SANTA FE – The New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) is further expanding its investment in New Mexico’s tourism events and festivals for fiscal year 2025.
The Tourism Event Growth & Sustainability Program offers eligible New Mexico entities that host tourism-related events with technical assistance, marketing resources and sponsorship support for those events. For FY25, NMTD is awarding $533,238 in support to 38 events, both a record for the agency. The investment by NMTD in this program for FY25 represents an increase of $77,536 in grant funding compared to FY24.
This program offers three options of support. The first option is an event accelerator that helps tourism events level up through technical support and strategic planning. The second option is a cooperative marketing model that pools resources between NMTD and participating entities. The third option is sponsorship support established tourism events. For FY25, 10 events will be participating in the accelerator, 14 will be participating in the marketing cooperative and 14 will be participating in the sponsorship module.
Tourism events in 16 destinations across New Mexico will be supported by this program in FY25. Of the 38 participating tourism events, 21 are hosted in communities outside of Albuquerque or Santa Fe.
New Mexico’s Native American and Hispanic American heritage is represented and supported through this program. The FY25 cohort includes six events that celebrate Native American culture and heritage and four events that celebrate Hispanic American culture and heritage.
“This program was created not just to offer technical support and financial resources to tourism-related events – it exists to take participating events along a journey of actual growth; one where events are building capacity, programming, attendance, quality guest experience or any other element of the event’s strategic vision,” said Acting Secretary Lancing Adams. “I’m happy to see that participants in this program are actually ‘leveling up’ and taking these events to new heights through our collaboration.”
The FY25 cohort includes 11 first-time participants for the program, ranging from the Silver City Blues Festival to Chama Christmas in the Mountains. The other first-time participating events in the program include: Blossom & Bones Ghost Ranch Music Festival, Chama Yak Attack, Cloudcroft Heritage Days Celebration, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Dance Program, Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival, Red River Oktoberfest, Santa Fe Studio Tour, Tejano Fest and Vino in the Valley.
Below is a complete list of program participants for FY25:
Event Accelerator
|
||
Chama Christmas in the Mountains |
Chama |
$5,000 |
Chama Valley Art Festival and Studio Tour |
Chama |
$5,000 |
Chama Yak Attack |
Chama |
$5,000 |
Farmhouse Ale and Bernalillo Blues Festival |
Bernalillo |
$5,000 |
Great American Duck Race |
Deming |
$5,000 |
Nakotah LaRance Youth Hoop Dance Championship |
Santa Fe |
$5,000 |
Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival |
Santa Fe |
$5,000 |
Santa Fe Studio Tour |
Santa Fe |
$5,000 |
Smokin’ on the Plaza |
Lovington |
$5,000 |
Tommy Knocker 10 |
Santa Clara |
$5,000 |
Cooperative Marketing Support
|
||
8750’ Festival |
Red River |
$7,682 |
Aspencade |
Red River |
$7,682 |
Bernalillo Indian Arts Festival |
Bernalillo |
$7,682 |
Blossoms & Bones Ghost Ranch Music Festival |
Ghost Ranch |
$10,000 |
Day of the Tread |
Albuquerque |
$5,000 |
Fiesta Latina |
Silver City |
$10,000 |
Indigenous Ways Festival |
Santa Fe |
$10,000 |
Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque |
Albuquerque |
$10,000 |
Red River Oktoberfest |
Red River |
$10,000 |
Silver City Blues Festival |
Silver City |
$10,000 |
Tejano Fest |
Lordsburg |
$5,682 |
Traditional Spanish Market |
Santa Fe |
$10,000 |
UFO Festival |
Roswell |
$9,510 |
Vino in the Valley |
Red River |
$10,000 |
Sponsorship
|
||
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta |
Albuquerque |
$50,000 |
Cloudcroft Heritage Days Celebration |
Cloudcroft |
$5,000 |
CURRENTS New Media |
Santa Fe |
$10,000 |
Festival Flamenco Albuquerque |
Albuquerque |
$30,000 |
Gathering of Nations Powwow |
Albuquerque |
$50,000 |
International Folk Art Market |
Santa Fe |
$30,000 |
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Dance Program |
Albuquerque |
$20,000 |
Las Cruces International Film Festival |
Las Cruces |
$20,000 |
Santa Fe Indian Market |
Santa Fe |
$50,000 |
Santa Fe International Film Festival |
Santa Fe |
$20,000 |
Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta |
Santa Fe |
$10,000 |
The Burning of Zozobra |
Santa Fe |
$50,000 |
The Paseo |
Taos |
$10,000 |
Up & Over 10K Trail Run Weekend |
Taos Ski Valley |
$5,000 |