Albuquerque Civic Plaza

The city has started food truck Friday and went with coworkers to check it out. Food was great and the prices were good. Only thing there aren't any tables near the truck which would have been nice.

A nice place to hang out or hold events downtown.On my visit to the convention center, this place was used for after conference space. Tents were set up in front of the stage and folks from the ABQ community used the space to showcase their culture to the visitors. Catering was made available to the conference attendees.On a usual basis, the plaza provided respite from the New Mexico sun. Families can find a fun on a covered playground. Kids (and adults) can climb, swing, and There's a splash pad and covered seating with some displays of artworks can be enjoyed. The park closes well after sundown, and a lighted basketball court keeps locals busy.The plaza sits atop a parking lot and between the DoubleTree and Clyde hotels. Other than you're a few blocks from eateries and the bars on Central Street.Although somewhat isolated, the Civic Plaza can be an easy to find place to gather and bask in the NM sun. Businesses can certainly utilize this space for their outdoor events.

I got hurt pretty bad out there during a mariachi concert. There is a concrete pole sticking up out of the concrete about 3-4 inches and it is painted white so it's hard to see. I tripped over it wearing flip flops. It was right beside a column. There doesn't seem to be any purpose for that rod sticking out of the ground either. It cut my toe pretty bad and it's taken 5 weeks for it to heel completely. I hope other people don't fall and hurt themselves.

Nobody there and nothing to do - unless you count checking out where the homeless are sleeping.

I love that our city is always keeping this fantastic location updated and filled with exciting events! They have fun family movies here on the big screen with food trucks available. There are also different festivals to attend like street fairs. It's right next door to the convention center so it's a perfect location for combined events. There is convenient parking below civic plaza as well as in multiple lots nearby and there is ample street parking depending on the day. We've been able to find parking even during really busy events and times.The city works really hard to keep everything clean and the city pride shows!

Did you know that Civic Plaza was built back in 1974? That's a little bit of Albuquerque Trivia. For me though back in the late 80's early 90's the Civic Plaza was the place to be on the weekends in the summer! Summerfest! Summerfest!! Summerfest!!! Each weekend would be a different theme: Irish Night, Greek Night, Italian Night etc. I used to enjoy going with my family to relax for the evening order food and listen to music. Currently those summer-fests have been moved to different parks throughout the city!! This is actually a good thing because now Burqueno's and visitors can visit different local areas throughout the city such as Nob Hill or the WestSide @ Cottonwood!Today's Civic Plaza is still a buzz with Movies on the Plaza during the warmer months, the newly made Interactive Water Fountain which I've witnessed not only kiddos but all ages enjoying a run through the colorful lite up fountain. Currently Ice Qube Skating is going on until December 30th! You can go to their FB page or here on Yelp to find current events for the Civic Plaza! Just last week was the Winterfest Event which including the Ice Qube skating, food trucks and vendors! If you want something fun to do on the weekends you should always check the schedule.. there is usually something going on! This past summer Civic Plaza Presents had Shakespeare on The Plaza and on Fridays they have Civic Plaza Fridays which includes different Food Trucks to choose from for a Friday afternoon lunch! I'd say it's a perfect spot to be!

Big, but not too big.Plenty of activities and events.Parking available for a relatively decent price, though I did have to ask around to nav my way from the parking garage to the Civic Plaza my first time here.Not too crowded.Unlike other cities' downtowns, traffic does not turn this place into a zoo. Easy enough to navigate. Even though my friend, who is nearly a lifelong Burquena, turned the wrong way onto a one-way street. Thankfully, there was no traffic so it wasn't a problem.Well, there's a lack of shade, as the first reviewer said, but that can easily be fixed by implementing shade areas for the different events.

Albuquerque's zocalo! This is the center of town for Albuquerque- this is where the city throws its biggest festivals and concerts. It's the site of the Chinese New Year Celebrations, and lots of free concerts and movies during the warmer months. There's places to sit in the shade, or admire an artsy jungle gym and play area that includes a huge xylophone that you can beat on and play music for the whole plaza. There's plenty of parking, since there seems to be a parking garage underground. There's no visible restrooms, and a lot of the signage has been vandalized. There also was a good population of homeless people hanging out or sleeping on park benches. There's a nice covered area, the Al Hurricane pavilion, which looks modern and nice. I remember coming to the Civic Plaza for its opening ceremony, in 1987 when NM was celebrating its 75th anniversary of statehood. Overall, it's an okay place to hang out and watch the mountains, or whittle away some time downtown.

This is a pretty cool place to chill, especially in the afternoon. I visited the plaza at the end of our road trip. Stopped in ABQ to take our homemade version of a Braking Bad tour in the area and finished here since it was right across the street from our hotel (Hyatt Regency). We were able to take some pictures and (sort of) recreate the shot that was filmed in the show. Since ABQ downtown is pretty quiet, there weren't a whole lot of people around, so we were able to (sort of) create one of the shots in the show. There were quite a few homeless (some of which seemed to be on drugs) which wasn't very inviting. Mind you, we reached this location in the early evening and the sun was setting. I'll definitely be back in the ABQ area to do another Braking Bad homemade tour and this site will still be on my list!

Quick reality check: downtown Albuquerque today vs. 20 or so years ago, when I moved here. Everything, which wasn't much, happened at night, along a four block stretch of Central Avenue. You went downtown to drink and maybe check out a band. There were no coffee shops, brunch spots, art galleries or, god forbid, sushi. The sidewalks felt sketchy, and you knew a few people who'd gotten hurt down there. Downtown today: sprawling with color, culture, creativity and damn fine sushi. You can spend entire days bouncing between a buzz at Zendo, pop-up exhibits, street festivals, growers markets, dining options galore, breweries, a full day and night can take you from a startup conference in Barelas and end over a pint at Marble Brewery. Smack dab in the center of it all is Civic Plaza and, over the last few years, it's been behaving the way a Civic Plaza should act. From free Shakespeare performances to movies and food truck rallies, the occasional market, marches and rallies, and the gathering spot to launch marathons and spectacular mural tours, I've found myself coming here and, quite often, my kids. And that's why I feel, more than ever, that this city and its plaza are truly growing up. I come here to vote. That's about as civic as it gets.