Balloon Fiesta Week in Old Town Features Free Live Entertainment and New Museum Exhibition

There’s no shortage of activities in Albuquerque’s Old Town during Balloon Fiesta Week. Flamenco, swing, and country are just a few musical genres visitors can expect to enjoy in the plaza, October 4-13 from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The free performances at the gazebo will provide a soundtrack for strolls through the plazas and Old Town Market Portal and other unique shopping and dining experiences at more than 100 local businesses.

Event Schedule

Friday, October 4

12 p.m. – Mariachi Xochitl

1:30 p.m. – Divino (Spanish)

3 p.m. – National Institute of Flamenco

Saturday, October 5

12 p.m. – Mariachi Amigos de Nuevo Mexico 

1 p.m. – Santero Market Awards

1:15 p.m. – Spanish Broom (flamenco)

3 p.m. – Ballet Folklorico Fiesta Mexicana (traditional Mexican folk dance)

Sunday, October 6

12 p.m. – Mariachi Xochitl

1:30 p.m. – Nathaniel Krantz (country)

3 p.m. – Ballet Folklorico Fiesta Mexicana (traditional Mexican folk dance)

A full event schedule can be found here.

“There’s so much to experience in Albuquerque during Balloon Fiesta, both on and off the launch field,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Old Town in particular comes alive with free concerts, shopping, dining, and four museums, all in our city’s historic, cornerstone neighborhood.”

In addition, the Albuquerque Museum will open its newest exhibition on Saturday, October 5. Puertas fronterizas / Border Doors is a bilingual exhibition showcasing how education fosters understanding and inspires new ways of seeing the world. Since 2014, Claudio Pérez, Spanish teacher in the Modern Language Department at Sandia Preparatory School, has taken his advanced Spanish-language students to El Paso, Tex., where they utilize their Spanish skills to interact first-hand with immigrants and advocates at the Cristo Rey Border Immersion Program. Upon their return to Albuquerque, students illustrate a series of doors containing colorful and powerful imagery that tells the stories of the people they met and reflect on major themes of immigration at the border. More information on current exhibitions can be found on the museum’s website.