ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) — Glass, fine art, jewelry, and more. That’s some of what you’ll find at a local art festival recently named one of the best in the country by USA Today. You can even get a taste of it yourself this weekend, from Friday to Sunday.
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“We were so honored to be nominated. We were the only fully independent, fully family-run show on the list,” said Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festival Communications Manager Emily Sisson. “We were competing against some really, really major and some really awesome organizations. So, readers voted to determine who would win. We were blown away to not only make the top 10 list, but we actually came in at number two. That was just so exciting and such an honor for us.”
Founded all the way back in 1988, the Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festival has become an Albuquerque staple. There are three different festivals by Rio Grande each year – the one held during Fiesta weekend, “Balloon Fest,” was specifically deemed No. 2 on that USA Today list. The event is hosted at Sandia Resort & Casino, where you’ll find artwork ranging from traditional to contemporary, with plenty of Native American pieces. There’s also live music, brews, and a food market.
With 34 years’ worth of festivals, the people behind Rio Grande have seen their fair share of patrons come through the tent. “It’s really amazing to see, through the decades, some of the people who have been enjoying these shows since the beginning, and now maybe bring their daughters or their granddaughters or their husbands, or anyone else that they want to bring, now it’s become part of their norm. So, really neat to see,” said Sisson…