Festivals

The Southwestern International PRCA Rodeo is the longest running sporting event in El Paso and is always ranked in the top 50 shows by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. It is also the 17th oldest rodeo in the nation.

Fiesta de las Flores or Festival of the Flowers is the largest cultural event in the Southwest celebrating Hispanic heritage. It features live performances by international, national, and local aspiring musicians and 80 booths with Latino and Southwest cuisine and games. There are carnival rides and a beauty pageant whose winner is crowned festival queen. The Fiesta takes place over Labor Day every year in El Paso.

The Texas Showdown Festival is the largest tattoo and music festival in the country. It features nearly 300 tattoo artists, including those from hit shows like "LA Ink" and "Ink Master" and 30 bands over 3 days of concerts. Famous bands such as Three Days Grace, Glass Jaw, and Exodus have performed since the festival's start in 2009.

KLAQ Balloonfest- This festival is 3 days of hot air balloons, concerts, and waterpark fun. After 30 hot air balloons of all shapes and colors launch in the early morning, grilling and barbecuing commences at the Wet 'N' Wild Waterworld in Anthony, Texas, as it has for over 25 years. Concerts feature well known artists such as lead guitarist of Creed and Alter Bridge, Mark Tremonti, and the band Halestorm.

The Plaza Classic Film Festival is the world's largest classic cinema festival with over 80 showings during one week, held at the El Paso Plaza Theatre. Created by Eric Pearson, President of the El Paso Community Foundation, in 2008, this festival has quickly become renown for its dedication to great cinema and live performances and Q&A sessions with celebrities, including West Side Story's Rita Moreno and Margaret O'Brien of Meet Me In St. Louis.


Arts

Music Under the Stars is an outdoor summer concert series and has been held every Sunday afternoon from June through August since 1983. Located at the Chamizal National Memorial, the concerts feature a range of genres and local and international musicians alike. Overall, the summer will see about 60,000 attendees with several thousand at each concert.

Viva! El Paso is an outdoor musical celebrating the 400 year history of the El Paso region. Over 50 performers sing, dance, and narrate their way through Native American history through Western settlers and the cowboy culture that still exists today. Held at McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre through the summer, this is one of El Paso's oldest live performances.

The El Paso Symphony Orchestra is the longest continually running symphony orchestra in Texas and the oldest performing arts organization in El Paso. Established in the 1930s, the orchestra has since gained international attention after its tours in Germany in 1996 and Turkey in 2000. There are 12 classical concerts and many special events held every year to continue its mission of educating and entertaining the public with superior classical music.

The Abraham Chavez Theatre is a 2,500-seat concert hall named after a conductor of the El Paso Symphony, Maestro Abraham Chavez. This 3-story, sombrero-shaped building holds concerts, ceremonies, performances of the El Paso Symphony, and many other events. Notable performers have included Joshua Ryan, Tim Black, and Gabriel Iglesias.

The Plaza Theatre was built in 1930 and was one of the largest theatres between Texas and California at the time. Built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, it was also one of the most elaborately decorated. Popularity declined with the advent of television and suburb-dwellers living further outside of the cities and by the 1970s the theatre was in disrepair and saved from demolition by a local family. The Plaza was saved yet again in the late 1980s when the El Paso Community Foundation, with the help of actress Rita Moreno, raised the necessary $1 million. The theatre finally reopened in 2006 after major renovations to restore it to its original splendor. The Plaza Classic Film Festival has been held here annually since 2008.