Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festivals

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

NEXT YEAR I'LL BE HERE AGAIN . . . . SAME TIME, SAME PLACE, MORE DOLLARS IN MY POCKET TO SPEND!I was in Q-town for a big family WEDDING first, to see the BALLOON FIESTA second, and third just to spend some QUALITY TIME with my family. Well, the last night I was there, my oldest son had promised to help "strike" a booth at the RIO GRANDE ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL. I tagged along. (Remember: Quality family time?)We headed to the large Festival Tent just 45 minutes before the Festival closed. I brought a book to read (I've seen more arts & crafts festivals than I care to admit and they all blend into each other - lots of good stuff: but, hey, how much *stuff* can you find a place for in your house and, more to the point, how much do you really want to dust?) I found myself a cozy bench to hang out on, I got myself a good strong cup of coffee and set myself up to wait the 2+ hours it would take them to pack up and tear the booth down.But . . . . while I was sitting there I saw these marvelous glass sculptures that totally intrigued me. So, I folded up my book and headed to that booth to see where they were from; and then something else caught my eye and I ambled over there and talked to the artists. Before I knew what happened I had pretty much covered the 280 artists & craftsman who were all in stages of packing up and tearing down. All were kind enough to stop and answer my questions.OOPS! TIME WAS UP! TIME TO GO HOME!So many unusual things . . . . not your usual festival! I was very pleasantly surprised and slightly disappointed that I hadn't come earlier and spent more time . . . but I will be back next year. YOU CAN BET ON THAT! Always during the Balloon Fiesta, so I don't even have to remember the dates. Just make time when I'm not on the field watching 800 Balloons and eating breakfast burritos!There were some really unusual things at this Festival and some extremely talented artists . . . . not only from New Mexico, but from around the country. 280 artists! Whew!It is a juried show and they do it three times a year.OCTOBER during the International Hot Air Balloon FiestaDECEMBER for the Annual Holiday ShowMARCH for the Annual Spring ShowThe October show, of course, happens just off I-25 at the north end of the City, near the Balloon Park. The December & March shows are at the State Fair Grounds in the heart of the City.One of the things I like best is that there is a full line up of free ENTERTAINMENT during the show and lots of SPECIALTY FOOD BOOTHS, plus a food court to keep you from passing out with hunger while you're strolling around.ONCE AGAIN MY MIND WAS BLOWN AWAY AT HOW MANY TRULY TALENTED AND CREATIVE MINDS THERE ARE IN THIS WORLD.NEW AND WONDERFUL IDEAS . . YEAR AFTER YEAR.LESSON LEARNED: Don't ever think you've seen it all. Not true. There is always lots more to see and experience, if you just open your eyes and heart.

A Thanksgiving weekend tradition . . . Why fight the crowds at the malls when you can enjoy the different vibe of the artsy and crafts folks at the fairgrounds? The aisles and aisles of all kinds of vendors can get a bit crowded, but it feels good to be among the craftsmen and artists of all types proudly displaying their wares. These folks also do fairs during balloon fiesta and in March. They offer special passes for those who are arts & crafts fair junkies that include unlimited visits and parking, but they're only available in October. $1 off coupons are available at their website. Food booths offer a variety of options to help you maintain your strength through your shopping adventure, and a variety of entertainers are stationed throughout the venue to keep the non-shoppers occupied and happy. Shop on, ABQ!

An OK outing for the afternoon. Not the best outdoor venue ABQ has to offer in my opinion. Lots of quality vendors with range of price points. Can pick up art for under $100 up to $2000 probably more. Live music ongoing during the event. I didn't get to eat but looked like mostly street food.

Complete scam, spend your money elsewhere! First you have to pay $5 just to park; then you have to pay $7 per person just to get in to see very mediocre art. Totally not worth your time or money.

This review is for the Festival at the New Mexico Expo in December, 2014. They had a huge selection of art and handcrafted designs of all kinds, from pottery and hand blown glass to fancy jewelry and hand sewn clothing, you could find just about anything here! The work was fantastic and very well done, so next year, if you're lookinf for that unique Christmas gift, give the Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Fesitval a look! You can get $1.00 off coupons online beforehand, it costs $5.00 to park and the entry into the festival is $7.00 before using the coupon. There is food and drink available (mexican and german food from on site vendors).

It all depends on which art show you attend. In 2018, a few months after moving to New Mexico, we attended 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.

Very small and very expensive entrance fee ($10). It really will take you no more than 30 minutes to see everything if you are a slow walker. Very dissatisfied with the whole event! On top of everything all the items for sale were very very expensive. The crowd was 70 years and over so maybe that's why they were overcharging for a lot of the stuff. Poor senior citizens. There was some nice stuff but a lot of junk or boring stuff. I wouldn't recommend going because the entrance fee is not worth it! Skip it for sure!!!