Top Festivals in Southern New Mexico
There are many locations in southern NM that celebrate this adaptation annually, with races, fairs, festivals and excitement of all forms. However, in any group there are those few members that distinguish themselves as somehow a cut above the rest. It is no different here.
Number three on the list is the Apple Festival of Hillsboro. Nestled among the hills north of the Caballo Reservoir, Hillsboro is a small town of less than 500 people, and is easily accessible from I-25, I-10 and Hwy 185. Although ranking as small even by the standards of New Mexico, the town hosts its nationally-renowned Apple Festival annually over Labor Day weekend. The main road of Hillsboro plays host to over two hundred vendors and booths, and showcase creations made possible by the fruit for which the Festival is named. No admission is charged for entrance, and parking costs only a few dollars for an all-day spot. It is possible to see the entire festival in a morning at a leisurely pace, leaving plenty of time to sample the pies, tarts, cobbler and dozens of other goodies available.
Number two lies further south than Hillsboro, but much higher into the mountains. The winding road that leads from Alamogordo to the sky-home of Cloudcroft passes through High Rolls, NM, a town even smaller than Hillsboro. But it also passes by several hundred acres of cherry trees, and it is this fruit that gives the Cherry Festival its name. Held on the third full weekend of June each year, the Cherry Festival draws artists and craftsmen from throughout the Southwest and provides a beautiful tree-shaded area in the high mountains to enjoy the festivities. Local bakers and chefs prepare a wide variety of cherry-filled items and the stage lights up with a mixture of bluegrass, rock, country and gospel. Also free to enter, and with plenty of parking available, the Cherry Festival is perhaps one of Southern NM’s worst-kept secrets. Going early in the morning assures visitors of ample supplies of fresh-picked cherries, mouth-tingling fruit cider and the tantalizing scent of barbeque that is served at the main hall all day.
Topping the list, however, is the sprawling Renaissance CraftFaire of Las Cruces, NM. One of the latest items in the calendar, the Rennfaire, as it is affectionately known, is hosted on the first full weekend of November every year, and sports a dragon in the lake, a troll under the bridge, and more than four hundred artisans and crafters. Free shuttles run from the parking lots of the nearby Mesilla Valley Mall, and entrance is reasonably priced at only $3 a person. Magic, juggling, songs and more grace all three of the royal stages, while a procession of the rich and powerful of the Court twines through the park twice daily. Among the most memorable sights of the Faire are the Monks of Chocolate (“Have you been blessed by Chocolate, my child?”), the Ratcatcher and his Ratapult, and the live jousting and dueling of the SCA and Southwest Steel; the latest addition to the Faire, and quickly one of the most popular, is the falconry demonstration by the non-profit group Hawks Aloft. Likewise, the food spans the times from ancient to modern and even the Children can easily enjoy themselves in the massive Gypsy Camp that holds sway in the center of the park.
The region is known for its festivals, and these are only the best of a long list. Make your plans to attend soon!
