March 2023

March 2023 Events

Through March 5

7:30, 2 p.m.
Hookman
ASNMSU Center for the Arts
The NMSU Theatre Department presents a look at freshman year in college, which is hard when your roommate is weird, you’re feeling homesick, and a hook-handed serial killer is slashing girls’ throats, but if Lexi can discover what really happened to her high school best friend on that car ride to the movies, everything will be okay.
Visit the website

Wednesday, March 1

7 p.m.
Dragons and Mythical Beasts
Plaza Theatre
Unveil a myriad of dark secrets and come face to face with some of the most magnificent monsters and terrifying beasts ever to walk the earth, in a fantastical new giant puppet show for the entire family.
Visit the website

Friday, March 3

9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Fruit Grower Workshop
Rio Arriba County Extension Office, Abiquiú
New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service will host the 2023 fruit grower workshop to educate fruit growers on methods for orchard improvement regardless of size of operation.
Visit the website

March 3 – 4

10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Cowboy Days
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
The Old West is revisited in the museum’s biggest event of the year, bringing to life New Mexico’s ranching traditions through demonstrations, food, living history activities, games, and other family-friendly programs.
Visit the website

March 3 – 11

7 p.m., 1 p.m.
The Brave Little Tailor
Rio Grande Theatre
A Children’s Theatre of the Mesilla Valley presents the Grimm’s Fairy Tale, about a humble tailor who tricks a ruthless king into believing in his incredible feats of strength and bravery.
Visit the website

Saturday, March 4

10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Dr. Seuss Day
Museum of Nature and Science
Celebrate the fun and fantastic literary world of children’s author Dr. Seuss through a plethora of activities inspired by his books. No registration required, free for recommended ages 2 – 10.
Visit the website

1 – 2:30 p.m.
OutsmART: Weaving a Landscape Workshop
University Art Museum
Artist and weaver Rebecca Smith, an alumna of NMSU’s Department of Art and current Student Program Coordinator, will highlight her experience and work as a weaver guiding us through her process of creating woven landscapes.
Visit the website

7 p.m.
Dancing With The Stars
Abraham Chavez Theatre
The ballroom comes to life in a brand new production featuring all of your favorite dance pros, plus special guest stars, performing dazzling routines in every style, jaw-dropping talent, and non-stop entertainment.
Visit the website

March 4 – 5

9 a.m.
Esports Invitational
Corbett Center Student Union @ NMSU
NMSU hosts its second free invitational, consisting of college and high school students competing in five different video game titles, including League of Legends, Rocket League, Mario Kart 8, Chess, and Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
Visit the website

Sunday, March 5

7 p.m.
Spy Ninjas Live
Abraham Chavez Theatre
Chad and Vy have discovered the presence of a hacker sleeper cell and are traveling to major cities to defeat it, by taking over local theaters to use as their headquarters and assembling a team of local Ninja associates – the audience – to dismantle it.
Visit the website

Wednesday, March 8

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Around The World Festival
International Mall, NMSU
New Mexico State University’s International Club hosts a day of diversity, in which international students display items from their home country, including flags and traditional attire.
Visit the website

5 – 7 p.m.
International Women’s Day Ceremony
Doña Ana Arts Council
In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Doña Ana Arts Council and the Southern New Mexico Women’s Suffrage Alliance recognize the accomplishments and persistence of five local women.
Visit the website

6 – 8 p.m.
Teen Takeover: T-shirt Tie Dye
Museum of Nature & Science
Ages 12 – 17 are invited to test their tie dye skills and make a one-of-a-kind t-shirt, as well as play with the exhibits, make and experiment with S.T.E.A.M. activities, eat snacks, and play games during extended hours just for teens.
Visit the website

Thursday, March 9

7 p.m.
Culture Series: Cotton In The U.S.
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
Ed Hughes, who worked in the cotton industry from 1976 until his retirement in 2017, will cover the history of cotton ginning and production in the U.S. from the earliest days on the East Coast to its migration to New Mexico and beyond.
Visit the website

March 9 – 12

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Deming RockHound Round Up
Southwestern New Mexico State Fairgrounds in Deming
A four-day event attracting rock collectors and geologists, to examine volcanic rocks, gems, and minerals, hosted by the Deming Gem and Mineral Society.
Visit the website

Friday, March 10 

1:30 p.m.
Online Zoom Lecture: Dr. Manuel Ramirez
Zoom
As part of the programming for the Gaspar Enríquez: Chicano Pride, Chicano Soul exhibition at the Museum of Art, Dr. Manuel Ramírez will provide a guest lecture focusing on the emergence of a Mexican American identity in El Paso and the borderlands region from the 1920s-1940s. Please use this link, webinar ID, and passcode to access the lecture on Zoom.
Webinar ID: 833 2502 5192
Passcode: 061751

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Gallery Opening: Icons & Retablos
NMSU Art Museum
The public is welcome to the opening of this free exhibit, created in collaboration with the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Massachusetts, dedicated to devotional works iconic to both Catholic and Orthodox Christianity.
Visit the website

8 p.m.
Filipe Esparza Bigfoo Tour
Plaza Theatre
A product of the streets of East Los Angeles, and the winner of Last Comic Standing, Eparza is best known for his raw, real-life comedy, his irreverent on-stage persona, his wild hair, and his often-imitated phrase, “What’s up fool?”
Visit the website

March 10 – 26

8 p.m., 2:30 p.m.
The Revolutionists
Black Box Theatre
No Strings Theatre Company presents a grand, irreverent, and dream-tweaked comedy about four beautiful badass women who lost their heads during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.
Visit the website

Saturday, March 11

10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Saturday Family Science: Balloon Powered Cars
Museum of Nature & Science
Ages 6 and up, and their adult caregivers, learn how to design, build, and test a balloon powered car. No registration required.
Visit the website

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Chalk the Walk
Las Cruces Museum of Art
The City of Las Cruces presents its inaugural public art event, in which featured artists will fill the museum courtyard with unique and exciting art, with activities for the whole family. Free for all ages.
Visit the website

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Neighborhood Tour
Las Cruces Railroad Museum
Join the Railroad Museum curator for a stroll around the Alameda-Depot district and learn about the neighborhood that the railroad created. No registration required, free for all ages.
Visit the website

7 p.m.
John Crist: The Emotional Support Tour
Plaza Theatre
One of today’s fast-rising stand-up comedians, with more than one billion video views, over five million fans on social media, and sold-out shows from coast to coast, unleashes his latest tour on the unsuspecting masses.
Visit the website

7 p.m.
Hook
Rio Grande Theatre
The 2023 Classic Film series presents an all-star cast in the tale of a middle-aged Peter Pan (Robin Williams), whose children are abducted by his old nemesis Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), forcing him to return to his magical origins in order to rescue them.
Visit the website

7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Attacca String Quartet
Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall
El Paso Pro Musica presents the Grammy Award-winning Attacca String Quartet – Amy Schroeder, violin; Domenic Salerni, violin; Nathan Schram, viola; and Andrew Yee, cello – passionate advocates of contemporary repertoire, who are also known for gliding from the music of the 18th century through the 21^st century.
Visit the website

Wednesday, March 15

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
The Wrap
Rio Grande Theatre
Film Las Cruces presents a monthly film screening for Las Cruces and Doña Ana County artists with work to show, including short films, commercials, music videos, documentaries or time-lapse reels.
Visit the website

Thursday, March 16

7 p.m.
World Ballet Series: Cinderella
Plaza Theatre
A visually stunning production and an enchanting story for all ages, Cinderella is performed live by a multinational cast of 40 professional ballet dancers gathered to bring the most celebrated fairy tale to life.
Visit the website

Friday, March 17

3 p.m.
Midget Wrestling Warriors
Amador Patio Bar and Grill
Celebrate St. Patty’s Day with an Irish menu and cocktails, green beer, door prizes ,raffles and the main attraction, the internationally renowned Midget Wrestling Warriors battling it out for championship titles.
Visit the website

6 – 12 p.m.
Radapalooza
Plaza de Las Cruces
Rad Retrocade presents its inaugural, all-ages St Patty’s Day event in downtown Las Cruces, featuring food trucks, beer gardens, vendor booths, and a special live concert performance by Shane Profitt.
Visit the website

7 p.m.
World Ballet Series: Cinderella
Plaza Theatre
A visually stunning production and an enchanting story for all ages, Cinderella is performed live by a multinational cast of 40 professional ballet dancers gathered to bring the most celebrated fairy tale to life.
Visit the website

March 17 – 26

7:30 p.m., 2 p.m.
One Act Play Festival
Las Cruces Community Theatre
Highlighting local Las Cruces talent and presented free of charge, the One Act Play Festival presents several short plays covering a wide range of emotions, situations, and genres.
Visit the website

Saturday, March 18

9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Fossils!
Museum of Nature & Science
Explore the 3.5-billion-year odyssey of life with a geologist and real fossil specimens, while learning about the earliest life on Earth, from the Precambrian Era 4.6 billion year ago.
Visit the website

11 – 11:45 a.m.
Time Travelers
Las Cruces Railroad Museum
Find out how historians investigate the past, the sources they use, and the questions they ask, with new historic source presented every month. No registration required, free for ages 10+.
Visit the website

8 p.m.
Los Lonely Boys
Abraham Chavez Theatre
The Garza brothers, Henry, Jojo and Ringo, reunite to take their Grammy Award-winning “Texican rock” sound – a combination of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown-eyed soul, country and Tejano – on tour in anticipation of a new release.
Visit the website

March 18 – 19

7:30, 3 p.m.
Classics 3: Space, The Final Frontier
Atkinson Recital Hall
The Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Ming Luke, presents music from Gustav Holst’s The Planets, and composer John Williams iconic Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra.
Visit the website

Sunday, March 19

6 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Bataan Memorial Death March
White Sands Missile Range
Held annually since 1989, The Bataan Memorial Death March is a challenging 26-mile journey through the high desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range, offering clear blue skies, ample sunshine, and one of the most grueling marathons ever conceived by man.
Visit the website

Tuesday, March 21

5:30 p.m.
Science Café – Groundwater and Surface Water Interactions of the Riverbed
Zoom
The Museum of Nature & Science presents a lecture by Liwen Wu, Ph.D. discusses the principles of groundwater and surface water interactions in riverbeds, followed by an example focusing on the implications of seasonal river-groundwater disconnections for streambed exchange in arid and semi-arid environments such as those found in our region.
Visit the website

8 p.m.
Kevin Kaarl
Plaza Theatre
The Mexican singer-songwriter who mixes folk traditions, alt-rock sounds and lush dream pop instrumentals takes his act on tour in support of his debut album Paris Texas.
Visit the website

Wednesday, March 22

7:30 p.m.
Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica
Rio Grande Theatre
From the high arts of jazz and chamber music to adaptations of mid-century exotica and pop art, the quintet brings original compositions and curious arrangements of Bach, Gershwin, Shostakovich and John Adams into cinematic, layered music for armchair travelers ready to journey off road.
Visit the website

Thursday, March 23

1:30, 4:30 & 7:30 p.m.
Cirque Italia Water Circus
Mesilla Valley Mall
Cirque Italia returns with an aquatic spectacular, featuring a custom designed water stage under the big top, along with aerial acts, hand balancing, contortionists, and many more surprise performances.
Visit the website

4 – 5 p.m.
Sunshine Week
Branson Library @ NMSU
NMSU hosts a free-to-the-public  panel discussion on crime reporting as part of a national initiative that serves to educate the public on the importance of open government and public transparency.
Visit the website

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
A Starry Night
ASNMSU Center for the Arts
For the first time since 2019, New Mexico State University’s College of Arts and Sciences hosts its in-person gala fundraiser, with hors d’oeuvres and desserts, musical performances, video tributes and more.
Visit the website

7:30 p.m.
Atomic Comedy
Rio Grande Theatre
The Atomic Comedy Company brings America’s hottest comics from television, movies, sitcoms, and streaming to Las Cruces, featuring host John Padon and guests Steven Michael Quezada and Chuck Parker.
Visit the website

Friday, March 24

8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Physics Fun Day
Gardiner Hall, NMSU
Hosted by the Physics Graduate Student Organization to provide interactive demonstrations of common physics concepts to inspire an interest in STEM programs, including making ice cream with liquid nitrogen, and more.
Visit the website

March 24 – 26

12 p.m.
6^th Star City Tattoo and Arts Expo
El Paso Convention Center
Showcasing over 150 tattoo artists from all over the country, under one roof, the show features live tattooing, piercing, art, burlesque performers, and a variety of vendors, with activities for the entire family.
Visit the website

Saturday, March 25

10 – 11 a.m.
STEAMpunk – Gertrude Elion, Biochemist
Museum of Nature & Science
Ages 6 and up discover the stories behind science heroes who break barriers and explore the application of their research through hands-on experiments and activities. Free for ages 6 – 10.
Visit the website

11 a.m.
Farmworkers Awareness Week
Branigan Cultural Center
Join Carlos Marentes, founder and director of the Border Agricultural Workers Project, for his presentation on the historical impacts that have taken place in the Southwest United States within the industry of agriculture.
Visit the website

March 25 – 26

10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Las Cruces Arts Fair
Las Cruces Convention Center
The Doña Ana Arts Council presents the 12^th annual gathering of fine artists from across the nation, with an emphasis on regional and local artists, and featuring artwork for sale ranging from $5 to $10,000.
Visit the website

7:30 & 3 p.m.
Burden of Love
Atkinson Recital Hall, NMSU
New Mexico State University hosts the world premiere of a one-act opera by NMSU Music Department professor Lon. W. Chaffin, about how an individual can touch, heal, rescue, and restore people who are in desperate need.
Visit the website

Sunday, March 26

3 – 5 p.m.
EPSO presents Side By Side
Abraham Chavez Theatre
Members of the El Paso Symphony sit side by side the El Paso Youth Orchestra musicians for a full night of performances on one stage.
Visit the website

March 27 – 28

7:30 p.m.
The Fox and the Cookie
Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall @ UTEP
A delightful story of kindness is the latest world premiere by Opera UTEP – written by Maria Thompson Corley, and directed by Cherry Duke – which features a composer talkback afterwards.
Visit the website

Tuesday, March 28

5:30 p.m.
Teen Science Café – Marine Life
Zoom
The Museum of Nature & Science presents a dinner for students ages 11 – 17 with NMSU marine scientist Dr. Wiebke Boeing,  to learn about how marine science takes place in the desert and participate in a hands-on activity.
Visit the website

March 28 – April 2

7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 2 p.m.
Dear Evan Hansen
Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Center
The Broadway sensation, winner of six Tony Awards including Best Musical, is a deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it.
Visit the website

March 30 – April 2

1 – 10 p.m.
2023 Las Cruces Space Festival
Throughout Las Cruces
New Mexico’s part in the space age is celebrated with an art show at the Mesilla Valley Mall, movies at the Rio Grande Theatre, events at the Challenger Learning Center, and moongazing on the Plaza.
Visit the website

Friday, March 31

8 p.m.
Bring It On! Comedy Tour
Abraham Chavez Theatre
Comedians Gary Owen, Faizon Love and Bill Bellamy team up to bring their stand-up comedy and observational humor to the Borderlands.
Visit the website