Five things this weekend, and not a single one involves sitting on your couch watching reruns. Albuquerque's got a genuinely weird and wonderful spread over the next two days — magic ghosts, monster trucks, a tea party with a dress code, a centuries-old fire ceremony, and a 5K where your dog is the main character. Here's the rundown.
Wild West Magic Show Painted Lady · live show
This one's been building a reputation downtown and for good reason. Saturday night, the Painted Lady stages a magic show starring — and I need you to stay with me here — the ghost of Albuquerque's first sheriff. It's theatrical, it's strange, and the Painted Lady's intimate room makes the whole thing feel like something you stumbled into by accident. Exactly the kind of show this city does better than anywhere else.
Alice in Wonderland Tea Party Snapdragon Tea Party · immersive
Costumes are encouraged, which means this is not your grandmother's tea service. Snapdragon Tea Party is putting together a fully themed Alice in Wonderland afternoon on Saturday — think curated tea, whimsical table settings, and the kind of attention to detail that rewards people who actually commit to the bit. If you've got someone in your life who lights up at the words "immersive experience," this is the move.
Monster Jam Tingley Coliseum · arena
On the complete opposite end of the aesthetic spectrum: giant trucks crushing cars at Tingley Coliseum on Saturday. Monster Jam is exactly what it sounds like — loud, chaotic, and genuinely family-friendly in that way where kids lose their minds and parents secretly love it too. No pretense here. Just horsepower and destruction. Sometimes that's the right call.
Mexika New Year Celebration NHCC · free event
This is the one I'd circle if you can only do one thing this weekend. The National Hispanic Cultural Center in Barelas hosts a Mexika New Year celebration on Sunday featuring a fire ceremony, floral offerings, and traditional dance. It's free and all ages, which makes it even easier to just show up and be present for something rooted and beautiful. The NHCC consistently programs events that remind you what makes this city's cultural fabric so singular.
Doggie Dash 5K + Beer Garden Balloon Fiesta Park · fundraiser
Sunday morning at Balloon Fiesta Park, lace up and bring your dog — or come meet one you might take home. The Doggie Dash is a 5K fundraiser for Animal Humane New Mexico, and it wraps up with a beer garden, because whoever organized this understands how motivation works. Run with your dog, potentially adopt a new one, drink a beer in the morning sun. That's a full Sunday before noon.
Five very different doors to walk through this weekend, from a haunted magic parlor downtown to monster trucks at the fairgrounds to a sacred fire ceremony in Barelas. Pick one, pick three — just pick something. WYDABQ is a daily morning newsletter that puts stuff like this in your inbox before you've finished your coffee. Sign up at wydabq.com.