Sebanti *This entire article is from Trip 101 and is used merely as a highlight. Any affiliate links here-in are theirs as well.
El Paso sits at the junction where Texas ends and Mexico begins. It reaches out in ready welcome to visitors from all across the world and all walks of life. El Paso is threaded through by the rich heritage of Texas, Mexico, and El Paso, perfectly blended together. The place is blessed with bright sunshine all year round and the people are always celebrating with festivals. The people look forward to these annual festivals that are celebrated with much fanfare. From music to food to eclectic science exhibitions, there is something to suit every taste and make for enjoyable outings with family or friends. These events are spread out all year round so you can decide which to pick. Whether you are local, just passing through, or have come to the place for a short visit, come be a part of any of these popular festivals in El Paso, Texas and cherish memories for a lifetime.
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1. El Paso Water Lantern Festival
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This festival is a celebration of life. It is a moment of fun, optimism, and happiness in which even complete strangers come together to float lanterns in the water and watch the water light up. Tasty food served from food trucks add to the fun. Melodious numbers wafting into the air enhance the ambiance. The lanterns are eco-friendly, manufactured from rice paper and wood. On purchasing a ticket, you will be provided with a lantern and a marker to decorate it. This peaceful experience of witnessing the mesmerizing sight of a thousand lanterns bearing and reflecting messages of love and joy is sure to be etched in your memory forever.
El Paso Water Lantern Festival
Address: Ascarate Park 6900 Delta Drive El Paso, TX 79905
Website: El Paso Water Lantern Festival
Takes place: Usually held in March
2. El Paso Film Festival
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This festival is among the largest showcases of independently made Indie movies in the southwest of America, whether they are documentaries, narratives, or experimental films. It aims to enrich the El Paso film community through international exposure and critic. The competitive film festival not only promotes unique cinema but also boosts tourism to El Paso as well. Explore this festival if you want to see highly creative films that cannot be seen in mainstream cinemas elsewhere.
El Paso Film Festival
Address: 221 N. Kansas Ste. 1900, El Paso, TX, 79901
Website: El Paso Film Festival
Takes place: October
3. El Paso Ice Cream Festival
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This is your chance to indulge in delicious, multi-flavored ice-creams of almost any variety you can think of that will definitely leave you craving for more. Beat the summer heat with ice cream concoctions, churro splits, gelato, paletas and many other unique varieties of chilly treats at this exciting festival. Coupled with a host of family-friendly activities like face painting, live game zone, rides to suit revelers of every age, and live music to uplift the mood, the El Paso Ice Cream Festival is a vibrant event for the whole family to enjoy. This summer festival helps festival-goers escape the scorching El Paso summer heat in the most delectable way possible and remains one of El Paso’s most anticipated events. Be sure to take part in it for a memorable day of fun.
El Paso Ice Cream Festival
Address: 1 Civic Center Plaza , El Paso, TX, 79901
Website: El Paso Ice Cream Festival
Takes place: June/July
Price: 5 USD
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4. El Paso Lobster Festival
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Want to bite into a perfectly cooked delectable lobster? Come to El Paso Lobster Festival and taste fresh Maine lobster prepared live on the “World’s Largest Cooker”. Learn how to cook up the perfect lobster dish with cooking demos, take part in fun games, or enjoy the carnival rides. Click an e-photo as a souvenir, sip on the signature drink “Screaming Lobster”, enjoy other tasty bites, and dance to the foot-tapping tunes of celebrated musicians. Offerings are endless and even kids will find loads of activities to take part in. Live entertainment like magic shows and freak shows are available to enjoy to the fullest.
El Paso Lobster Festival
Address: Ascarate Park, 6900 Delta Dr, El Paso, TX
Website: El Paso Lobster Festival
Takes place: April
Price: 13 USD
5. Sun City Craft Beer Fest
Source: Photo by user Visit El Paso used under CC BY 2.0
Taste over 170 varieties of craft beer and ciders and grab a perfect bite while grooving to live music at the exciting Sun City Craft Beer Fest. Held at the Convention Centre Plaza every year, it is one of the biggest beer events in the South. Beer connoisseurs can try out new styles and exotic flavors of this beverage at this celebration. Breweries can exchange skills with the other participants who come from other towns as well. You will have a truckload of fun, with awesome games to take part in, shopping to your heart’s content, and even opportunities to learn to make your own homemade beer. Attendees need to be at least 21 years old.
Sun City Craft Beer Fest
Address: El Paso Convention And Performing Art Center, El Paso, USA
Website: Sun City Craft Beer Fest
Takes place: Usually held in April
Price: 35 USD, 80 USD
6. El Paso Space Festival
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Space adventure enthralls the young and the old alike. Attendees get to experience hands-on spacecraft demos while assembling their model rockets that are launched on the colossal model rocket launch day. There will be space talks, demos on vehicles and RC planes, raffles, and overall space education to captivate the audience. This week-long event is truly out-of-this-world.
El Paso Space Festival
Address: 6121 Stan Roberts Sr Avenue
Website: El Paso Space Festival
Takes place: September
Price: 5 USD
7. Annual Poppies Festival
Source: Photo by user Visit El Paso used under CC BY 2.0
Experience springtime goodness and flora while witnessing the annual bloom of Mexican poppies. In the borderland, the poppies bloom and cover the mountains in a carpet of yellow from January to April. Spend a relaxing day appreciating the wonders rife in the natural world. Enjoy live music, educational exhibits, wares displayed by art vendors, nature trails, as well as several exciting hands-on activities. Food trucks are present to satiate your hunger. You can carry home poppy seeds to grow your own visual delight and spread the bloom all through the land.
Annual Poppies Festival
Address: El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Road, El Paso, Texas 79924
Website: Annual Poppies Festival
Takes place: March
Price: Free
8. El Paso Downtown Street Festival [Last event in 2018]
Source: Photo by user Visit El Paso used under CC BY 2.0
Consistently every year, the Downtown Street Festival successfully gathers the South’s finest musical talents to perform at the city’s oldest street festival. Five different stages are constructed where a variety of artists give live performances. Apart from music, the festival also offers live art shows, exhibits like car shows, craft outlets by local vendors, and delicious local cuisine.
El Paso Downtown Street Festival
Address: Santa Fe St., El Paso, Texas 79901
Website: El Paso Downtown Street Festival
Takes place: October
9. El Paso Border Folk Festival
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Want to experience the music that is unique to the culture in the Borderland? Come join this festival where the ambience is that of a folk carnival. Students who are a part of school or community music programs take part. Though the basis of the festival is mariachi music, there are varieties of music genres on display. The festival aims to improve the understanding of students about theories of music, gain expertise in technique, and comprehend the proficiency needed for stage performances. These, in turn, help the students to develop a deeper appreciation of the art of music.
El Paso Border Folk Festival
Address: 14400 Pebble Hills Blvd. El Paso, TX 79938
Website: El Paso Border Folk Festival
Takes place: October
Price: From 15 USD
10. Neon Desert Music Festival
Source: Photo by user Visit El Paso used under CC BY 2.0
Several thousand fans gather at downtown El Paso for this yearly celebration of indie rock, R&B, hip-hop, reggaetón, and electronic music. Both up-and-coming acts together with established and acclaimed acts find a place here at the festival. Food trucks offer delectable dishes to satiate your appetite. Neon colors and bold makeup dominate the fashion arena in this show of creativity.
Neon Desert Music Festival
Address: Downtown – El Paso 300 N. Kansas El Paso, TX
Website: Neon Desert Music Festival
Takes place: May
Price: 59.50 USD – 250 USD
11. El Paso Sky Lantern Festival
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Ever wanted to write off your worries and literally wish upon a star? This event will help you unwind and bask in the euphoria of letting go. This is where you tell the universe what your wishes are and hope it gets fulfilled. By writing down those dreams or expressing that grief onto the lanterns and letting them go, you give wings to your hopes and get rid of your pains. Good food, retail vendors, several exciting games, and inspiring music sessions enhance the experience of this festival. You can attend for one day or opt to stay camping overnight. Do remember to bring something warm to wrap around you, and chairs or blankets on which you can sit. You can also buy the merchandise on offer. You can purchase parking and camping passes online. Grab your tickets before they are all sold out because this festival is extremely popular among the locals.
El Paso Sky Lantern Festival
Takes place: July
12. El Paso Corn Festival
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The El Paso Corn Festival is three days of fun, food, and festivities! In this theme-based carnival, vendors can decorate their tents as per the theme of the year. The festivities feature a parade, entertainment in the form of live bands, game shows, contests, and the Wilson Family Shows Carnival. Appetizing meals are served for breakfast, supper and dinner on designated days. Your whole family can enjoy together at this festival that involves full audience participation. You will need arm-bands to take part in the gala, and you can purchase those online.
El Paso Corn Festival
Address: 551 East Redd Road, El Paso, Texas 79912
Website: El Paso Corn Festival
Takes place: September
Price: 20 USD, 25 USD, 30 USD
13. El Paso Comic Con [Last event in 2018]
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This festival is a pop culture assembly that features the best in entertainment. With a retinue of celebrity guest panels, photo-ops, autograph signings, cosplays, gaming contests, competitions, KidCon, and other special events there is an activity for every age. El Paso Comic Con offers fans the opportunity to interact and interview, up-close, their favorite celebrity authors and actors.
El Paso Comic Con
Address: 1 Civic Center Plaza, El Paso, TX 79901
Website: El Paso Comic Con
Takes place: April
Price: From 20 USD
14. Texas Showdown Festival
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The largest music and tattoo festival of the country is held every year to celebrate ink over a period of three days. Hundreds of exceedingly acclaimed tattoo artists from all over the world join this festival. Seminars on tattoo and tattoo competitions are held. The fest features dozens of music acts from the genres hard rock, punk, metal and hip hop. Awe-inspiring Freak Shows, mind-numbing Illusion Shows, insane stunt shows, and celebrity appearances are other entertainments on offer. The high-octane festival also hosts motorcycle rallies and music concerts.
Texas Showdown Festival
Address: El Paso County Coliseum, 4100 E Paisano Dr El Paso, Texas 79905
Website: Texas Showdown Festival
Takes place: March
Price: 40 USD, 100 USD
15. Pridefest Street Festival
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Proclaim love and show your appreciation of diversity, and connect with the LGBTQI+ at the annual Pridefest Street Festival at El Paso. Celebrate queer culture and express your support for the members of the LGBTQI+ community through this popular and lively festival. It features a colorful parade, live music, and entertainment galore.
Pridefest Street Festival
Address: Downtown El Paso, Texas
Website: Pridefest Street Festival
Takes place: Usually held in June
Price: 20 USD
16. El Paso Balloonfest [Last event in 2019]
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Commemorate the Memorial Day Weekend with this family-friendly experience extending over three days featuring several entertaining events like ranch activities, hot-air balloon rallies in a variety of shapes and sizes, soldier-salutes, and outdoor concerts. Organized by the KLAQ International Balloonfest, the festival has been providing amusement to the people for over three decades. The festival marks the advent of summer.
El Paso Balloonfest
Address: Bowen Ranch, El Paso, Texas
Website: El Paso Balloonfest
Takes place: Usually held in May
Price: 5 USD, 10 USD and 30 USD
17. Halloween Farm Festival
Source: Pixabay
Enjoy Halloween with your whole family as you get your creative juices flowing taking part in the costume contest and feel the excitement of childhood with the trunk or treat contest. Watch the little ones have the time of their lives with the jumping balloons and riding horses. There will be local vendors displaying their wares and food trucks to keep you filled up as you enjoy this fest with your loved ones.
Halloween Farm Festival
Address: 8653 Holmsley Trl, El Paso Texas 79907
Takes place: October
Price: Free
18. Chalk the Block Arts Festival
Source: Photo by user Visit El Paso used under CC BY 2.0
This is one of the largest and most exciting events in the West where about 45,000 people assemble yearly. It presents an ethereal experience through the magic of art. There are theatrical recitals, interactive art installations, live bands, live dance performances, competitions for producing art on the sidewalks with chalk, and numerous exhibitions to entertain the participants.
Chalk the Block Arts Festival
Address: 400 W San Antonio Ave, Ste A, El Paso, Texas 79901
Website: Chalk the Block Arts Festival
Takes place: October
Price: Free
19. Sun City Bacon Festival [Event has passed]
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Are you a bacon-lover and looking for the best food event in town? Look no further than the Sun City Bacon Festival. BaconFest will feature restaurants, usually local, and food trucks that will serve a plethora of bacon-inspired food items, drinks, and sweets. It will have live entertainment all through the day, and you can sign up and win prizes at a series of competitions.
Sun City Bacon Festival
Address: Union Plaza Entertainment District- Downtown El Paso
Website: Sun City Bacon Festival
Takes place: April
Price: Free
20. Sun City Music Festival [Event has passed]
Source: Photo by user Visit El Paso used under CC BY 2.0
This is a yearly electronic music festival held over the Labor Day weekend at Ascarate Park. The event is a platform for all genres of electronic music, from techno, trap, house bass, and many more. Witness a gathering of prominent international DJs and live acts from a number of nations side by side with local producers and radio personalities. Gorge on lip-smacking Mexican food like tortas, tacos, vaso, and elotes, the sensational aroma emanating from the offerings is sure to whet your appetite. The excited vibes of the people will cheer you up. Come see how El Paso parties and dance away the night with thumping beats that vibrate all around!.
Sun City Music Festival
Address: Ascarate Park, 6900 Delta Dr, El Paso, TX 79905
Website: Sun City Music Festival
Takes place: September
Price: From 209.95 USD
Celebrate life with El Paso festivals
El Paso scores high among the best places to unwind and enjoy life. It is rich in culture, affordable, and safe. These popular festivals in El Paso, Texas are just a few reasons why you should spend your next holiday at this place.
Sebanti Roy Chowdhury
Sebanti is an avid traveler, having toured all over India and Europe she loves to explore wild spaces and new urban places alike. She contributes regularly to travel-related online publications to help fellow-travelers enjoy their dream vacations.
Check her out here https://trip101.com/writer/sebanti
*This entire article is from Trip 101 and is used merely as a highlight. Any affiliate links here-in are theirs.
