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    New Mexico State Fair

    3.1 (55 reviews)

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    Shana W.

    The fact that it costs $20 to park which is more than the entrance fee of $15 is ridiculous. I don't even want to know what they were charging for the rides. I wasn't impressed with much there. Maybe if I attended Rodeo or the horse races but that might be extra too. I won't be back.

    Rey C.

    Expo New Mexico State Fair 2021...Had a relaxing time playing the horses, did win a few races! It was free Parking and $1 day, what a reason to go however, the food was-out-of-line, here where some of the extra money from Covid economic Relief Funds could help the Vendors in toning it down the pricing a little, for example a $8 corndog, $8 for 16oz lemonade, yes the both were tasty and delicious,but kind of hard on the pocket book for families. State Police present was good, and just a Beautiful evening for hearing live music!

    Vendors
    Suzy S.

    It is EXPENSIVE. Ten dollars to park, and entrance admission all over the place, expect to pay more if you want to do any rides or consume anything other than water-fountain water. I went to a concessionaire and paid $5 for a medium-size bowl of cantaloupe, $3 for a cola, and handed her two $5 bills - then she KEPT my change saying "plus tip!" What rude service! I was under the imprression that tips were voluntary. Rides start at about four tickets per ride--around four dollars--and go up from there. Tickets are $21 for 20 tickets. Folks, watch your wallet there, because this all adds up fast. At least seeing the farm animals and antique cars were included in the admission cost. People make the place, so be sure to go with friends or family, though try to go on a promotion or discount day. And for the love of your health, wear sunscreen.

    Corn & a thunderstorm - must be NM State Fair!
    Elizabeth A.

    I'm totally incapable of leaving an unbiased review of the Fair - I LIVE for fairs! Grew up participating in our county fair since I was four. I don't just live for them; I live at them every single Aug/Sept! (Our fair back home got moved to August so it wouldn't conflict with school schedules...) A thing that has made me sad every year since I've been going to NM's State Fair is the lack of participants since it is the *STATE* Fair. I'd like to see every building booming with crops, crafts, and other entries! I urge everyone to try their hand at an amateur competition or two - a photo you took, something from your garden, a drawing you've made... This year tried the fried green tomatoes. Thought they were pretty yucky and I don't know if that's just what friend green tomatoes are, or if that's what travelling carnival fried green tomatoes are. I won't write them off completely til I've had them at a sit-down restaurant or someone's grandma's house! Made up for it with an amazing ear of corn every single day I was there. No complaints here! Splurged on a Dole Whip one day. NEVER AGAIN. Would've been pricey even if it was H-O-L-L-O-W. That's just insulting to your customers! Consider a park and ride from elsewhere as parking/traffic are an absolute mess. I had a pretty ok experience Ubering up there, which probably would've been perfect but we didn't realize we were right in the middle of the parade down Central and it took us a while to figure out how to get around. Parking shuttles and city busses know that schedule so you're less likely to be as inconvenienced by it.

    Dahlia
    Carolyn N.

    The NM State Fair has always been a favorite Fall activity for me! I recommend downloading the state fair app to buy your tickets (no need to stand in the long lines at the entry gate), review the schedule of events for the day & scope out food venues. We loved the Zuni dancers and flute player in the Indian Village today! Smokey the Bear is roaming around the Fair so be sure to keep an eye out for him to wish him a "happy birthday!" Don't forget to visit the arts & crafts building plus the agriculture areas! Enjoy!

    Ashley L.

    We had a lot of fun tonight at the State Fair and Rodeo. Is it crowded and hard to find parking? Absolutely. The food is crazy expensive and totally fattening and sugary but it was fun! Our big highlight was the seals this year! There was a pool of seals that would do shows. For $20 you could take a picture with the seals and they would come to you and put their heads on your shoulders. I'm a huge animal lover and getting up close and personal with seals is a major one on my bucket list so we totally did it! The major downside was the zip line. Avoid it at all costs! It is NOT safe at all. First the girl running it insulted my weight (I'm quite a bit under the weight limit) and then I hit the ground before the zip line came to a stop. I am very sore and injured. She said people get blisters and other injuries all the time and adults get hurt often on it. Stay far away! I don't know why it is even allowed! The rodeo was amazing pyrotechnics and great performances. We didn't stay for the concert because it was a weeknight.

    Brianna B.

    Went to the state fair. SO many people!! Really wanted a turkey leg and a funnel cake. Was disappointed with the turkey leg- over cooked and tough:( For $14, I was hoping for what I've been missing from the midwestern fairs I grew up attending. The venue had a lot of trash laying around which was disappointing, however I did see people working on sweeping up. The dog show was awesome, but cut short due to the thunder storm. Funnel cake ($8) was stringy but delicious. I'm sad that the cost of state fairs keeps going up. Wanted to go on a few rides but the lines were insanely long.

    Indian taco
    Jennifer L.

    This is coming from a Cali girl's perspective, so... I was raised on state fairs. I also like going to local county fairs. I've come to the conclusion that a quality state fair has the following things: *typical carnival fare: overpriced junk food, rides, and games. Yes, overpriced. That is just the definition of carnivals, so get used to shelling out $5 for a 30-second ride or $6 for a quarter-pounder-sized previously frozen burger. My friend spent about $20 trying win a Pikachu toy but failed. If you don't like it, then don't buy it. I was allowed to bring my own water bottle in, so surely you can bring your own food and drink in. I also had a blast on the $9 zip line, which I ended up going down backwards! *contests and competitions like horse racing, best animal in show, baking competitions, art shows, etc. I did see several prize animals and passed by a hall with artwork and stitchery, although I didn't go in. *a sense of state pride woven into the fabric of the fair that sets it apart from county and regional fairs. Not just by putting up state flags, but as seen in things like exhibits with state history, culture, facts, Southwestern-style food, etc. California State Fair, for example, has county exhibits where each county highlights its best features. They also feature art and technology made by California middle and high school students. I don't necessarily need a state fair to have county exhibits, just something that showcases its unique features and answers the question of what's so great about that state. Although you do see Southwestern/New Mexican food specialties that you'd never see anywhere else, like the green chile burger and the Indian taco (I made sure to pick up one on my way out) and a few UNM-branded items, I don't get a sense of New Mexican spirit outside of the food. For all I know, it's a fair in another Southwestern state. As a matter of fact, the most damning thing that I saw was Cali-branded merchandise in the vendor's fairs! (see photo) The other disappointment is the way they handle discounted tickets. If you buy the discounted tickets at Walgreens in advance to save yourself money and time at the entrance, well, at least you're saving money. My friend and I and other WG customers had to exchange our WG vouchers for entrance tickets upon arrival, so we had to wait in the same line as the people who just plain needed to buy entrance tickets. The people in front of us in line had even won free tickets on the radio-- but they had to wait in the same line to exchange those radio vouchers for tix. Considerably smaller than the CA State Fair fairgrounds and only slightly bigger than my neighboring county's fairgrounds (Alameda County Fairgrounds), but to be fair, Alameda County has almost as many people as ABQ. I feel that the admissions price is fair; most other fairs I've been to charge that much or more. Traffic is well-managed and I like the free shuttle from the parking lots to the fairgrounds. Those of you who complain that Central gets clogged up, well, try going to a county or state fair anywhere else and see if you do any better. Matter of fact, go sit in CA rush hour traffic and see which one you like better! You just get it on the weekends of the fair, we get it every weekday! Also, you're going to see trashy people at any fair you go to. That's just the nature of fairs. I will admit though, ABQ trash is certainly a new low in terms of trashy. One last thing I really liked about this fair: hand-washing stations at the petting zoo. My siblings and I got a bacterial infection at the CA State Fair petting zoo twenty years ago, and so my mom wrote them a letter. They implemented hand-washing stations there the next year, and I'm happy to see them in other places too. Not excellent, but generally good.

    Corey Y.

    Thank you YelpABQ, State Fair and Everett!! I have to start this review by disclosing that I received this review as part of a promotion, but I promise that won't keep me from telling you what I truly think. Most of us go to the State Fair and take for granted what we experience, after this visit I'll never look at the rodeo the same again. We documented some of our trip on Snapchat so we could share some of the awesome moments we had, so I hope you check them out and check into the fair! Last year I experienced my first rodeo, totally by accident. We went for the Ozomatli concert ( which you should also check out if you have the opportunity), and my husband suggested we go early and see the rodeo. I wasn't really into the idea but once we got there I couldn't believe what I've been missing out on. So this was only the second rodeo I've been able to experience, and thanks to everyone involved the rodeo might be ruined for me. We had such a great time and the VIP experience was untouchable! Parking was supposed to be free for us at Gate 8, but we were told that it was full and to park at the old bank building. ***TIP*** The State Fair now runs a trolley from the old bank building at San Mateo and Central. Wait for it... FOR FREE!! But don't forget to tip the drivers! It runs until 10pm, so if you plan on staying later make sure you plan accordingly. I mentioned to our State Fair Rep that it would be awesome if it ran until closing and she was surprised that it didn't, so maybe they'll change that in the future. Everett was our tour guide for our Yelp adventure and he was awesome! He introduced us to his sponsored bull rider, Tray, who answered questions for us and after it was all done came and hung out at the Bucking Bar. He did such a great job representing Gold Financial, his sponsor, we have to buy him a beer! Everett also introduced us to Arty Myers, one of the best in the business, and we got to grill him with a bunch of questions as well. Along our tour we also met some of the crew from Justin's sports, who really take care of the Cowboys and all of their sports medicine needs. The Bull Fighters were some of our favorites to meet and totally changed our perspective of "Rodeo Clowns." Even though they are dressed as clowns, they are far from it, they are more like cowboy lifesavers. If it wasn't for them there would be less bull riders in this sport. We even had the pleasure of dining in the VIP lounge with the Cowboys, judges and their families. Families are a huge part of this family as well. The athletes bring their wives, girlfriends, kids and even their dogs along with them. Even though this is a competitive sport, it's like a big family. Our package didn't include viewing the bull riders in action from the ground behind the chutes but Everett was kind enough to let us check it out from there. We had an epic time!! Even though we were spoiled with the VIP treatment, we will all be back to see them again next year with a whole new respect for what they all do. We can't thank everyone enough for the gracious hospitality they showed us and mind blowing fun!!

    This booth here! On the NW corner of the food area.
    Kimberly S.

    Tip: Casa de Fruita is THE ONLY place to get the real chile relleno dogs at the fair. Not the chincy corn meal speckled with green chile, but an ENTIRE whole chile wrapped around the dog, dipped in cornmeal and fried. Try it mustard if you haven't already.

    Gerrit K.

    Annual tradition for our family to go enjoy several shows (pig races, duck races, lumberjack, magic, sea lions, etc), pig out on some fair food (frybread, green chile cheese curds, cheese fries, smoked turkey legs, etc), see some exhibits (animals, arts & crafts, varying vendors, etc), admire the artisans, and enjoy some rides. Definitely try to get there when it opens as it gets crowded every hour of the day as people stream in to enjoy it as well.

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    Albuquerque Lantern Fest

    Albuquerque Lantern Fest

    (7 reviews)

    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.

    Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - 10/2025- darth vader

    Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

    (294 reviews)

    Business Parkway/Academy Acres

    Years ago, I had a friend who had this event on her priority list. This is a thrilling annual…read moreevent and, if you can survive the truly hellish attempts at parking, I think this is a must-see spectacle. It's the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade but with fire and the most chaotic up-close experience possible. I don't know it all seems to work without mayhem but it does. It's a viscerally invigorating time. If you arrive asleep, you will leave astounded by the blazing profusion of colors and flames and quiet ascension of balloons reaching into the sky. In other words, unlike that famous parade, you are in the mix and a part of it all. It's a whirlwind of the human spirit. The morning session is the ascent of the balloons. The silent takeoffs into the blue sky are like bubbles in boiling water and so serenely soothing to watch. The evening session are the balloons posing brightly at ground level all lit up from inside by the flames that keep them inflated. They are gigantic night lights adorning the large field. The fiesta has a large contingent of food stalls from the proverbial funnel cakes to Japanese ramen. There are souvenirs for sale and music to be heard. Families make this an annual tradition and I understand. People visit from around the world. My friend and I lost touch too long ago but I hope she made it here. She would have loved it.

    This event has been on my travel bucket list for years, and we finally made it happen in 2025! We…read morewere incredibly lucky with the weather since our visit was short, from late Thursday night to Sunday. We dedicated Friday morning to the Balloon Fiesta, and aside from the drone show being canceled, everything went perfectly. Getting there was easy using the Park & Ride from Coronado Mall. You do have to wake up early since the buses start running at 4 a.m., and we arrived about 25 minutes later. Once there, we found plenty of carnival and fair-style food. Some highlights were the green chili cheese curds, Frito pie, and an Indian food vendor serving delicious chicken marsala burritos. We walked around while waiting for Dawn Patrol, and by 7 a.m., the sky was alive with color. The first to launch were the Rainbow Riders which are massive balloons carrying over 20 passengers each. Soon after, the sky filled with hundreds of vibrant balloons, including the fun "special shapes" from the rodeo lineup. Everywhere we looked, there was something new to admire, there are over 500 balloons in total! We also learned about Albuquerque's unique wind pattern known as the Albuquerque Box, which allows pilots to take off, fly south, and then, by changing altitude, catch a return wind that brings them back to the launch site. It's the only place in the world where this phenomenon happens, making it ideal for hot air ballooning. Seeing the Balloon Fiesta in person was absolutely magical, it is a breathtaking experience that everyone should witness at least once.

    ABQ Blues & Brews

    ABQ Blues & Brews

    (4 reviews)

    $$

    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

    Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest - Samples with a caramel drizzle

    Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest

    (22 reviews)

    International District

    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!

    Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festivals - Look for the big white tent on the infield of the racetrack at EXPO New Mexico!  Enter at Lomas and Louisiana.

    Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festivals

    (9 reviews)

    International District

    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!

    It all depends on which art show you attend. In 2018, a few months after moving to New Mexico, we…read moreattended an art show at Expo New Mexico (1 star). The art show was a huge disappointment. First, we had to pay $5 for parking and then there was an entrance fee of $10 per person. We weren't used to paying for either but figured it would be fun. It wasn't. There were so few artists that we were finished in about twenty minutes. Most of the art was Southwestern. There was no variety. I had expected to see art from around the country. I guess living in Seattle spoiled me. I didn't purchase anything. Fast forward to 2022. I saw an ad for the Balloon Fiesta Arts and Crafts show at Sandia Casino (3 stars). They were featuring art from 22 states so despite the $13 entrance fee we decided to give it a try. Parking was free. This art show was much better. Although there was plenty of Southwestern art, there was also art from other regions. It was still small compared to what we were used to. We were there for about an hour and a half. I did purchase a painting and a pair of earrings. We were disappointed in the food area. We were looking for fair food such as elephant ears, fresh squeezed lemonade, funnel cakes, etc. All we could find was Mexican food, hamburgers, soda, and overpriced beer so after the show we headed to Five Star Burgers for lunch instead. I was also disappointed in the on-line ticket purchasing process. I tried to purchase tickets on-line, but it required a cell phone number. I don't have a cell phone. Nowhere did it explain that I would receive a QR code on my phone and would need to have the phone with me to enter the show. I thought that I would be receiving e-tickets that I could print out. Also, I wasn't aware that I could purchase tickets at the event. This should have been explained up front. Rio Grande Festivals should take some lessons from the art shows in the Seattle area. The Pacific Northwest Arts Fair, Salmon Days Festival, and the University Street Fair are huge with artists from all over the country. There are no entry fees, and parking is free. I imagine artists are charged more for booth space, but if people don't have to spend money just to get in, then more people will attend and purchase from the artists. We used to spend a minimum of four hours at each of these fairs. I like New Mexico, but I do miss the art shows and festivals in Washington state.

    New Mexico State Fair - festivals - Updated May 2026

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