The Land of Enchantment is home to numerous exciting events. We’ve curated a list for March and April, but we’re always hearing about more! Find updated calendars online at LasCruces.com and SantaFe.com. Things can change, so check details before attending.
MARCH EVENTS
THROUGH MARCH 12
Chocolate: The Exhibition | New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, Albuquerque | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Prepare to have your senses engaged, as you trace the evolution of chocolate from a small, bitter seed found deep in the rainforest to the continent-spanning delicacy it is today.
MARCH 3 – 11
The Brave Little Tailor | Rio Grande Theatre, Las Cruces | 7 p.m., 1 p.m.
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.
SATURDAY, MARCH 4
Cowboy Days | New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, Las Cruces | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Old West is revisited in the biggest event of the year, bringing to life New Mexico’s ranching traditions through demonstrations, food, living-history activities, and other family-friendly programs.
Dr. Seuss Day | Museum of Nature and Science, Las Cruces | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Celebrate the fun and fantastic literary world of children’s author Dr. Seuss through a plethora of activities inspired by his books. No registration is required, free for recommended ages 2 – 10.
Dancing With the Stars | Abraham Chavez Theatre, El Paso | 7 p.m.
The ballroom comes to life in a production featuring all your favorite local dance pros, plus special guest stars, performing dazzling routines in every style, jaw-dropping talent, and nonstop entertainment.
THURSDAY, MARCH 9
Take Me to the River: NOLA LIVE! | Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe | 7:30 p.m.
Influential figures of modern New Orleans funk, R&B, soul, and jazz — Dumpstaphunk, George Porter Jr., Runnin’ Pardners, and Jon Cleary — come together for one unforgettable night of music.
MARCH 9 – 12
Deming Rockhound Roundup | Southwestern New Mexico State Fairgrounds, Deming | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
A four-day event attracting rock collectors and geologists, to examine volcanic rocks, gems, and minerals, hosted by the Deming Gem and Mineral Society.
MARCH 11 – 12
Ruidoso Outdoor Expo | Ruidoso Convention Center, Ruidoso | Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. & Sunday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The second annual free expo has all the inspiration, kit, and tech for you to get outside and active, whether it be walking, biking, running, water sports, camping, or excursions for the entire family.
MARCH 10 – 26
The Revolutionists | Black Box Theatre, Las Cruces | 8 p.m., 2:30 p.m. matinees
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.
SATURDAY, MARCH 11
Chalk the Walk | Las Cruces Museum of Art | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
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.
Neighborhood Tour | Las Cruces Railroad Museum | 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Join the Railroad Museum curator for a stroll around the Alameda-Depot district and learn about the neighborhood that the railroad created. No registration is required, free for all ages.
Hook | Rio Grande Theatre, Las Cruces | 7 p.m.
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).
Attacca String Quartet | Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall, University of Texas at El Paso | 7:30 p.m.
El Paso Pro Musica presents the Grammy Award-winning Attacca String Quartet – passionate advocates of contemporary repertoire, known for gliding from the music of the 18th century through the 21st century.
A Night with Ottmar Liebert | Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque | 8 p.m.
The New Mexico Philharmonic welcomes New Mexico’s own “million-fingered” guitar virtuoso, delivering a flamenco-driven fusion of styles and genres for an amazing evening of music.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
The Wrap | Rio Grande Theatre, Las Cruces | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
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.
FRIDAY, MARCH 17
World Ballet Series: Cinderella | Plaza Theatre, El Paso | 7 p.m.
A visually stunning production 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.
MARCH 17 – 19
Anime New Mexico | Crowne Plaza, Albuquerque | Noon
Meet voice actors from your favorite anime shows, shop at the artists’ alley and dealers’ hall, attend Idol concerts, participate in Medieval combat, dance all night at an anime-themed rave, and more!
MARCH 17 – 26
One Act Play Festival | Las Cruces Community Theatre, Las Cruces | 7:30 p.m., 2 p.m.
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.
MARCH 18 – 19
Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra Classics 3 | Atkinson Recital Hall, NMSU Campus | 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday
The concert is called “Space: The Final Frontier” and features The Planets by Gustav Holst.
SATURDAY, MARCH 18
Fossils! | Museum of Nature & Science, Las Cruces | 9 a.m. – noon
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 years ago.
The Met Live: Lohengrin | Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe | 11 a.m.
Santa Fe Opera presents the live HD screening of Wagner’s masterpiece, making its triumphant return to the Met stage after 17 years, with Tenor Piotr Beczata in the title role of the mysterious swan knight.
Time Travelers | Las Cruces Railroad Museum | 11 – 11:45 a.m.
Find out how historians investigate the past, the sources they use, and the questions they ask, with new historic sources presented every month. No registration required, free for ages 10+.
Hank & My Honky Tonk Heroes | Spencer Theater, Ruidoso | 7 p.m.
Jason Petty celebrates Hank Williams 100th birthday with his critically acclaimed, Obie Award-winning tribute, featuring “Hey, Good Lookin’,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” and many more chart-topping hits.
SUNDAY, MARCH 19
Bataan Memorial Death March | White Sands Missile Range | 6 a.m.
Held annually since 1989, this event is a challenging 26.2-mile journey through the high-desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range in an event that honors members of the American and Philippine military who were forced to march during World War II’s Bataan Death March.
FRIDAY, MARCH 24
Paula Poundstone | Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe | 7:30 p.m.
Known for her smart, observational humor and spontaneous wit that has become the stuff of legend, Paula can be heard weekly as the host of the comedy podcast Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone.
MARCH 24 – 26
6th Star City Tattoo and Arts Expo | El Paso Convention Center | Noon
Showcasing more than 150 tattoo artists from all over the country, the show features live tattooing and piercing, art, burlesque performers, and a variety of vendors with activities for the entire family.
MARCH 25 – 26
Las Cruces Arts Fair | Las Cruces Convention Center, Las Cruces |Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. & Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Doña Ana Arts Council presents the 12th 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.
SATURDAY, MARCH 25
STEAMpunk – Gertrude Elion, Biochemist | Museum of Nature & Science, Las Cruces | 10 – 11 a.m.
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.
SUNDAY, MARCH 26
EPSO presents Side by Side | Abraham Chavez Theatre, El Paso | 3 p.m.
Members of the El Paso Symphony sit side by side with the El Paso Youth Orchestra musicians for a full night of performances on one stage.
TUESDAY, MARCH 28
National Theatre Live: The Crucible | Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe | 7 p.m.
A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Miller’s captivating parable of power about a group of young women in Salem, raised to be seen but not heard, who suddenly find their words have an almighty power.
APRIL EVENTS
MARCH 28 – APRIL 2
Dear Evan Hansen | Plaza Theatre, El Paso | Multiple performance times
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.
SATURDAY, APRIL 1
Trinity Site Open House | White Sands Missile Range | 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Only open twice a year, visit the site where the world’s first atomic bomb was tested at White Sands Missile Range in the Tularosa Basin at 5:29 a.m. MST on July 16, 1945.
APRIL 1 – 2
Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest | Manuel Lujan Jr. Exhibit Complex, Albuquerque | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Discover and shop from more than 140 chocolatiers, coffee roasters, bakers, candy makers, purveyors of gourmet foods, coffee and food trucks, and New Mexico’s finest breweries, wineries, and distilleries.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5
Paul Taylor Dance Company | Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe | 7:30 p.m.
The New York–based troupe performs works from Taylor’s massive choreographic legacy plus a new piece from PTDC Resident Choreographer Lauren Lovette.
SATURDAY, APRIL 8
Paws on Parade | Young Park, Las Cruces
A fundraiser walk with your four-legged buddy to raise funds for Four Paws and a Wake Up, which donates fully trained service dogs to veterans.
Dark Crystal | Rio Grande Theatre, Las Cruces | 7 p.m.
The 2023 Classic Film series presents the classic Jim Henson puppet fantasy about a young gelfling who sets out to find a shard of the dark crystal, defeat the evil Skeksis, and restore balance to the universe.
MONDAY, APRIL 10
Chris Botti | Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe | 7:30 p.m.
For more than two decades, Grammy Award-winning master trumpeter and composer Chris Botti has amassed a spectacular variety of honors to become the nation’s largest-selling instrumental artist.
TUESDAY, APRIL 11
An Evening with Third Eye Blind | Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque | 9 p.m.
The best-selling San Francisco alternative rock band, which has earned worldwide success and continues to gain a dedicated young fanbase after 25 years on the charts, brings its tour to the Southwest.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12
The Wrap | Rio Grande Theatre, Las Cruces | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
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, and time-lapse reels.
APRIL 12 – 16
Las Cruces International Film Festival | Allen Theaters Cineport 10, Las Cruces | Hours vary by the day
Whether it’s narrative features, documentaries, short films, animation, or foreign films you crave, LCIFF has got you covered, giving you an opportunity to celebrate and support film in Southern New Mexico.
FRIDAY, APRIL 14
The Manhattan Transfer | Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe | 7:30 p.m.
The pop-jazz ensemble continues its illustrious 50-year career as one of the world’s most innovative vocal groups with their blend of pop, jazz, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, swing, and a cappella music.
Jon Pardi | Pan American Center, Las Cruces | 8 p.m.
The country music staple brings his high energy,high-volume live show to Las Cruces, in support of his just-released fourth album, Mr. Saturday Night, along with opening act Hailey Whitters.
SUNDAY, APRIL 16
The Jungle Book | Spencer Theater, Ruidoso | 2 p.m.
Water, air, earth, and fire – the four natural elements – intertwine in the State Street Ballet’s dazzling, original adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale, incorporating area student dancers.
APRIL 21 & 22
El Paso Symphony Orchestra presents Rhapsody in Passion | Plaza Theatre, El Paso | 7:30 p.m.
Russian American pianist Natasha Paremski joins the El Paso Symphony Orchestra to perform such brilliant works as Wagner’s Overture to Die Meistersinger, Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique, op. 14, and more.
APRIL 21 – 23
El Paso Comic Con | El Paso Convention Center | Multiple times
The community-based pop culture experience is back, with all your favorite fantasy, sci-fi, and other pop culture genres, including comics, games, film, television, and more.
SUNDAY, APRIL 23
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain | Lensic Theatre, Santa Fe | 7:30 p.m.
A humbly compelling and beloved instrument gains expressive, virtuosic freedom with George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. At their hands, the ever-present relevance of popular music meets the lofty sounds of “highbrow” fare in a delicious acoustic mash-up like nothing else you’ve heard.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26
Simply Three | Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall, The University of Texas at El Paso | 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
El Paso Pro Musica presents Glen McDaniel, Zack Clark, and Nick Villalobos, a trio looking to change the landscape for string players of the future, with classically trained pop rock, creative covers, and more.
APRIL 27 – 29
Gathering of Nations Pow Wow | EXPO New Mexico, Albuquerque | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
In the past 39 years, this event has grown from an early dream to one of the world’s most recognized annual festivals, where Native people can come together each year to celebrate and share culture.
SATURDAY, APRIL 29
¡mira! Las Cruces | Plaza de Las Cruces | 2 – 10 p.m.
Visit Las Cruces hosts its inaugural event, taking a look at the vast cultural variety offered by the largest city in Southern New Mexico, featuring food, drink, live music, interactive booths, and a car show.
MAY EVENTS
APRIL 28 – MAY 7
Godspell | ASNMSU Center for the Arts, Las Cruces | 7:30 p.m., 2 p.m. matinees
The acclaimed musical about a small group of people helping Jesus Christ tell different parables — by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques, and hefty doses of comic timing.
Off! | Meow Wolf, Santa Fe | 8 p.m.
AMP Concerts presents the hardcore punk supergroup made up of members of the Circle Jerks/Black Flag, Burning Brides, Redd Cross, and Rocket From The Crypt/Hot Snakes.
FRIDAY, MAY 5
New Mexico Tamale Fest | Plaza de Las Cruces | 5 – 11 p.m.
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the largest tamale sampling festival in the Land of Enchantment, featuring local food trucks, Mexican beer gardens, live music, games, and a night mercado.
MAY 5 – 7
Cats | Plaza Theatre, El Paso | 8 p.m., 2 p.m. matinees
The record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber – about one magical night spent with an extraordinary tribe of cats – hits the road for a new generation of theatergoers.
MAY 5 – 21
Fully Committed | Black Box Theatre, Las Cruces | 8 p.m., 2:30 p.m. matinees
No Strings Theatre Company presents a devastatingly funny one-act, which follows a day in the life of an out-of-work actor who mans the red-hot reservation line at Manhattan’s number-one restaurant.
SATURDAY, MAY 6
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | Amador Bar & Grill, Las Cruces | Doors open at 5 p.m.
The legendary ‘90s hip-hop group, known for blending bright vocal harmonies with tough, fast raps, reunites for a highly anticipated concert tour, which was rescheduled from last October.
Art Exhibits
Through March 11, 2023
Together Through as Within | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday | NMSU Art Museum, Las Cruces
The work of staff and faculty within the Department of Art in NMSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, where each educator is also an artist, is featured, as curated by Leslie Moody Castro.
Through March 25, 2023
Vale la Pena (It’s Worth It) | 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Tuesday – Friday | Branigan Cultural Center, Las Cruces
The work of multimedia artist Gina Gwen Palacios, who draws upon her family history and Mexican American identity to create portraits of her and her family’s lived experiences.
Through April 1, 2023
City of Hope: Resurrection City and the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign | 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Tuesday – Friday | Branigan Cultural Center, Las Cruces
A traveling poster exhibit discussing the tent city established during the summer of 1968 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in which people came from across America to demand social justice.
Through April 2, 2023
Rural Life in New Mexico: Paintings by Carlitta Harvey | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, Las Cruces
The artworks of farmer, landscape architect, horticulturist, and painter Carlitta Harvey are on display, documenting the beauty and abundance of the agricultural and cultural landscape of New Mexico.
Through May 6, 2023
Gaspar Enríquez: Chicano Pride, Chicano Soul | 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Las Cruces Museum of Art, Las Cruces
A showcase for the artist who has long defined the Chicano art scene, by creating hyper-realistic and intimate airbrush portraits of people he finds compelling.
Through May 20, 2023
Ad Infinitum: Artists Against War and Imperialism | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday | NMSU Art Museum, Las Cruces
A collection of war-era posters and artworks from the NMSU Permanent Art Collection, highlighting 20th-century imperialism and its effects such as militarization, the nuclear arms race, and more.
Through June 2023
Rise, Explore, Persevere: Women in STEM | 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Tuesday – Friday | Museum of Nature & Science, Las Cruces
An exhibition promoting women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is presented, thanks to a grant from the Association of Science and Technology Centers.
Through summer 2023
Honesty of Construction: The WPA and Spanish Colonial Style Furniture | 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Tuesday – Friday | Branigan Cultural Center, Las Cruces
Drawing from the University Museum collection at New Mexico State University, the exhibit features a wide range of furniture pieces that were made during a 1930s community vocational training program.
Posted by LasCruces.com
