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'A love letter to Albuquerque': Somos ABQ returns post pandemic for a cultural celebration
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The Somos ABQ Festival is returning to Albuquerque after five years to bring New Mexicans a day of cultural phenomenon and to remind residents what the city can be with a little love and time.
From 4-11 p.m. Saturday, May 10, the National Hispanic Cultural Center will be filled with thousands celebrating the Land of Enchantment and all of its offerings. The event, which was put on hold during the pandemic and took place virtually, is returning for the first in–person experience since 2019.
“Somos was conceived in 2017 as a love letter to Albuquerque, and that takes the shape of arts and cultural events and festivals that we organize and produce with hundreds of collaborators,” said Julia Mandeville, co-founder and artistic director of Somos.
“We’re really excited to get back to this festival model and for the renewed opportunity to return to the core heartbeat of Somos and the mission of illuminating the beauty and brilliance of our community,” Mandeville added.
Throughout the day, nine local musicians and bands and 10 DJs will take to the three stages at the NHCC. Guests can expect performances from national headliners Shannon and the Clams and DJ Chromeo later in the evening.
Visual and performing artists, roving performers and large-scale art installations will also be on site. See belly dancers, cumbia dancers and flamenco performers before joining in a silent disco.
When guests aren’t dancing the night away, they can shop in the mercado or visit the culinary courtyards, showcasing 10 artisanal and small business food creators offering a variety of options.
The event is family-friendly, and Somos will offer 13 art-making activities, including a love letter to Albuquerque project, where guests can write a note that will be woven into a tapestry.
“We’ve had conversations about what Somos is and what it should become, and we always come back to that through line of a love letter to Albuquerque and that our communities needed and deserve to have their capaciousness reflected back to them and to be reminded that this is an extraordinary place to call home,” Mandeville said.
For organizers of the event, this year is a comeback after momentum was flattened by the pandemic, and a way to prove to themselves that Somos is an event worth bringing back.
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“The support that we’ve had from the community has made us feel really compelled, like we have to do this for the community,” said Cailyn Kilcup, co-founder of the event. “This is our comeback period in a very big way, and we’re beyond thrilled to bring it back this year.”
Though Somos is a one-day event, Kilcup and Mandeville believe it brings together some of the best of New Mexico, and they hope to spread that magic and optimism to others in the community.
“I want people to have this idea of what is possible, what we can create if we just infuse a little bit of love and care into this,” Kilcup said. “We put a lot of intention into this being a truly cross-generational experience of magic and love.”
