Happy Birthday, Burque! Duke City Celebrates 316 Years

April 18, 2022 - The City of Albuquerque's Department of Arts & Culture is putting the finishing touches on Albuquerque's Birthday Celebration taking place in Old Town from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 23. This free public event will feature live music and family fun with local flair in the heart of the city.

Entertainment at the Gazebo will include traditional mariachi music by Mariachi Tenampa, folklorico dancing by Baila! Baila!, and Caribbean-Brazilian music by Frank Leto & PANdemonium. Free kids activities include face painting and a 25-foot climbing wall.

Plenty of merchants throughout Old Town have created one-of-a-kind Albuquerque Birthday Celebration specialty items ranging from craft beer to limited-edition soaps. Plenty of food options will be available ranging from corn-on-the-cob to pizza, and the San Felipe de Neri Church will be cooking up their famous burgers in their courtyard. Several Old Town restaurants will also be serving signature plates and specials.

The procession of banners by the ancestors of the Founders will make its way from the Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes statue at the corner of Romero and Charlevoix Sts. to the Gazebo at 3 p.m.

Free parking will be available at the lot on the corner of 18th St. and Bellamah Ave. Free shuttles provided by Airport Parking will be available to take party guests to and from the Albuquerque Museum parking lot. Streets around the plaza will be closed to traffic.