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What's New in Albuquerque?

Each season, the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau updates our visitors and friends regarding new and exciting changes and additions to our many Albuquerque, New Mexico tourist attractions. We also provide our community with updated information on Albuquerque, New Mexico events. For a review of recent news, please view the articles below. Albuquerque rankings and media coverage are also updated regularly. For daily updates, visit our Latest News page with media releases from around Albuquerque.

Recent media mentions for Albuquerque

TravelNerd.com named Albuquerque among the Top 10 Urban Destinations For Nature-Lovers, May 2013

"Only in Albuquerque" on HuffingtonPost.com, May 2013

Where to find the season's best beer festivals, USA Today Dispatches travel blog, April 2013

Albuquerque is America's Best City for Travelers with Pets Huffington Post, April 2013

Gathering of Nations mentioned in Dallas Morning News regional happenings, April 2013

Albuquerque travel guide: Top attractions New York Daily News, April 2013

10Best: Albuquerque gets spun up for cycling 10best.com, April 2013

New Mexico sees influx of Breaking Bad tourists On.AOL.com, March 2013 

Great deal for last-minute travel and signature April events: Stay two nights, get the third for free this month

Reserve your trip before April 30th and use the participating hotels’ promo code to get a night for free. Experience the American Indian Week Pueblo Days on April 20-28, where Pueblo Indian Tribes and other American Indian heritage have a week-long celebration of their traditions. There will be native foods, music, Indian art markets, and popular daily dance performances of tribes from New Mexico and the southwest. The 30th annual Gathering of Nations Pow Wow happens during the same week, on April 25-27, featuring Native American dancing and singing competitions with over 3,000 participants, and the crowning of Miss Indian World. More information about the participating hotels.

Albuquerque among Top 25 Places to Go in 2013

The experts at Fodor’s Travel announced that Albuquerque has been named among the Top 25 Places to Go in 2013. Fodor’s editors have chosen Albuquerque as a hot travel destination because of our excellent value for visitors, calling the city an affordable getaway for nature lovers and families. Albuquerque’s visibility on the AMC show “Breaking Bad” has also helped elevate the destination’s profile for travelers. See more details.

American Girl doll of the year from Albuquerque

Albuquerque will be top of mind as a mother-daughter travel destination in 2013. American Girl’s 2013 Girl of the Year doll is from Albuquerque and her name is Saige Copeland. The doll comes with Albuquerque-themed accessories that include a horse, a painting kit and a hot air balloon. Albuquerque is also the setting of an upcoming American Doll movie, starring Jane Seymour, due out this summer. Plan a mother-daughter style girlfriend getaway to Albuquerque. View complete release for more details.

Mid-way through its fifth and final season, AMC’s Emmy-winning show Breaking Bad is generating a new visitor audience for Albuquerque as it is set and filmed here. New Mexico’s aggressive film incentives have brought film and television crews to the state for several years, many of them choosing to film in Albuquerque. Filmmakers earn rebates toward what they spend on local crews and vendors in the state. Disney’s The Lone Ranger filmed for months in Albuquerque and around New Mexico during 2012. The expected blockbuster summer movie shows off some breathtaking scenery and vast landscapes of the state. More information about film tourism.

The Trolleywood Tour and The BaD Tour

TV buffs are traveling to Albuquerque to see the spectacular vistas, the Sandia Mountains, the sprawling landscape and to get a peak at locations featured in Breaking Bad and other film productions. As result of the increasing interest in film tourism in Albuquerque, the ABQ Trolley Co. has created two tours to meet the demand. The Trolleywood Tour highlights the local film industry and shows the riders locations and film/television clips from the movies and television shows that have filmed in Albuquerque and their most popular tour, is the "BaD" tour, a location tour of AMC’s Breaking Bad. More information about the tours. 

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition in Albuquerque

It’s been just over a century since an iceberg sent Titanic, the ship of dreams, to the bottom of the icy North Atlantic. Visitors to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science now have the opportunity to learn about the compelling human stories of those passengers on board through viewing Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, featuring authentic artifacts recovered from the wreck site of the world’s most famous sunken ocean liner. The exhibition has been seen by more than 25 million people worldwide, showcasing 125 artifacts recovered from the wreck site and the stories of those that perished and survived the tragedy. The exhibition runs through October 27, 2013. View release for more details. 

New event: The Albuquerque Film & Media Experience at Nob Hill

The Albuquerque Film & Media Experience (AFME) at Nob Hill will take place June 3-9, 2013. Organizers are ready to take the Land of Enchantment to new levels with big programming and names that will make it one of the top movie festivals. AFME is honored to have the involvement of Hollywood icon Robert Redford, world-renown artist Sibylle Szaggars-Redford, award-winning actor Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Revolution and The Usual Suspects) and director Joshua Michael Stern (Jobs, Swing Vote and Neverwas) amongst many other top names. The festival will include movies, student-created digital media, art exhibits, food and film events and a series of "Intimate Conversations" with talent throughout the community. This year’s international program will spotlight filmmaking and artistry from Israel and the United Kingdom. Learn more about the event.

Taste of Film

An event highlight of AFME is a culinary evening extravaganza called Taste of Film, which will be a food and film lover’s dream. The event will spotlight food inspired by films from AFME’s festival showcase through a delicious representation by the creative mind of Chef Michael Giese at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. In addition to being a fun presentation of food and film, the six-course epicurean event will benefit The Storehouse, a local food pantry.

Spring and Summer Event Highlights

Just before Earth Day from April 12-17, Albuquerque will host an interesting art/conservation awareness project. The Blue Tree Project is an international art event featuring Australian artist, Konstantin Dimopoulos, for a celebration of Earth Day and the unsung role of trees in our community. As the seventh city in the United States to host The Blue Tree Project, Albuquerque is on the leading edge of this electric and arresting art installation. Get the details.

The summer in Albuquerque is jam-packed with engaging events such as the Festival Flamenco Internacional de Albuquerque hosted by the National Institute of Flamenco June 10-15, the Albuquerque Comic Expo June 21-23, and a USA Roller Sports competition July 13 – August 4 to name a few. To find more about the listed events and other exciting summer fun, a full list of events is posted. View full list.

In addition to recent renovations of the lower level west meeting rooms at the Albuquerque Convention Center, the complex is about to get a $20 million facelift. The West Complex of the Albuquerque Convention Center will soon have a new look that better represents the unique architectural elements of our region.

The preliminary designs include:

• a new exterior façade
• complete remodeling of the ballroom
• a new entertainment deck in the ballroom
• massive windows with panoramic views
• the west building lower level atrium will be completely remodeled to include a fireplace
• lower level food court/café

The project will be phased to allow for ongoing convention and meeting business. Construction is slated to start by mid-2013 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. 

In addition to the $20 million being invested in the Albuquerque Convention Center, the city offers more than $300 million in recent hospitality investments and planned developments including hotels, off-site venues and area attractions. Get the details online.