Full-Tit Fiesta Season

Are you rested and ready? We're about to head into FTFS (Full-Tilt Fiesta Season). 

As our fiesta dead zone continues to shrink, you may not even have noticed a dearth of summer festivals this year. 

For most of my time here, there wasn't much to do between the Fourth of July and Labor Day. With the heat and monsoons, it seemed more logical to plan for siestas rather than fiestas. 

When the Las Cruces Convention Center opened, I thought there might be an uptick in summer events we could enjoy in air-conditioned comfort. But so far, not so much. 

Instead, we seem to have gotten more fearless in the face of extreme heat, adding outdoor events like July's Tour de Beer at the Southern New Mexico Fairgrounds. Once, fiesta lovers had to plan a road trip to Deming for the Great American Duck Race if they wanted any outdoor action in August before Labor Day weekend. Now, offerings include the Butterfly Flutterby and the Main Street SalsaFest. 

Some fiestas come and go or make crucial changes. Whole Enchilada Fiesta fans are happy to know that Robert Estrada will be back with new equipment making what has sometimes ranked as the world's largest enchilada. 

There will be sacred pilgrimages up Tortugas A mountain during the annual December Our Lady of Guadalupe Festival, a colorful procession through Mesilla on Nov. 2 for Dca de Los Muertos, strolls through Young Park with royalty during the November Renaissance ArtsFaire and a chance to strut your stuff with the undead at an Oct. 26 downtown Zombie Walk. From now until a month of holiday festivals in December, there will be a lot to do and see and fun ways to celebrate life in Las Cruces with friends and family members. 

Here's my annual list of popular favorites. Clip it and make plans. Pace yourself. It's FTFS! 

Las Cruces Full-Tilt Fiesta season highlights: 

Aug. 17: Men Who Cook, Las Cruces Convention Center 

Aug. 17: Butterfly Flutterby, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park 

Aug. 22-25: 2013 Great American Duck Race, Deming 

Aug. 25: Main Street SalsaFest! 

Aug. 31-Sept. 1: Franciscan Festival of the Arts 

Aug. 31-Sept. 1: Hatch Chile Festival 

Aug. 31-Sept. 2: New Mexico Wine Harvest Festival, Southern New Mexico Fairgrounds 

Sept. 4-8: White Sands International Film Festival 

Sept. 7 & 8: St. Genevieve Church Fiesta 

Sept. 14: Doca Ana Doll Club Show 

Sept. 14: Fort Selden Frontier Day 

Sept. 14 & 15: Diez y Seis de Septiembre Fiesta 

Sept. 20-22: Silver City Red Dot Studio Tour 

Sept. 21 & 22: White Sands Hot Air Balloon Invitational 

Sept. 22: La Union Maze opens 

Sept. 28-30: The Whole Enchilada Festival 

Sept. 28-Oct. 27: Mesilla Valley Maze 

Sept. 28: Dress the Child Benefit Croquet Tournament 

Oct. 2-6: Southern New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo 

Oct. 5 & 6: Mesilla Jazz Happening 

Oct. 5 & 6: Pumpkin Festival 

Oct. 19 & 20: La Vica Wine Harvest Festival 

Oct. 26: Zombie Walk 

Oct. 26 & 27: Pecan Festival (Rootin Tootin Rib Cookoff and Kids Ranch Rodeo) 

Oct. 26-27: Lions Club Gun Show, LCCC 

Nov. 1-3: Dca de los Muertos, Mesilla 

Nov. 2 & 3: Renaissance ArtsFaire 

Nov. 20-24: Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference 

Nov. 24: Toys For Kids Motorcycle Parade 

December TBA: Winterfest, NMSU Noche de Luminarias, Las Cruces & Mesilla Christmas tree lightings 

Dec. 6-8: La Casa Bazaar, LCCC 

Dec. 10-12: Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta and Pilgrimage 

Dec. 19-22: Las Cruces Chamber Ballet "The Nutcracker"Dec. 24: Christmas Eve on the Mesilla Plaza