Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean all the fun outdoor activities you enjoy doing with your friends or family have to wait until next year. The warm months of fall in El Paso are filled with exciting events that have a little something for everyone. Here are some of the most interesting things happening in and around El Paso these coming months.
Mesilla Jazz Happening
The first weekend of October marks the 18th edition of this spectacular annual event that takes place each fall in the famous Mesilla Plaza. Organized by The Mesilla Valley Jazz & Blues Society with the purpose of promoting jazz and blues in El Paso, this free event is not only a delight for lovers of the genre but also for casual music lovers looking to spend some fun few days outdoors.
Hosted by jazz aficionado Trevor Hodgkin, this lively fall event offers spectators an eclectic mix of live jazz and blues performers. Live shows start on Friday afternoon and end on Sunday evening, so get your friends and family and have a weekend picnic while listening to some quality music.
Dia de Los Muertos Festival
For a different kind of celebration, there’s the annual Dia de Los Muertos festival hosted by Concordia Cemetery. The event is a tribute to the classic Mexican tradition of celebrating the loved ones who are no longer with us. Although the premise may not be the happiest one, this is indeed a celebration in both cultural and spiritual ways, as it celebrates their existence instead of mourning their loss.
Attendees will be treated to food trucks, live music, Mexican performers, poetry readings, and participants wearing traditional Mexican clothing with the famous painted skulls on their faces called calaveras.
El Paso Chopin Music Festival
For the past 24 years, some of the best pianists in the world have gathered in El Paso’s Chamizal National Memorial Theater to celebrate the works of legendary composer and pianist Frederic Chopin. Throughout the years, this festival has enjoyed excellent reviews from critics, and its concerts have been played in front of packed auditoriums.
This year’s edition sees performers from all over the world, featuring famous pianists such as Eric Zuber or Richard Dowling and also El Paso local Lucy Scarbrough. Concerts are scattered all over the fall period, and entrance is free.
La Viña Winery Harvest Festival
New Mexico’s oldest and most famous winery hosts this lively and cheerful festival that takes place this year in mid-October. Celebrating the fall harvest, this event offers 20 different types of wine to be tasted or bought by participants. Included in the admission fee are a souvenir glass and the chance to taste nine different types of wine.
For people in and around El Paso, summer doesn’t have to end in September. Thanks to the wonderful mix of events happening here each fall, outdoor fun can stretch way beyond Thanksgiving, and each evening or weekend can be a different kind of celebration that can be shared with friends or family.
Image via Visit El Paso | Licensed by CC BY 2.0
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