32nd Annual Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festival: Balloon Fiesta Show

October 2nd-4th & 9th-11th, 2020 | @ Sandia Resort & Casino | Albuquerque, NM

Art Juried Fine Art & Fine Craft

This juried show features the work of 200 fine artists and craftspeople from throughout the U.S., offering tourists and residents a unique, world-class art experience. The huge white tent rises alongside the PGA-level golf course of Sandia Resort & Casino – right in the heart of the action at the same intersection as the Balloon Fiesta itself. View our 2019 Artist Gallery!

If you are interested in exhibiting as an artist in our 2020 show, APPLY HERE!

Entertainment Live Music & Performances

Discover live music all day long in our outdoor pavilion; enjoy tunes from Syd Masters and the Swing Ryders, Mariachi Fiesta, local favorite Oscar Butler, jazz by Calvin Appleberry and more! Kiddos can also enjoy entertainment & art activities just for them! 2019 Entertainment Schedule

Food & Drink Culinary Experience

Also beyond the big white tent is our Culinary Arts area, where attendees can browse & sample handmade soups, dips, salsas, chocolate, honeys & more. Grab a locally sourced Indian Taco, or enjoy a cold craft brew or margarita while taking in the views and music!

Festival Details

Dates & Times

October 2-4 & 9-11, 2020
After the balloons go up!
9-5 Daily: Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Getting Here

This festival takes place at Sandia Resort & Casino, in the big white tent near I-25 & Tramway!

If you're coming from Santa Fe, head South on I-25 to Albuquerque, exit Tramway and turn left at the light. Go East on Tramway and you will see Sandia Resort on your left. Take a left on Rainbow Road into the resort, and follow the signs to the parking garage.

If you're coming from the south side of Albuquerque, head North on I-25, exit Tramway and turn right at the light. Go East on Tramway and you will see Sandia Resort on your left. Take a left on Rainbow Road into the resort, and follow the signs to the parking garage.

Admission

$10 Day Pass
$16 "Festival Pass" 6 Day Unlimited Admission
$25 "Grande Pass" Unlimited Admission & Free Parking at all 3 of our shows! A great deal if you're a regular Rio Grande Festivals attendee!
Kids under 12 Free!
Tickets are available at the door!

Parking at Sandia is free in the lot across the street from the tent. This event is handicap accessible, but please note that there is some unpaved natural terrain surrounding the tent. Inside the tent is fully carpeted with turf.

Artists

View our gallery, showcasing all 2019 participating artists>> View 2019 Gallery

*If you are planning your visit to the festival to see one particular artist, please inquire about their participation through our 'contact us' page. While 75% of our lineup is there both weekends, we have some who only join us for weekend 1 or weekend 2.*

Sip & Savor

SIP

Reid's Concessions Fresh Fruit Drinks & Lemonade
Sandia Resort & Casino Mimosas, Margaritas, Specialty Cocktails, Beer & Wine

SAVOR

JP'z Crepes and Cakes Sweet & Savory Gourmet Crepes
Jambo Cafe African and Caribbean Cuisine
Yepa's Famous Pueblo Frybread & Tacos Native American Food, Burritos & Indian Tacos
Rocky Mountain Slices New York Style Pizza by the Slice
California Wrap Runner Gourmet Wraps with Fresh Local Ingredients
Holland Concessions Philly Cheese Steaks, Brats & BBQ

Stage Schedule

View 2019 Entertainment Lineup Here!

Culinary Marketplace

In a dynamic market-style addition to our outdoor pavilion, we host culinary and cottage industry booths in a tent of their own. Browse, sample and shop handmade gourmet treats and locally-sourced body products! The following vendors will join us in 'Culinary Row'!

Kids Activities

Beyond the main tent, we will have a fabulous area for the kiddos to explore their creativity! Visit the Kids' Creation Station where our team will assist the young-at-heart in creating free art projects to take home from the fest.

Meet our 2019 Featured Artist: Carla Romero

Carla Romero was chosen out of more than 250 participating artists to be this year’s Poster Artist for the 31st Annual Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festival. We are excited to feature her painting titled The Buffalo and The Raven, which she completed earlier this year.

Carla is a self-taught artist has been drawing since she was a young child and painting for over 25 years. Born in Colorado, Carla feels a strong connection to mountains, nature and wildlife; but also a bond with the Native Americans and the Southwest. In 1987 she visited Taos Pueblo for the first time, which was an awakening of her art and vision and launched her pursuit of a professional career. She got her start in a Taos gallery while still working in a different industry. Within a year she was able to quit her retail job and paint full time. Since then, Romero has achieved much acclaim as a painter of the southwest.

She paints mainly in watercolor, but also works with acrylics on canvas. Romero's extraordinary and bold use of color is clearly only one of the defining elements that one might use in describing the feeling and emotion that her work evokes. Her paintings are exhibited in fine art galleries throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California. An important facet of Romero's work is her strong belief that her ideas and creativity are gifts from God. She starts each painting with a prayer and ends with an expression of thanks, therefore there is a deep spiritual awareness that one may discover in her work.

View Featured Artwork