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Open Space Visitor Center Annual Events

Whether you like getting dirty, hiking, or bird watching, there is always something to enjoy during Open Space Visitor Center Annual events.

Open Space Event Dates, Times & Info

TAAS Star Party

New Mexico skies are big and breathtaking, and at CABQ’s Open Space Visitor Center Star Parties, Burqueños can connect with the cosmos alongside local astronomy experts and powerful telescopes.

Poets Picnic

Poetry not only expresses emotion through the often rhythmic qualities of language but invokes creativity and passion through the creator of the spoken word. Poets Picnic celebrates the creativity through workshops and performances.

Pollinator Celebration

Imagine how bleak our diets would be without apples, melons, berries, carrots, broccoli, almonds, coffee, chocolate, and, dare I say it, chile. These foods and many other foods that nourish and comfort us depend on pollinating animals to reproduce, such as bees and wasps, flies, butterflies and moths, and beetles. Learn about the many pollinators we rely on and what you can do to help pollinators continue to do all of the work that they do. Open Space is committed to celebrating pollinators and educating our community in a safe and socially distant capacity.  

International Mud Day Celebration

What would the world be without mud? There would be no gardens, trails to hike, ceramic plates and cups, and definitely no slushy messy fun! Join the Open Space Visitor Center and others around the globe in a day of splashing, rolling, squishing, sliding, making mud pies and more! Explore educational workshops related to mud and soil, learn about earth worms, play and cool off in wet mud, make seed balls, and more. Many workshops will be online so you can enjoy from your home!

Return of the Sandhill Crane Celebration
Crane Festival Banner

The migration of sandhill cranes provide all the elements of a well-choreographed and well-composed multimedia piece of art. Poetry, music and dance are the genres that are reflected in descriptions by the cranes’ observers / appreciative audience.

As one of the Open Space Visitor Center’s traditions, the Return of the Sandhill Crane Celebration will highlight the beauty an appreciation of the Sandhill Crane.

Cosmic Carnival and Star Party

Our universe offers so much to explore and wonder about. How is a star formed? Is there intelligent life out there? Where does thunder come from? Once again, Open Space Visitor Center will team-up with The Albuquerque Astronomical Society and other partners to bring you the wonders of space answering many of the questions we all ask. Meet local astronomers, learn from workshops and experience the sky close up.

Winter Solstice Seed Mandala
Seed Mandala

The Solstice Seed Mandala creation is an annual community art-making event to celebrate the coming of the winter season. We gather for the creation of a Mandala using different kinds of grains and seeds. The seeds of the mandala serve to feed migratory songbirds and the mandala remains in place for about a week. Participants contribute to the design and help to build the Mandala.