Southwest Summer Events (Part 2)
By Lauren Wong
As promised, here’s a few more summer events scattered throughout the southwest!
When: May 6 - 8
Where: Two venues, 18 Road/Bookcliffs Trail System Bicycle Demo Venue, Downtown Fruita Product Expo Venue
Cost: Festival Pass, $45 - $65, Demo Pass, $25 - $45
2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the Fruita Fat Tire Festival! The whole event was formed with the goal to create an environment for friends and MTB enthusiasts to come together and celebrate this sport they love. The event features around 50 vendors, bringing together major bike MFG’s in the MTB industry.
If you’re looking to just hang out at the venue, there’s no pass required, but if you want to test some demo bikes, get your passes ahead of time. 18 Rd offers all these different loops of various challenges for different skill levels. It’s the perfect place for testing out some new bikes! The venue in Downtown Fruita is free (no pass required) and full of MTB Vendors, SKA Brewing Beer, food and music.
When: July 1 - 3
Where: Various locations (Roswell Convention Center, Pioneer Plaza, and Downtown Roswell, NM)
Cost: Cost varies
This year marks the 75th anniversary since the Roswell incident. In 1947, there was a “flying disc” that was recovered from a ranch near Roswell. The UFO Festival brings about many different events. The Galaxy Fair at the Roswell Convention Center is free and brings live music, a beer garden, children’s entertainment, craft activities, educational speakers, art, circus camp, bounce house, Powerplayz Fun House, and more. You can come to sample beer and wine from local New Mexico breweries and wineries, try out different food vendors, and enjoy a DJ and Open Mic on Sunday featuring local artists. (You can even sign up for a spot by calling 575-637-6239)!
Saturday brings you the main concert event at the DeBremond Stadium. General admission is only $15, $100 for VIP, and you’ll get to hear music from MIDLAND (Academy of Country Music Award winner), William Clark Green (Texas Country chart topper), and former American Idol Contestant, Traci Kaye Booth. Don’t forget to bring along a lawn chair and blanket. Before laying back to enjoy the concert, sign up for the Alien Chase. This 5k walk/run starts in the DeBremond Stadium Parking Lot. Get all decked out and put on your best “otherworldly” costume for the race.
Throughout the festival you can also stop in at the Rowell Convention Center for educational events hosted by Roswell Daily Record. The Goddard Planetarium at the Roswell Museum will be hosting Festival Laser Shows and Sci-Fi Movies throughout the duration of the weekend.
When: July 20 - 24
Where: San Diego Convention Center, CA
Cost: Single-day adult tickets range from about $360 - $550
Get ready for the largest pop culture event in the United States! Thousands of artists, celebrities, and fans gather in the San Diego Convention Center for this annual event. Showcasing all things related to pop culture from comic books to movie memorabilia, and more, you’ll get to attend panels, seminars, workshops (with comic book professionals), and see previews of upcoming feature films. You can join in on portfolio review sessions with some of the top comic book and video game companies in the industry, and attend a variety of evening events. From costume contests, to the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival, each day is jam packed with entertainment.
Enjoy over 350 hours of programming on comic books and pop culture and visit the exhibitors, movie studios and TV networks, and more. And, don’t forget to stop by the autograph area and Artists’ Alley to get your favorite artist’s signature!
When: July 23 - 24
Where: 1 County Road 197 Gonzales, TX
Cost: GA Weekend starts at $199, GA Weekend and Tubing Bundle starts at $229, GA Single Day starts at $129
This two day event brings together some of the hottest acts in the music industry. Their full lineup can be found on their website, but a few of the top headliners include Vampire Weekend, Deadmau5, Chance the Rapper, Quinn XCII, Marshmello, Cage the Elephant, Lord Huron, Tove Lo, and more. The venue is near the historic site where the Battle of Gonzales took place. While you revel in great music, and enjoy your leisurely float down the Guadalupe River, you are right where Texas had gained its independence from Mexico, “the birthplace of Texas.”
It’s recommended that you get out your tube and float early in the morning or afternoon. The festival starts later so you don’t have to worry about missing any of your favorite performers. If you’re interested in floating the river, getting a camping pass is the way to go. You’ll be able to stay overnight Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so you can wake up, walk over to float, and then change into dry clothes before the concert begins. Keep in mind that tubing is first come, first serve!
When: Aug. 28 - Sept. 5
Where: Black Rock Desert, NV
Waking Dreams is this year’s theme. Burning Man comes around once a year in Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis dedicated to the community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. With Waking Dreams being 2022’s theme, it’ll dive into the transformative power of dreams, whether that’s literal or figurative. Burning Man emphasizes the fact that it’s not a festival, it’s simply a city where its citizens take the power into their hand through their creations. The nonprofit Burning Man Project is guided by 10 Principles; Radical Inclusion, Gifting, Decommodification, Radical Self-reliance, Radical Self-expression, Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Leaving No Trace, Participation, and Immediacy.
