Las Cruces Beer Festival and Salsa Fest join forces on downtown plaza
What happens when two established festivals join forces for one night? The results are epic. The Las Cruces Summer Beer Festival and Salsa Fest will be teaming up for the first time on Saturday, Aug. 18 at the Plaza de Las Cruces. And there's no better way to heat up the last days of Summer than with salsa and ice cold beer.
Entering its 10th year, the Salsa Fest has been the premier event for Downtown Las Cruces. The festival has always done well, said Jennifer Garcia Kozlowski, executive director of Downtown Las Cruces Partnership. However, when she learned that the Las Cruces Summer Beer Festival had plans to move downtown, the collaboration was destined to happen.
“Marci Dickerson (Las Cruces Summer Beer Festival founder and coordinator) is a force to team up with; you know if you want something done right, she’s who you've got to go to,” Garcia Kozlowski said. “The Las Cruces Beer Fest has been successful for years — honestly because it’s such a fun atmosphere. What goes better with chips and salsa than beer, right?"
Dickerson said she had the same idea of bringing the two festivals together on the plaza. The Las Cruces Summer Beer Festival is in its third year and Dickerson said combining the two events gives them a fresh new feel and provides Las Cruces two great parties in one night.
“Downtown is such a great place to party and the dual festival will be a really good time," Dickerson said. "There is something for everyone."
Guests who attend the event are in for a packed night. With the price of admission, guests will get 10 1-ounce beer samples and five salsa samples. There will be more than 200 beers to try including Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery, which is located on the plaza. Visitors will get one sample glass for the beer. In addition to craft beer and breweries, other beer vendors will be Sam Adams, Bridgeport, Leinenkugel and Shock Top to name a few.
As for the salsa, the first 1,500 people will get to vote on their favorite salsa. Ten local Las Cruces restaurants, including Ándele Restaurante, Chilito’s Restaurant, Dick’s Café, Garduño's and Santa Fe Grill, will battle it out for the best salsa in Las Cruces.
There will also be different food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, live music, artists, salsa music, salsa dancing and dance groups at the event.
“The music, dancing and electricity of the evening will be bar none,” Garcia Kozlowski said.
While at the festival downtown, Garcia Kozlowski said guests should take a moment to notice the art galleries and the little shops and eateries they can visit any day of the week.
"The downtown district is a wonderful place to come to," she said. "We want people to make downtown their destination.”
Garcia Kozlowski said she encourages people to come to the festival to enjoy a fun-filled Saturday evening.
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“We hear all too often that there aren’t enough things to do in Las Cruces," she said. "Well, we are trying to rectify this by holding events on the plaza.”
The Las Cruces Summer Beer Festival and Salsa Fest take place from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday. General admission is $20 online, at lcbeerfest.com, or $25 at the gate. Children 12 and under get in for free. If you buy your tickets in advance online, make sure to print them out before heading to the festival to get through the line quicker. Sales for beer are cash only.
VIP tickets are $40 online and include one entrée of choice at any food truck, one branded #LCBF merchandise item printed at the festival from D2 Designs and a branded sampling cup. For more information, call 575-373-5512 or visit lcbeerfest.com.
Sylvia Quintanilla is a freelance writer and may be reached at sylviaq02@gmail.com.
If you go
What: The 2018 Las Cruces Summer Beer Festival and Salsa Fest
Where: Plaza de Las Cruces, 100 N. Main St.
When: 6-11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18
Cost: General admission is $20 online or $25 at the gate; $40 VIP online. Children 12 and under admitted for free.
Info: 575-373-5512, lcbeerfest.com, facebook.com/LCBeerFest