Have a field day: Maize Maze Fall Festival returns with hayrides, a sorghum labyrinth and more

For nearly three decades, the Maize Maze Fall Festival has provided visitors with the opportunity to enjoy some of what the Rio Grande Community Farm has to offer.

The experience comes complete with, of course, a maze, as well as a variety of other activities.

“It’s fun. You can hear live music, get out of the house, and enjoy the open space. It is so beautiful this time of year,” said farm executive director Jamie Welles. “You can see the Sandias from the open space area and the gazebo where we have (the event). And with the hayrides, you can see where some of our farming activities go on.”

Have a field day: Maize Maze Fall Festival returns with hayrides, a sorghum labyrinth and more

A land-based nonprofit organization, Rio Grande Community Farm’s mission is “providing diverse and underserved communities with equitable access to urban farmland and education in sustainable agriculture — prioritizing food justice, biodiversity and climate resilience.” The Maize Maze Fall Festival, while undeniably an entertaining event for New Mexicans, also serves as a fundraising activity for the farm.

“We are on the city of Albuquerque Los Poblanos Fields Open Space, and it is part of the resource management plan for that space,” Welles said. “… We lease 50 acres from the city, and we have community gardens where we have about 100 community garden row holders, and 42 microfarmers.”

Approximately 3,000 to 4,000 people will attend the festival over the course of the two-day period, according to Wells. As its name might suggest, the featured attraction is the maze. Unlike some other popular options throughout the state, this one isn’t currently made up of corn. Instead, the eight-acre layout features sorghum, a grain that can reach eight to 15 feet in height and is popular for feeding livestock.

No matter the backdrop, the setup tends to be a hit with visitors, who can participate in a scavenger hunt complete with prizes or simply work their way through the maze without any other objectives.

“We call it the Maize Maze because we used to do it in corn, and we’re trying to figure out how to do it with a low-water corn for next year,” Welles said.

Meanwhile, hayrides will be held at the Larry P. Abraham Agri-Nature Center — a partner for the festival — on Saturday, Oct. 19, and at the farm on Sunday, Oct. 20. That latter will give attendees insight into some of the farming that occurs on the property.

“We do have larger fields, and then we have an area that’s 16 acres where we have the garden rows and where there are the microfarmers,” Welles said. “A microfarmer is a farmer that has a quarter acre to two acres, and we provide them with the land and water.

“… So what you’ll see is a lot of vegetation. And through a lot of that vegetation, there’s a lot of produce … it’s just interesting to really see what that looks like.”

Beyond the maze and the hayrides, guests will find plenty of other activities on hand at the festival. An artisan village will feature about 20 vendors selling various arts and crafts, while kids will have the chance to paint small pumpkins ahead of Halloween. Additionally, there will be live music throughout the day, along with food trucks and Steel Bender Brewyard providing beer options.

With New Mexico fall weather leaning toward the warmer side this season, Welles recommends that guests bring a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle (which can be refilled on site) to the festival.