Celebrate the 21st Annual Rio Grande Arts & Crafts
Festival
October 2, 3, 4 & 9, 10, 11, 2009
Under the "Big Top" Tent at I-25 & Paseo del Norte -
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Apply for
this Festival! Click Here!
The
21st Annual Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festival is a juried show coinciding
with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. With over 1,000 balloons,
the Balloon Fiesta is the largest hot-air balloon event in the world.
Mass ascensions on weekend mornings fill the skies with colorful balloons
of all shapes and sizes. Nearly 2 million people from all over the world
visited the Balloon Fiesta last year. But balloons aren't the only sight
to see during the Balloon Fiesta. On the first two weekends of October,
Albuquerque also plays host to the state's largest juried arts and crafts
show - The Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festival.
More About the October Festival
Now in its 21st year, the Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festival has become
synonymous with fall in Albuquerque. The Festival's huge tent is a spectacle
in itself. Three stories high and 400 feet long, the tent sits just off
the freeway at the southwest corner of I-25 and Paseo del Norte, one exit
south of the Balloon Fiesta Launch Site. The Rio Grande Arts & Crafts
Festival offers 75,000 visitors the opportunity to shop from the works
of more than 280 fine artists and craftsmen from all over the country.
Entertainment, artist demonstrations, food booths, and kids' activities
add to the event. All this combined with the festive atmosphere of the
"Big Top" tent and the view of the hot-air balloons make this
Festival rewarding and fun-filled for all involved as well as a major
attraction for residents and tourists.
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Festival Dates & Times First Weekend:
Friday, October 2 - 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday, October 3 - 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, October 4 - 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Second Weekend:
Friday, October 9 - 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday, October 10 - 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, October 11 - 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
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Festival Location
The Festival is conveniently located in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest
and most central city. You'll find us just off the I-25 freeway at the
southwest corner of I-25 and Paseo del Norte. There's easy access and
acres of free parking just off the southbound Frontage Road. Look for
the 3-story high, 400 foot long "Big Top" tent - about a mile
south of the Balloon Fiesta launch site - you can't miss it!
See a layout for this
event. Click here.
Watch the Artists at Work
Stroll through the show and stop to marvel at Artists at Work - such
as a potter turning a bowl, a glass blower forming a vase, or a painter
working magic on a canvas. Watching the creation of a handmade piece always
adds value to the pleasure of owning a work of art.
For the Kids
Bring
your children to the Kid's Creation Station, where they can learn about
and create their own works of art for free. For the toddlers, break-time
means playing in the Festival's huge sandbox complete with dozens of sand
toys. Kids also love the Magic Shows, which dazzle the young and young-at-heart
alike!
Food & Entertainment
Take a break from shopping and enjoy a wide variety of foods in the outdoor
food court surrounding the entertainment pavilion. The food booths feature
cappuccino and espresso treats; Indian tacos and fry bread; roasted corn
on the cob; Greek Gyros; delicious barbecued brisket -smoked on site;
fajitas; funnel cakes, and of course, burgers and hot dogs.
In addition, our culinary arts booths feature practically everything
you need to be a culinary success at home. There are pasta mixes, bread
mixes, soup and dip mixes, handmade jams and jellies, specialty olives
and garlic. Best of all, you can sample everything!
How Much?
Admission to the event is $7.00 for adults. Save money with a six-day
Festival Pass for $9.00 or the "grandest" deal of all, the GRANDE
pass for $14.00, which gives you unlimited admission to the October 2009,
November 2009 and March 2010 shows! Children under 12 and parking are
free.
