New Mexico State Fair 2025:
Sept. 4th - Sept. 14th, 2025
Each year brings something new and exciting to the New Mexico State Fair! To help celebrate the Route 66 Centennial, be sure to see the renovated landmark tower originally built in 1938. Now with its fresh Route 66 neon sign, the tower welcomes visitors on the Central Avenue side of the Expo New Mexico fairgrounds. Here are some additional highlights:
- Country legend and five-time Grammy winner Wynonna Judd will kick off the 2025 Rodeo Concert Series on Friday, Sept. 5, right after the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Rodeo.
- The multi-platinum hip hop group Cypress Hill will also perform at this year’s fair for the first time; catch them on Saturday night, Sept. 6.
- The following day, starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, head to Tingley Coliseum for Soundwave NM, a first-of-its-kind music festival promoting local musicians.
For more info and details on other events happening this year, visit https://statefair.exponm.com/.
New Mexico State Fair Midway, ca. 1965. Albuquerque Museum, gift of John Airy. PA1982.181.186
A Brief History of the New Mexico State Fair
A beloved tradition for generations, the New Mexico State Fair returns to Albuquerque in September. Amidst the delighted shrieks from ride goers, the sizzle of turkey legs on the grill and so much more is a cultural event that goes back before our state was even officially part of America.
Originally founded in the fall of 1881 as the “Territorial Fair,” the State Fair got its name in 1913, one year after New Mexico officially became a state. Locals flocked to a much smaller area in Old Town for modest attractions until 1916, when World War I and other sources of economic distress forced it to close. For 22 years there was no fair, until at last organizers reintroduced it in 1938 at its current location on Central Avenue and San Pedro Drive, a lot that spans 236 acres. In 1960, organizers decided the fair would consistently take place in September each year. These days, the fair typically lasts 11 days and sees more than 500,000 attendees.
Aerial View of the State Fairgrounds looking west over the grandstand, c. 1948. Albuquerque Museum, gift of New Mexico State Fair, Charlie Frelund. PA1999.005.153
“Everyone knows that in September you come to the State Fair,” says Dan Mourning, the General Manager of Expo New Mexico and the New Mexico State Fair. “It’s where New Mexicans come together to celebrate, build memories and enjoy time with our friends and families. With everything going on in the world that maybe isn’t so positive and the challenges that we face as New Mexicans, we provide a place for folks to put all that aside, come together and celebrate everything that makes our state great.”
