Such a wonderful event! Love that ABQ has some cool & fun family events like this!!…read moreGo early with some chairs or lounger so you have a spot to relax. Grab some dinner and s'more goodies and roasting stick so you don't have to pay for them inside. One thing I would recommend buying inside is a personal fire pit. I think it was new this year 2019 and the lantern will float much better (chance of not ruining it) if you have hot air to fill it up quickly. You won't get a chance at the public fire pit for that. There's enough spaces to squeeze in for marshmallows though The beauty of thousands of floating lanterns in the night sky is like walking into a dream. Don't miss it!! (And buy tickets early on sale or go get them on Groupon. More than 1/2 off on Groupon deal!!

This has got to be one of the coolest things I've ever experienced in Albuquerque. The event takes…read moreplace at the Sandia Speedway, the views are epic, the atmosphere is so laid back, it's like the ultimate campout.... with hundreds of your Duke City neighbors. Ticket prices include a lantern, marker, lighter and s'mores kit with each adult ticket purchased, and a small gift with each kid's ticket purchased (ours was a flashlight) - you are free to bring food and drinks. (no hard sided cooler, glass bottles, or alcohol allowed, and, no tailgating permitted). They have fire pits set up throughout the open area, so just pick one to gather around and prepare to chill. Don't be greedy, leave some room for others to join you. You're allowed to bring blankets, chairs (bring a jacket to tackle the evening chill). There are vendors there selling food, drinks, and more. Princesses walking around, live music. At sundown, they start lighting the firepits, and give everyone easy instructions to prep your lanterns, enjoy your s'mores and get ready to launch at the same time. It is so exciting, and watching these lanterns go up all at the same time, truly magical. Music. Laughter. Lights. Joy. Unity. It's something to see. Ingress is a piece of cake. Egress, now that's a different story. Consider carpooling, or ubering, because getting out of this place is a pain in the donkey....make sure you hit the restrooms before you leave, because once you get stuck in the line to get out, you're gonna be there a whiiiile.

Perfect morning in every way, mass ascension with special shapes included…read more Even the "Albuquerque Box" was present so the balloons swarmed the field and the pilot competition went off as planned. Enjoyed breakfast at the Gondola Club, i highly recommend, what a great place to experience the Fiesta. Traffic? Oh yeah, it's next level....but be patient, follow instructions and make sure you know where you are going in advance. Eezy peezy Locals arrive at 4am.....yep, you will be ready for a 10am nap afterwards...but oh so worth it. Check this one out and off your bucket list.

The best there is! Put it on your bucket list for next year!…read more Morning drone show was super, dawn patrol amazing and mass ascension exciting!

This was the second year that I have attended this event. Last year I had a blast and I'd been…read morelooking forward to going again this year. Since it was Memorial Day weekend there were lots of events to choose from. My friends all opted for the wine festival, and I reluctantly agreed to go with them instead of attending Blues & Brews alone. Fortunately, the weather was bad and it started raining while I was driving to the wine festival. I decided last minute to go here instead, and I have no regrets! I hadn't bought tickets yet, which I knew was a mistake because they were $45 at the door. I arrived at 2:30 PM and walked past an EXTREMELY long line of non-VIP ticket holders waiting for doors to open at 3PM. I was wondering if I should even bother while waiting in line to buy tickets, when an angel in the form of a scalper offered me a ticket for $30. I was a little nervous as I walked to the front, hoping the ticket would work.(I have a very strong goody-two-shoes streak that doesn't like it when I do scary things like buy tickets from random people.) Not only did it work, it was VIP! That meant I got to walk ahead of a line that literally went out the east doors of the casino, and get directly into the event. I HIGHLY recommend getting the VIP tickets (in advance) because it gets very crowded when they let everyone in. Last year, I didn't get to try all the beers because they were running out at the end and I hadn't been VIP. This year, I didn't notice as many vendors running out early. It seemed like there were less people this year, maybe because of all the other events that were going on simultaneously. So the deal is, you get a little souvenir glass (this event has plastic which makes me sad) that you can fill with a couple ounces of beer as many times as possible in 3 hours (4 if you're VIP). I also received tickets for alcohol samples which were for some flavored vodka and tequila. I didn't use mine because as an almost old person I have learned my lesson about drinking 50 samples of beer and then topping it off with hard alcohol. There was food available to purchase, but really, ain't nobody got time for that! I had to get my sample on! There were a good selection of breweries, mostly from Colorado and New Mexico but there were others there too. One trend I am not super excited about is how popular IPAs are now. Several places brought multiple IPAs and no Stouts or Porters which left me disappointed. IPAs taste like pennies. Yuck! I went back to the same few places that provided the darker beers multiple times. Marble had their Oatmeal Stout there, Left Hand had their Nitro Milk Stout which is one of my favorites. I also had a good one from Ponderosa. I had several samples of the Java Stout from Santa Fe Brewing. It was grand! If you're a hoarder like me, and like swag, there was plenty. I grabbed stickers, buttons, coasters, and bottle caps from most the vendors where I sampled. I also bought a sugar skull bag for $10 from Bloody Maria's to carry my stash in. Another pro this year was the music. They actually played some blues. Another bonus, there seemed to be a lot of friendly people there. I went by myself and even though I ran into my aunt and uncle there, I met some new people and ran into some old friends. On one trip to the bathroom I noticed a roller derby table where they were trying to recruit new players. I was attracted to the sugar skull swag (I'm obsessed) and inebriated enough to not be afraid to ask dumb questions like, "Do I have to know how to skate to join roller derby?" Well guess what? NO! You don't have to know, they teach you! I will be giving it a go next week! This is one of my favorite annual events in Albuquerque, I will definitely be getting tickets again next year. I left feeling happy, with a ton a loot, with new friends, and with a carpet burn on my elbow. Hoping to leave without that one next year!

Great time! Only wish there were more local breweries. There was a lot of national brandsread more

I look forward to attending this event every year. This year it started off a little hot, and it…read morewas threatening to rain, but it didn't. The music and activities were fun, and the light crowd made it even more enjoyable. It was getting busier when we left.

Summer fest is back on, 2022 finally, a little normality…read more Recommend parking at the lomas and university parking lot and ride the bus rather then spend time trying to find a parking spot. Lots of things going on. Kids jumpers even. You name it you got it here. While hot it is great to be out. Everything us free

This annual event is a fun way to sample goods from local businesses. We have a lot of great local…read morecoffee roasters/brewers as well as chocolatiers! We split a bomboloni from Cafe Chica and picked up some whole beans from Oval Dogs and had a ton of samples from other businesses as well. There were a couple dozen food trucks available plus several local breweries and wineries for when people needed a break from sugar and caffeine. Despite the cold, windy weather, I had a good time.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND: **4-stars given because I don't fancy chocolate or coffee but wanted to be at…read morethis event. Would've given 5-stars if I sampled product** Mostly outdoor event and so many people! Yay! First time I have been to the Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Festival and it was better than I had imagined! It was so much more than just chocolate and coffee at the 2-day event. Great atmosphere to spend a few hours, lots of free samples and show specials. There was a vast amount of bakers, chocolatiers, bread makers, coffee roasters, candy makers, popcorn, tea and other delicacies to get your taste buds tingling inside the Expo. I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of bee vendors selling honey products. Honey goes well with coffee, tea and baking products In addition, the streets were lined with more vendors, food trucks, wineries, breweries and live music with attendees dancing and having a wonderful experience on Main Street at the fairgrounds. Will I return? Absolutely yes. See you next year!

A spectacle of color and culture! So many interesting things to see and do. It was pretty…read moreincredible to see all the different dancers in their regalia from around the world. We saw the Grand Entrance which was an awesome opportunity to see all the dancers at the same time. Plus there werr some interesting spot light dancers who showcased a few of the different types of dance. There are a few etiquette rules it is important to remember, but you get a reminder sheet when you enter. This is an absolutely unique Albuquerque experience which I highly recommend.

I give it a five star for the performances but a one star for the food vendor. We had to wait 45…read moreminutes for our Indian Taco that had very little meat. Our nephew who ordered his taco seconds before us got it in 5 minutes while we had to complain that we didn't get ours. I will never buy food here again if we decide to come back. We talked to a native person who said the same. Don't waste your time in line getting food. Enjoy the show instead. New Mexico Gathering of Nations, are you listening? I hope so.

we had such fun playing dress up, swinging on giant swings, hanging with friends... and painting…read moreeach others boobs was the BEST!! I hope in future versions, there is a bit better lighting for the entertainers (the stilt singers were a bit lost in the darkness), a bit better layout might be good, definitely more booths would be awesome (I might even host one if I had enough notice), and more options than Skarsgard's cider, which isn't my favorite (I'm a ciderophile since I don't drink beer) would move it from good to GREAT!!! thank you all for doing something so magically delicious for us freaks.

Come one come all to the Danger Carnival! Twinkling lights at a distance will lead you to the most…read morefascinating event around, the best five (or more) of your dollars you will ever spend. I enjoyed the heck out of this event. There was just the right mix of curious booths, outsize rides, and amazing shows to make the night. Everyone was laid back, some costumed some not, and there was plenty of good cider to be had. I hope this year was a success - to improve a little for next year I suggest a few more people at the cider sales, a few more sideshows (make it easier to find out how to volunteer/set up a booth- I'd be interested), and maybe some carnival treats (we had cotton candy, and apple bobbing - how bout caramel apples or some traditional meat on a stick?) Thanks for the fascinating evening!

I have a Grande pass, which means I get into all 3 events, including free parking at Expo NM. Each…read moreshow has its own personality, the artists are awesome and from all over the country. My walls are full of work from the artists at these events. So grateful we have an event like this in Albuquerque! Go support!

Love this craft show. Great variety of very talented vendors from across the country.read more

Absolute worst wine festival that I have ever attended! Not worth the money! My husband and I…read morewent to it and after two hours had not even tasted a single wine! Over-crowded with no control on lines or crowd! We finally gave up and left, having tasted not even one wine! Even worse is that the company running and the staff working it do not care about anything other than bringing in money! Horrible! We will never waste money on this event again!

Always a fun day at the wine festival. This year we got their just after noon time. The lines were…read moreshorter. Thankfully, because three hours later they were fairly long. I like that you can buy your tickets online and they will scan the barcode off your smartphone. It helps if you are a traveler like me and don't have access to a printer. Plus, why needless use paper? So good job on saving a tree! New Mexico wines are not Napa Valley wines, so don't expect similarities. However, many are quite good and at one of these events I can easily drop $100 to $150 buying bottles to take home. The food this year was better, but the wait can be long. Tables near the food area flip frequently, so in less than 10 minutes you should be able to find a seat. The tables on the other hand are filthy. It would be nice if you had someone clean them periodically.