Las Cruces, New Mexico, has an exciting line-up of fall activities this year. This lively city offers an authentic Southwestern experience for visitors, filled with festivals, harvest season happenings and outdoor adventures. Take a look at Las Cruces fall events and plan your travel itinerary now. 

---

Need more? Read more: Step outside and explore: 11 Southwest resorts with hiking at your doorstep

---

Best things to do in Las Cruces this fall

Las Cruces is rich in culture and history, and honestly, the city knows how to throw a celebration. We love the variety of events that showcase the spirit of this New Mexico locale for both visitors near and far. 

Hatch Chile Festival 

(Sept. 5-6, 2026) 

The 55th annual Hatch Chile Festival celebrates the region’s agricultural roots with chile-roasting demonstrations, parades, cook-offs and a Chile Queen crowning. The harvest event takes place in Hatch, the Chile Capital of the World, located about 30 minutes from Las Cruces.

Las Cruces Wine Trail 

Taste your way along the wine trail during grape harvest season, with a stop at La Viña, the state’s oldest continuously operating winery, commemorating its 50th anniversary next year.

Outdoor adventure and recreation

Explore the desert landscapes surrounding Las Cruces by following the fossil track sites at Prehistoric Trackways National Monument, mountain biking around Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument or taking in the dunes and meteor showers after dark on a ranger-led moonlight hike at White Sands National Park.

Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces 

This popular hotel serves as an optimal home base to enjoy fall festivities in Las Cruces. Here, guests are offered a uniquely New Mexican experience with an ambiance reflecting Spanish and Mexican Colonial history and tradition.

Franciscan Festival of Fine Arts

(Sept. 5-6) 

What started as a memorial to St. Francis of Assisi has grown into a brilliant showcase, featuring works from 80-90 artists. Visitors can browse paintings, sculptures, ceramics and live music spanning both sacred and contemporary styles. Visitors can continue an artistic journey around town by wandering the mile-long Farmers & Crafts Market on Main Street, the Las Cruces Museum of Art or COAS Books.

Harvest Wine & Music Festival 

(Sept. 5-7)

Las Cruces sits in the country’s oldest wine-producing region. In September, visitors can enjoy all-you-can-sip pours of the best wines in the U.S. The festival also features live music, gourmet bites and handmade crafts. After the festival, savor the depth of flavor through Mesilla Valley wine country via The Las Cruces Wine Trail’s sun-drenched vineyards, with stops like La Viña, New Mexico’s oldest winery, and Rio Grande Vineyard, set against sweeping pecan orchards. 

Diez y Seis 

(Sept. 12-13) 

Folklórico dancers, mariachi, and vibrant parades celebrate Mexican Independence Day at this festival, and throughout Las Cruces, Mexican influences are ingrained in the community. Step into the living history of Old Mesilla, where adobe architecture serves as a testament to the culture. Tie it all together with a meal from El Sombrero Patio Café, a nearly 70-year Las Cruces landmark or La Posta de Mesilla, a stagecoach stop since 1939.

Las Cruces Space Festival 

(Sept. 2026, dates TBD) 

Hands-on exhibits and aerospace programming reflect Southern New Mexico’s deep space legacy, but the action continues outside. Stargaze against the Organ Mountains at Aguirre Spring, join a ranger-led Full Moon Hike through White Sands National Park, or explore spacecraft replicas at the Space Murals Museum. 

Southern New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo

(Sept. 30-Oct. 4)

The Southern New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo brings a midway, auction, livestock shows and cowboy rodeo to the area. Events include a ’sip and shop’ wine tasting with locally operated Lescombes Family Vineyards, a stick horse race and a Model A Ford display. 

To learn more about Las Cruces fall events, visit the website at visitlascruces.com.