Albuquerque Folk Festival Logo

2025 Schedule

The Albuquerque Folk Festival will run from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Sunday, September 28, 2025, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (1701 Fourth St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102).

If you want an overview of the schedule, download the complete 2025 Schedule as a PDF file.Also, if you'd like a preview, you can download our 2025 Program Booklet as a PDF.

Sunday, September 28

  • 8:00 AM - Instrument Checkroom available in the Education Building
  • 9:45 AM - Performances begin in the Welcome Tent near the NHCC Welcome Center
  • 10:00 AM - Gates open
  • 10:00 AM - Performances begin at the Bank of America Theatre
    • - Arts and craft vendors and food vendors open
    • - Indian Classical and Folk Dance workshop begins in the Journal Theatre
    • - The all-age Family Barn Dance begins at the Salon Ortega
    • - A Circus Clown Welcome (near the Welcome Center)
    • - Instrument Petting Zoo opens
    • - Signups start for the Band Scramble
  • 10:30 AM - All other venues open
    • - Beer, wine, other beverages, and snacks available at Pop Fizz
    • - Stages, Workshops, Storytelling, Jams, Children's Tent, Sing Along
  • 11:00 AM - Hoop Dance demonstration near the food trucks
  • 12:00 PM – Chinese dance demonstration on the mall
  • 1:00 PM – Face Painting near the Kids’ tent
  • 1:50 PM – Capoeira parade through the mall
  • 2:30 PM – Special Orchestra near the mall
  • 3:30 PM - Sing-along with Dan Matthews at the Courtyard Stage
    • - Deadline for Band Scramble signup
    • - Signups start at the Sign-up Stage in the Wells Fargo Auditorium
  • 4:00 PM - Performances begin at the Albuquerque Journal Theatre
  • 4:00 PM - Instrument Petting Zoo closes
  • 4:15 PM - Band Scramble assignments and prractice locations announced
  • 4:30 PM - Band Scramble practice
    • - Instrument, singing, and kids workshops close
    • - Storytelling, Hosted Jams, and Jam with the Band close
  • 5:30 PM - Band Scramble at the Wells Fargo Theatre
    • -Evening Blues Dance with Felix y Los Gatos at the Ortega Salon, preceded by a Blues Dance workshop at 5:00 PM
    • -Performances conclude in the Bank of America Theatre
  • 6:30 PM – Sign-up Stage begins at the Wells Fargo Theatre
  • 6:30 PM – Performances conclude at the Courtyard Stage
  • 7:30 PM - Last call to get your instruments from the instrument check room
  • 8:00 PM - Instrument Check Room closes
    • - Pop Fizz alcohol sales end
    • - Performances conclude
    • - Blues Dance ends
    • - Raffle drawing (hope you bought a bunch of tickets!). Presence not required.
  • 8:00 PM - The party's over...until next year!

Quick Links:

  • Perfomance Stages

    Many great performers are scheduled on five stages from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

    We're staggering the schedule of the stages to allow even more flexibility in planning your day. Now you can catch performances that might otherwise coincide.

  • Sign-up Stage

    The Signup Stage in the Wells Fargo Auditorium will have performances from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM, with new performers every 20 minutes. Signups begin at 10:30 AM

  • Dance Program

    Get moving with multicultural dance workshops in two venues: in the Albuquerque Journal Theatre from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and in the Salon Ortega from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM  Also join in the Blues Dance at 6:00 PM.

  • Jam With The Band!

    Here’s your chance to play along with some of the best local, regional, and national bands. Grab some food or beverages, sit at the tables just outside of Pop Fizz, and listen to the Jam with the Band featuring many of our main stage performers.

  • Hosted Jams:

    We’ll have two hosted jams: One is primarily instrumental and the other is mostly singing. At the hosted jams, hosts are there to encourage musicians to pick a song/tune or start a song and to make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to participate. In addition, hosts bring their own unique flare to the jam. Sometimes they may bring music (notes, chords, or words).

    • Band Scramble:

    Our popular Band Scramble gives musicians and dancers of all levels a chance to be a Stage Performer at the Albuquerque Folk Festival. Band participants are chosen at random and have an hour to come up with two tunes (and a band name) that they then perform on the Courtyard Stage.

  • Music Workshops:

    Four workshop venues will offer a wide variety of musical and singing instruction from 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Participation is the heart of our Festival. Bring an acoustic musical instrument and/or your singing voice and join the fun.

  • Storytelling:

    Hear a wonderful tale from some of our best local storytellers from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

  • Children's Tent:

    While all our workshops are open to participants of all ages, sessions at the Children's Tent are tailored to get young kids and families started enjoying homemade music from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM.