The Ruidoso and Alto, New Mexico communities offer residents and visitors alike a vibrant calendar of Special Events, Festivals, Art Shows, Big Name Concerts and Sporting Competitions. We've listed some of the larger events below. To see all area events visit Ruidoso Events Calendar.
Ski Apache’s Disabled Skier’s Annual Silent Auction
Area volunteers to work hard raising funds for this very worthwhile cause and the big event of the year is the Annual Silent Auction. Always held at the end of January, the auction has been going for years and generates over $20,000 annually. The Silent Auction is a great way to support a great program and your chance to pick up some of the best bargains in town! Significant works of art, ski equipment and apparel, home décor items … and the best collection of must have odds and ends you’ll ever see! So make sure your Ruidoso January plans include Ski Apache’s Disabled Skier’s Annual Silent Auction!
Ruidoso’s Annual mARTi Gras Celebration!
Each February New Orleans’ French Quarter visits Ruidoso at the Ruidoso Convention Center with the Ruidoso Regional Council for the Arts’ annual mARTi Gras Celebration … it’s the Ruidoso version of Mardi Gras! Live music by a Dixieland or Cajun themed band plays all night long, a gumbo cook-off contest well supported by our chefs from some great local restaurants plus other wonderful food specialties. Every year, too, offers a special feature. Sometimes you’ll experience a Mardi Gras Costume Contest and other times a Mardi Gras related art event like their most recent art mask contest. Plus a silent auction with incredible bidding items takes place right during the night before your eyes!
Ruidoso’s Mountain Living Home and Garden Show
What a great way to welcome spring’s return … with the Annual Mountain Living Home and Garden Show. Every March more than 200 qualified experts convene at the Ruidoso Convention Center to meet you personally and demonstrate the latest products and designs. Here you’ll find; Handcrafted Furniture, Accessories & Art, Educational Seminars & Workshops, Building and Design, Gardening and Landscaping, Architecture & Remodeling Experts, Professionals in Home Sales & Financing and the Latest Tools & Materials.
The High Mesa Artists’ Studio Tour near Ruidoso
Nogal New Mexico in April is nothing short of sublime. Simply put … this is high desert perfection. Eight very talented local artists & crafters open their studios every spring and let you in on for a unique view into their fascinating worlds. The high plains and rolling grassland orchards of Nogal, New Mexico are the perfect setting for the annual event which takes place without fail every April. Meet and Greet the Artists on their home turf do don’t miss this great annual Lincoln County Art Event right outside of Ruidoso!
Ruidoso’s AspenCash Motorcycle Rally
Nothing matches the excitement of seeing and hearing thousands of well-tuned, metal-flaked, custom-chromed, fat-tired, open exhaust works of rolling art cruising down Main Street in Ruidoso, New Mexico. And during four days every May that is exactly what happens! With a $10,000 poker run, 33,000 square feet of trade show at the Ruidoso Convention Center and some of the best riding country God ever created, you’ll know why this is one of the most popular and respected rallies held in the Southwest.
Ruidoso’s Mountain of Blues Festival
Ruidoso Mountain of Blues is dedicated to keeping the musical tradition of Live Blues alive and kicking in Ruidoso, New Mexico. From their humble beginnings in the summer of 1998, the Ruidoso Mountain of Blues Festival is now one of the Southwest’s most respected and anticipated annual Live Blues Events. National touring artists regularly headline the show backed up by a regular cast of great regional acts. This combination makes for a quality live blues concert experience previously unseen or unheard for that matter high desert town of Ruidoso New Mexico! The Mountain Blues Jam takes place on schedule every June in Ruidoso ... mark your calendar!
Ruidoso Art Festival
Ruidoso is home to some world class artists and galleries as well as the now famous summer art festival in held every July for nearly 40 years. The Show is the granddaddy of Art Festivals in the Southwest and features approximately 120 juried artists from a dozen states displaying paintings, drawings, photography, glass, porcelain, metalwork, woodwork, jewelry, batik, pottery, weaving, fabric, leather work and sculpture.
All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs Racetrack
Do you know which is the world’s richest Quarter Horse race? It’s the $2 million All-American Futurity and its home is right in Ruidoso’s sister city, Ruidoso Downs in Southeast New Mexico. Every Day Labor Day, which is always the first Monday in September, this event is the culmination of another exciting reason at Ruidoso Downs Racetrack and Casino. This event which debuted in 1959 with a winning filly named “Galobar”, has been growing strong and gaining continuous momentum ever since this inaugural year. 2008 marked the event’s Silver Anniversary.
Ruidoso Aspenfest Weekend Celebration
Aspenfest occurs the first weekend of October every year in and around Ruidoso. It’s the consummate celebration of Autumn with aspen trees ablaze, cerulean blue skies and crisp air! The weekend includes the fantastic Aspenfest parade right through midtown Ruidoso, the Classic Car show at Ruidoso Downs Racetrack, The New Mexico State Chili cook-off and a great Arts and Crafts fair at Schoolhouse Park in Ruidoso.
Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium and Chuck Wagon Cook-off
The finest cowboy poets, artists and musicians descend upon Ruidoso Downs every fall During the second full weekend every October, Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico plays host to the nation's finest cowboy poets, musicians, including the world famous Texas Playboys, chuck wagon cooks, western artists and craftsmen for a incomparable three day event … The Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium. Great competitions and workshops are held as well.
Ruidoso Festival of Lights
Traditions involving light exist around the world during the dark solstice months of November and December. In the mountain resort community of Ruidoso, New Mexico, the Ruidoso Valley Festival of Light celebrates the triumph of light over darkness with more events than ever before inviting the Ruidoso community at large and visitors from afar to bask in its glorious seasonal glow. The Festival runs from late November through December every year featuring the luminous beauty of a zillion lights sparkling right through the New Year’s holiday.
