EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — If you are looking for something to do over Labor Day weekend and don’t want to spend a lot of money, you might trip up to bucolic Mesilla Park, New Mexico, for the annual Franciscan Festival of Fine Arts.
This year marks the festival’s 20th year. It will be held on Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1 at the Holy Cross Retreat Center, 600 Holy Cross Road, just south of Las Cruces.
Photos courtesy of Father Tom Smith of Holy Cross Retreat Center
Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, with a Mass at 9 a.m.
Parking and admission are free but donations are accepted.
There will be 90 artist and food vendors, an enchilada dinner, a beer and wine garden featuring Little Toad Creek Brewery and Mesa Vista Winery, a silent auction and raffle. There will also be live music on two stages.
Most artists will be located inside an air-conditioned room or in the shade, making it more pleasant for everyone, said Father Tom Smith, director of the Holy Cross Retreat Center.
New artists include one with special electrical lighting, a woodworker and artistic glass, Smith said.
New food vendors are also participating this year, including one selling gorditas, he said.
“You can enjoy enchiladas, flautas, and other foods in the dining room, and take homemade breads and viscochos home to eat later,” Smith said.
Parking for most people will be available in the shade under trees on the rural grounds of the retreat center.
The arts festival is used support the retreat center’s outreach and ministries.
For more information about the festival, you can click here.
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