholarships through the Friends of Hubbell organization, which has been hosting auctions since their founding in 1990. In that time, they have donated more than $300,000 to scholarships.
“The auction has a magical atmosphere,” says Frank Kohler, chairman and treasurer at Friends of Hubbell. “An auction item crosses the block every 30 to 45 seconds, and we have collectors who come back year after year.” In addition to the auction items, attendees can shop vendor booths and grab a bite at the snack bar.
4 See what two artists shared.
American painter Georgia O’Keeffe and British sculptor Henry Moore were known as mavericks in their respective fields. An ocean apart, both O’Keeffe and Moore were collectors of bones, driftwood, twisted branches, shells, and stones. Other parallels exist in their lives and careers, including their deaths in 1986, and their retrospectives, which took over the Museum of Modern Art in New York just a few months apart in 1946. Both artists were motivated by nature and endeavored to capture it in their works.
Albuquerque Museum’s latest exhibition, O’Keeffe and Moore, puts these artists and their shared aspects on view. Opening Saturday, the show includes more than 100 paintings and sculptures, which help the viewer see the similarities and connections between these two great artists. Curated by Anita Feldman, deputy director of curatorial affairs and education at the San Diego Museum of Art, the exhibition is up through December 31.
5 Make a ristra at the park.
Take the kids to Dolores Huerta Gateway Park in Albuquerque on Friday afternoon, and learn to make your own ristra at the 6th annual Chile Ristra Harvest Festival, hosted by La Familia Growers Market. From 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., the park fills with live performances, food trucks, ristra-making accoutrements, and vaccination stations where attendees can get COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccines. Look forward to delicious tacos from Birria & Barbacoa El Delicioso!, dance shows from Ballet Folklórico Fiesta Mexicana, and live music from Tommy Elyicio & Power Drive USA. The event includes arts and crafts vendors, a farmers’ market, and activities for the kiddos, too.
Read more: For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.