Old Town Balloon Fiesta Week features free live entertainment and a new museum exhibit – City of Albuquerque

There's no shortage of things to do in Old Town Albuquerque during Balloon Fiesta Week. Flamenco, swing and country are just a few music genres that visitors can enjoy at the square every day from October 4th to 13th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The free performances at the Pavilion provide the soundtrack for strolls through the squares and Old Town Market Portal, as well as other unique shopping and dining experiences at more than 100 local stores.

Event schedule

Friday, October 4th

12 p.m. – Mariachi Xochitl

1:30 p.m. – Divino (Spanish)

3 p.m. – National Institute of Flamenco

Saturday, October 5th

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 6th

12 p.m. – Mariachi Xochitl

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

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

The full event schedule can be found here.

“There is so much to do in Albuquerque during the Balloon Fiesta, both on and off the launch site,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “The Old Town in particular is coming to life with free concerts, shopping, dining and four museums, all in our city’s historic cornerstone district.”

Additionally, the Albuquerque Museum opens its newest exhibit on Saturday, October 5th. Puertas fronterizas/Border Doors is a bilingual exhibition that shows how education promotes understanding and inspires new ways of seeing the world. Since 2014, Claudio Pérez, a Spanish teacher in the Modern Language Department at Sandia Preparatory School, has been bringing his advanced Spanish students to El Paso, Texas, where they use their Spanish skills to interact firsthand with immigrants and advocates in the Cristo Rey Border Immersion program. Upon returning to Albuquerque, students illustrate a series of doors with colorful and expressive images that tell the stories of the people they encountered and reflect on important immigration issues at the border. Further information about current exhibitions can be found on the museum's website.