Albuquerque, N.M. – The festive holiday season brings a variety of opportunities to experience Albuquerque’s unique culture. During any given week choose from art exhibits, music concerts, sporting events, cultural festivals and more. Visit www.itsatrip.org for additional events and details on Albuquerque.

ONGOING
Walatowa Sculptors: Museum Exhibit, Now through January 31, 2009
The works of six renowned sculptors from the Pueblo of Jemez.
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, www.indianpueblo.org

Jamestown, Quebec and Santa Fe Museum Exhibit, Now through March 29, 2009
The dramatic, often violent, story of European settlement in the new world is told in three languages and through the eyes of the powerful, the dispossessed, and the enslaved.
Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, www.cabq.gov/museum

Nao de China-The Manila Trade 1565-1816- Museum Exhibit, November 8, 2008-May 20, 2009
This exhibit examines some Mexican traditions and traces them to the trade that took place specifically, through the port of Manila with Mexican icons like la China poblana, majólica pottery, papel chino and more.
National Hispanic Cultural Center, www.nhccnm.org

DECEMBER
The Nutcracker, November 29-December 7, 2008
See and hear Tchaikovsky's fully-staged fantasy ballet as the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and New Mexico Ballet Company join forces for Albuquerque's only traditional presentation with a live full orchestra and professional ballet troupe.
Popejoy Hall, www.cabq.gov/kimo

Annual River of Lights, November 29-December 30, 2008
Visitors of all ages can enjoy the dazzling displays of animals, fantastical creatures and much more as they stroll throughout New Mexico’s largest walk-through light show.
Rio Grande BioPark, www.cabq.gov/biopark

Nob Hill and Old Town Shop & Strolls, December 4 & 5, 2008
Live entertainment, dancers, family activities and special sales in Nob Hill (December 4th) and Old Town (December 5th). Historic Nob Hill & Old Town, www.itsatrip.org/events/holiday

New Mexico’s Farolito “Trail of Lights,” December 14, 2008
Participate in a 5K Run/Walk on a course lit by holiday lights of the Southwest.
Albuquerque Academy, www.the-athletes-edge.com

Feast of Guadalupe Celebration & Concert, December 12, 2008
Commemorating the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe to the Aztec Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac, outside of Mexico City, in December 1531, the concert features music composed in honor of Guadalupe, from the 16th century to the present.
National Hispanic Cultural Center, www.nhccnm.org

New Mexico Bowl, December 20, 2008
College football game pits Mountain West Conference against the Western Athletic Conference, will be nationally televised on ESPN.
UNM Football Stadium, www.newmexicobowl.com

Gary T. Erbe: Forty Years, December 21, 2008-February 15, 2009
A showcase of more than sixty trompe l'oeil paintings by this self-taught artist.
Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, www.cabq/gov/museum

Holiday Concert and Luminaria Tour, December 24, 2008
Celebrate Christmas Eve in the most magical of settings. Luminarias glow, music fills the air, the joys of the season are expressed in the lights and decorations throughout Old Town.
www.cabq.gov/crs

JANUARY
Tricklock Company's Revolutions International Theatre Festival, January 13-February 1, 2009
Performers from all over the world come together for this three-week festival. Revolutions, produced by Albuquerque’s own Tricklock Company, highlights the region’s heritage as a cultural crossroad of global exchange and artistic innovation.
National Hispanic Cultural Center, www.tricklock.com

Las Malcriadas: Chicana Badgirls Museum Exhibit, January 17-March 21, 2009
The theme for this exhibition is loudmouth backtalking disorderly, disruptive, critical-thinking, strong Chicana/Latina women telling it like they see it.
516 ARTS, www.516arts.org

New Mexico Symphony Orchestra’s 2009 Beethoven Festival, January 17-March 22, 2009
12 performances celebrating Beethoven music’s all-time genius.
Popejoy Hall. www.nmso.org

FEBRUARY
Cinderella Ballet, February 6, 2009
The Russian National Ballet brings the classic fairy tale to life. With a timeless score by Sergei Prokofiev, the ballet captures the delight, the fantasy and the drama of the timeless story of Cinderella.
Popejoy Hall, www.popejoypresents.com

2009 Italian Film Festival, February 8-15, 2009
The 2009 Festival will present a series of “classic” Italian films, blended with more contemporary and brand new films never before seen in New Mexico.
www.italianfilmfest.org

Ain't Misbehavin' Theater Performance, February 13-15, 2009
The comic and musical soul of 1930s Harlem lives on in this rollicking, swinging, finger-snapping revue. Ruben Studdard, the 2003 American Idol Winner, plus American Idol's Frenchie Davis, join a top-notch cast with a sassy all-star band live onstage.
Popejoy Hall, www.popejoypresents.com

Fiery Foods and BBQ Show, February 27-March 1, 2009
The National Fiery Foods & BBQ Show is the largest and most visited spicy foods and barbeque show in the world.
Sandia Casino, www.fiery-foods.com

Visit www.itsatrip.org for additional event details and information on Albuquerque. Images are available to accompany most of these event descriptions upon request.