WHAT'S NEW IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

Juno Brewery Now Open in Wells Park
Juno Brewery has emerged to take over the building left vacant after Dialogue Brewing closed during the pandemic. Jason and Maxine Marks, part of the new ownership group, reopened the brewery, breathing life back into the unique and historical Wells Parks building, which was once a warehouse, a museum and an auto shop. In addition to beer, the brewery is offering food that includes tapas, paninis, hot dogs and coffee drinks, such as espressos and cappuccinos.

Crumbl Cookies Makes Albuquerque Debut at Cottonwood Corners
Chase McFarland, franchisee and operator of Crumbl's first Albuquerque location, opened the Utah-based dessert store at Cottonwood Corners. He's been working on opening Crumbl since last year after seeing the early success of the first store in Logan, Utah. The concept has taken off nationwide with locations across the country.

Several New Restaurants, Wineries and Brewery Open in Historic Old Town
New additions to Plaza Don Luis in historic Old Town include wine-tasting rooms from Noisy Water Winery out of Ruidoso and Sheehan Winery in Albuquerque, Outpost Brewing and Taproom, Texas-style barbecue joint Fat T’s BBQ, Flying Roadrunner Bakery, and others.

Canvas Artistry Kitchen, Bar and Music Venue Now Open within One Central
One Central Entertainment District marks the gateway to downtown Albuquerque at the corner of First St. and Central Avenue. It is Transit Oriented, featuring an Albuquerque Rapid Transit Stop (ART) along First St. and situated directly across the street from the Rail Runner and Amtrak Station. The first of its kind, Canvas Artistry features a multicultural street food menu and craft cocktails along with works from local photographers, designers, film-makers, dancers, musicians, and artisans. 

Vietnamese Fast Casual Restaurant Spring Rollin’ Opens
Co-founder of Paleta Bar, Dipo Alam, recently opened Spring Rollin’ near Cottonwood Mall. The spring rolls are made to order, and the egg rolls stray far afield from the pork-and-cabbage filling typical to the genre. After you order, the server tosses the egg rolls into the fryer and then goes about making the spring rolls to your specifications. You choose your wrap – rice paper or lettuce – and then work your way down the line through noodles, proteins, veggies and a “Texture” category made up of crunchy add-ons such as hot Cheetos, shrimp chips and fried egg roll skin.

Attractions & Facilities

Spirit Airlines Begins Service at the Albuquerque International Sunport
Spirit Airlines began flying nonstop between Albuquerque and Las Vegas, Nevada on August 3, marking the airline’s entry into the Albuquerque market. Southwest and Frontier also offer service between Albuquerque and Las Vegas.

Electric Playhouse Renews Their Focus on the Experience of Both Visitors and Staff
The Co-Founders of Electric Playhouse have always seen the future of their integrated immersive experience as something that serves as a platform for content creators and artists across the globe. As the company continues to grow, they have re-organized leadership in a way that will position them for success in both their corporate goals as well as their internal company culture. Electric Playhouse also plans to use recent funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to establish an administrative headquarters downtown. The business intends to renovate 3,880 square feet of the Occidental Life Building at Third Street and Gold Avenue, including outfitting the building’s unique Gothic Revival façade with interactive art pieces and colorful architectural lighting, and updating the interior office space.

MurosABQ Continues to Add New Public Art Displays to Website for Self-Guided Tours
Albuquerque has one of the largest public art collections in the country, and new works are constantly being created. MurosABQ has done the legwork to identify some of the city's most marvelous murals and continues to build out the website with new additions. 

Los Poblanos Launches the Dr. Armin Rembe Lecture Series at La Quinta
Named in honor of Dr. Rembe, who passed away in spring 2021, and inspired by his love of Los Poblanos, his curiosity, intelligence and community relations, this series aims to celebrate his legacy by promoting stimulating conversations rooted in the core values and mission of Los Poblanos. The lecture series is also a nod to the rich history of La Quinta Cultural Center of the 1930s and 1940s, when the Simms family held lectures and events that promoted the arts. As Los Poblanos works to preserve La Quinta as an important architectural landmark, it also aims to emulate its dynamic programming through curated events and experiences.

Routes Bicycle Tours and Heritage Inspirations add New Tour Experiences
Routes Bicycle Tours & Rentals added a new ABQ Bike & Taco Tour, which takes riders to the best taco joints in Albuquerque while passing through the scenic art and food community. Additionally, the new Duke City E-Bike Tour from Heritage Inspirations takes riders through the heart of Albuquerque’s historic, cultural, and artistic center. They will pedal effortlessly through the downtown neighborhoods hopping on and off of their bike to explore the undiscovered corners of the neighborhoods. 

New Mexico Military Museum Reopens
After COVID closures and renovations, the New Mexico Military Museum finally reopened to visitors in November. The museum on Old Pecos Trail reopened after restrictions were lifted early in 2021 but shut down again in August for upgrades.
 

Development

Avanyu Plaza Continues to Phase II of Construction
Avanyu Plaza is destined to be a business & cultural Corridor like no other, right in the heart of Albuquerque. The property is owned by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico and located across the street from the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. In 1976, the Pueblo communities came together with the vision of providing economic and employment opportunities for Pueblo and local community members. Now, they are transforming this area into a vibrant new neighborhood, hosting dozens of enterprises including office and commercial tenants, lodging, retail operations, food service, and security operations. Phase II includes three buildings totaling 21,000 sq. ft. of retail space, most of which opened in late 2021. 

City of Albuquerque Takes Next Step In Rail Trail Sky Bridge Project
This partnership between Albuquerque’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency and Zydeco 66, LLC, includes a sky bridge connecting to the Albuquerque Convention Center and a plaza along the upcoming Rail Trail, along with a potential 140 residential units or hotel rooms. The project serves to improve pedestrian connectivity while offering new housing opportunities for residents.

Movie Production Facility Opens at Journal Plant
William Lang, president of Albuquerque Publishing Co., announced in November the formation of a new movie production facility. The venture will be headquartered at and utilize portions of the publishing company’s facility at 7777 Jefferson St. NE, the same campus that houses the Journal. The Studios At Journal Center comprises a main stage area of 23,000 square feet with adjoining office space, a secondary stage or mill area of 13,000 square feet, and approximately 10,000 square feet of office space that can be used for production offices or filming. Additional office and general utility rooms are also available.

Anniversaries

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® Celebrates 50 Years
This year, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® celebrates 50 years of what has become a fall tradition in Albuquerque. A lot has changed since the first time hot air balloonists gathered in Albuquerque in 1972. Now, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® is one of the most photographed events in the world with hundreds of thousands of attendees.

Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque Celebrates 30 Years
The Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque celebrates 30 years this year of a classic New Mexican tradition. It began in 1991 as a Mexican-style rodeo concert. Since then, the event has become one of the premier mariachi festivals with internationally-recognized artists, workshops and concerts.