El Paso Matters – Desert foods workshop, El Paso Marathon highlight week’s events

Here’s a roundup of some culture and civic events in the borderland in the coming week.

The Art and Flavor of Desert Foods at the MACC

A hands-on community workshop exploring the region’s food traditions as part of the exhibition Les Sembrantes (The Sowers). Participants will learn about the manner in which food is cultivated in a desert climate through guided cooking activities led by local food practitioners, with opportunities to taste, learn and engage with the culinary heritage of the Chihuahuan Desert. The program is presented in collaboration with the Rubin Center for the Visual Arts and the El Paso Mexican American Cultural Center.

When: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21
Where: Mexican American Cultural Center, 201 E. Franklin Ave.
Cost: Free
Information: utep.edu

Michelob Ultra El Paso Marathon

The annual Michelob Ultra El Paso Marathon returns to Downtown El Paso, drawing runners from throughout the region and beyond for a 26.2-mile race through the city. The event also includes a half marathon and a 5K run/walk, offering options for participants at different experience levels.

When: 7 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 22
Where: Downtown El Paso
Cost: $140 registration fee plus service fees; price increases after Feb. 20
Information: elpasomarathon.org

Texas Book Festival at Museum of History

Families are invited to a morning of storytelling and interactive activities led by children’s author-illustrators Xelena González, Andrés Vera Martínez and Zeke Peña at the El Paso Museum of History. The program includes book readings, hands-on activities and a limited book giveaway, followed by a signing. The event is free and open to the public, with accessibility accommodations available.

When: 10-11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21
Where: El Paso Museum of History, 510 N. Santa Fe St.
Cost: Free
Information: epmuseumofhistory.org

An Evening with Stephen Graham Jones

New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones will appear in conversation with Alfredo Corchado, executive editor and correspondent for the Puente News Collaborative. The program includes an audience Q&A and book signing, with books available for purchase. A pre-event book club discussion of Jones’s novel The Buffalo Hunter Hunter will be held earlier at the El Paso Museum of History.

When: 4:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21
Where: Philanthropy Theatre, 125 W. Mills Ave.
Cost: Free with RSVP
Information: eventbrite.com or 915-212-3150

‘Strangers in Our Own Land’ opening reception

The Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts on the University of Texas at El Paso campus will host an opening reception for a solo exhibition by El Paso-based mixed-media artist Cynthia Gutierrez-Krapp. The exhibition presents new and recent work, including large-scale glass bead and handmade clay bead weavings that explore memory, place and cultural lineage, with a focus on the layered histories of the borderland.

When: 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19
Where: Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, 720 Dawson Road
Cost: Free
Information: utep.edu

Black History Month celebrated in Letters to El Paso in San Jacinto Plaza Downtown. (Courtesy Visit El Paso)

Black History Month at the Downtown Visitor Center

A Black History Month speaker series concludes at the Downtown Visitor Center with a final Sunday program highlighting community leadership. The Feb. 22 event will feature Bill Morgan of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club, with remarks focused on community history, civic engagement and local perspectives.

When: 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22
Where: Visitor Information Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza
Cost: Free

Night at the Library: Celebrating Black History Through Trivia

A community trivia event exploring Black history through games and activities at the Dorris Van Doren Branch library. The free program will include prizes and refreshments and is open to the public.

When: 7-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20
Where: Dorris Van Doren Branch Library, 551 Redd Road
Cost: Free
Information: 915-212-0440.

Discover E Engineers Week

El Paso Water will host a free, family-friendly event highlighting engineering through hands-on activities and interactive challenges aimed at children ages 5 and older. The event focuses on introducing participants to engineering concepts, including the role engineers play in water systems and infrastructure, with prizes, drawings and food vendors available.

When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21
Where: TechH2O Center, 10751 Montana Ave.
Cost: Free
Information: tech2o.org

‘Stories We Need — Reading in a Time of Censorship’

An exhibit at the El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center will highlight books that reflect diverse voices, histories and lived experiences, with a focus on acclaimed titles that have faced challenges or removal. The exhibit explores how reading fosters understanding and empathy by encouraging audiences to engage with perspectives shaped by fear, misunderstanding and resistance to censorship.

When: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21
Where: El Paso Holocaust Museum, 715 N. Oregon St.
Cost: Free
Information: elpasoholocaustmuseum.org

Keystone Craft and Culture Market

A community market highlighting local artisans, plant vendors and food sellers, with family-friendly activities throughout the morning. The event brings together makers and small businesses offering handmade crafts, specialty foods and beverages at Keystone Heritage Park.

When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22
Where: Keystone Heritage Park, 4200 Doniphan Drive
Cost: Free
Information: keystoneheritagepark.com

Coming Up

The Seventh Symphonies

The El Paso Symphony Orchestra presents a two-night program led by conductor Bohuslav Rattay featuring Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131 and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92. A pre-concert “Opening Notes” talk with Nathan Black begins at 6:30 p.m. each evening in the Philanthropy Theatre.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 27-28
Where: Plaza Theatre, 125 W. Mills Ave.
Cost: $17-$49
Information: epso.org

Downtown Lunar New Year Celebration

A family-friendly celebration marking the start of the Lunar New Year and the arrival of spring, featuring hands-on activities, cultural performances and vendors from Asian-owned businesses offering food and cultural items. The 2026 celebration will take place across multiple sites in Downtown El Paso and will highlight traditions observed in countries including China, Korea and Vietnam. The 2026 Lunar New Year corresponds with the Year of the Horse.

When: Noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28
Where: Downtown Arts District, including the El Paso Museum of History, Mexican American Cultural Center and Cleveland Square Park
Cost: Free
Information: elpasotexas.gov

Losar: Creation of a Tibetan Buddhist Sand Mandala

The El Paso Museum of History will host a live sand mandala installation by Losang Samten, allowing visitors to observe the creation of a medicine Buddha sand mandala, a sacred Tibetan Buddhist art form traditionally associated with Losar, or Tibetan New Year. The multi-day installation will conclude with the unveiling of the completed mandala during the museum’s Lunar New Year celebration.

When: Tuesday-Saturday, Feb. 24-28; viewing times 10 a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m. daily
Where: El Paso Museum of History, 510 N. Santa Fe St.
Cost: Free
Information: elpasotexas.gov

Mark Your Calendar

Wine and Wonder at La Nube

La Nube will host an adults-only evening event featuring after-hours access to the museum, wine tastings, a guided charcuterie class, hands-on STEAM activities, live music and karaoke. The program offers participants an opportunity to explore exhibits and take part in interactive experiences, including wine charm making, cork coaster engraving and sensory workshops.

When: 7-10 p.m. Friday, March 6
Where: La Nube, 201 W. Main Drive
Cost: Ticketed event
Information: la-nube.org

Book Talk: Jazmine Ulloa on El Paso’s history

New York Times reporter and El Paso native Jazmine Ulloa will discuss her new book, “El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory,” in a conversation with El Paso Matters CEO Robert Moore. The event will explore the city’s history through the experiences of five families, followed by an audience Q&A, book sales and a signing.

When: 7 p.m. Monday, March 9
Where: Philanthropy Theatre, Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre, 125 W. Mills Ave.
Cost: Free

EPSO’s ‘Peter and the Wolf’

Sergei Prokofiev’s classic symphonic fairytale “Peter and the Wolf” follows a young boy who ventures into the forest and encounters a wolf with the help of his animal companions, with each character represented by different orchestral instruments. The performance features narration and staging by the Youth Opera of El Paso in collaboration with La Nube.

When: 1:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7
Where: Plaza Theatre, 125 W. Mills Ave.
Cost: $11; $6 for children ages 3-12
Information: epso.org

El Paso Home & Garden Show

A three-day event focused on home improvement and outdoor living, featuring exhibitors and resources for renovation, design and landscaping projects. The event brings together vendors and experts offering products, services and ideas for home and garden upgrades.

When: 2-6 p.m. Friday, March 6; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, March 7; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, March 8
Where: El Paso Convention Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza
Cost: Free
Information: showtechnology.com

Third Thursdays in the Downtown Arts District

A monthly event featuring extended hours at cultural institutions across the Downtown Arts District, with special programming, an artisan market, live music, food and community organization booths. Participating sites include the El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso Museum of History and other downtown venues.

When: 5-9 p.m. Thursday, March 19
Where: Downtown Arts District, One Civic Center Plaza and surrounding locations
Cost: Free
Information: epmcad.org

Youth Opera of El Paso’s ‘A Note of Explanation’

The Youth Opera of El Paso presents the world premiere of “A Note of Explanation,” an original children’s opera by Shoshana Yavneh Shattenkirk and A.J. Freeman, based on a miniature children’s book by author Vita Sackville-West that was commissioned in 1922 for Queen Mary’s dollhouse library. The production follows a time-traveling sprite’s adventures inside the dollhouse.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 6; 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7; 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 8
Where: Philanthropy Theatre, Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre, 125 W. Mills Ave.
Cost: $32.55
Information: yoep.org

Change Makers 2026: Women in the Arts

The annual Women’s History Month celebration presented by Progress321 and El Paso Matters this year will honor women whose creative work or advocacy has shaped the arts across the El Paso borderland, including artists, musicians, writers, performers, filmmakers, designers and arts supporters. Nominations for Change Makers 2026 are open through Friday, Feb. 20.

When: Thursday, March 26
Where: Mexican American Cultural Center, 201 E. Franklin Ave.
Cost: To be announced
Information: El Paso Matters Events

Poppies Fest

A multi-day festival celebrating Castner Range National Monument and the portion of the landscape open to the public, Poppies Fest brings together local artisans, vendors and performers while highlighting Native American voices, traditions and land stewardship. Organized by the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, the 2026 edition introduces a new festival-weekend format in March and will be preceded by a February partner pop-up at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, featuring hands-on activities and information about the upcoming festival, with participation from the Mexican American Cultural Center, El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso Museum of History and GECU.

When: Friday-Sunday, March 13-15; 5-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday
Where: El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Woodrow Bean Transmountain Road
Cost: Free
Information: epmarch.org

Landscape Expo

El Paso Water will host its annual Landscape Expo, offering guidance on water-smart landscaping for homes in the desert environment. The free, family-friendly event will feature landscape experts sharing tips on irrigation, plant selection and sustainable garden design, along with interactive garden activities for children, soil testing information and “ask the expert” resource tables.

When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, March 21
Where: Tech2O Center, 10751 Montana Ave.
Cost: Free
Information: tech2o.org

BTS at Sun Bowl Stadium

Global K-pop superstars BTS will make their first appearance in El Paso as part of their 2026 world tour, performing two nights at Sun Bowl Stadium. The shows mark the group’s return to the stage following a multi-year hiatus while members completed mandatory military service in South Korea.

When: Saturday-Sunday, May 2-3
Where: Sun Bowl Stadium, 2701 Sun Bowl Drive
Cost: Sold out. Tickets available on secondary markets.

Post Malone and Jelly Roll at Sun Bowl

Chart-topping artists Post Malone and Jelly Roll will bring their Big Ass Stadium Tour Part 2 to El Paso, with Carter Faith joining the lineup. The stadium tour follows the success of the duo’s first joint run.

When: Wednesday, May 13
Where: Sun Bowl Stadium, 2701 Sun Bowl Drive
Cost: Prices start at $98
Information: Tickets go on sale via Ticketmaster

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