Events

Since the first Sun Bowl played on January 1, 1935, as a fundraising event for a local service club, the game has grown to be one of El Paso’s top national attractions. With its picturesque stadium nestled between two mountains it has become a piece of the Southwest and a lesson in history. Held a day prior to the game, the Fan Fiesta is a free, family friendly event that features a fireworks display, musical performances by local bands, university pep rallies and a battle of the bands.

Downtown Arts Festival Plaza and its surrounding areas come to life with lights, food, holiday shopping, festivities and an outdoor ice skating rink. WinterFest is a month long festival that is open every day and has something for all ages. Skate to holiday hits, enjoy charity and promotional nights and much more.

Conquer the largest urban State Park in North America! The Puzzler Mountain Bike Race challenges its riders with 6,200 feet of climb on single track technical terrain.

This Boston qualifier begins on El Paso’s east side and travels thorough various parts of the city. Runners enjoy a beautiful sunrise over the Hueco Mountain as well as striking views of the colorful Chihuahuan Desert.

Inviting all wine lovers to Sip City Wine Fest. The festival will feature an array of selections of wines, delicious eats, and live music. This event will bring a day of celebrating wine, filled with entertainment and education. This festival is a family-friendly event. We encourage everyone to drink responsibly, alcoholic beverages will be served to 21+ with a valid ID.

El Paso Comic Con is a pop culture phenomenon that brings the best in entertainment to West Texas. With celebrity guest panels, autograph signings, photo ops, gaming competitions, cosplay, contests, special events, and KidCon, there is something for everyone. El Paso Comic Con gives fans up-close and personal interaction with their favorite actors, authors and stars.

The Plaza Classic Film Festival — which celebrates its 16th year July 20-30, 2023 — was started by the El Paso Community Foundation in 2008 as a special project to bring movies back to the historic Plaza Theatre. The Community Foundation purchased 35mm and then state-of-the-art 2K digital projection equipment (upgraded to 4K in 2018) for the atmospheric theater, which opened in 1930, closed in the early 80s, and was restored for $38 million in 2006 in a joint partnership between the City of El Paso and the Community Foundation.
The first Festival was called The Movies Return to the Plaza Theatre and was the brainchild of EPCF President/CEO Eric Pearson and movie enthusiast Charles Horak. It was a smash hit. More than 25,000 people turned out to watch more than 60 movies at the Plaza Theatre and adjacent Philanthropy Theatre.

This is a True Texas Mountain Race on the Franklin Mountains. Most of the trails low are desert trail that is run able terrain with easy technical trail. The climb to the North Franklin Peak is a combination of straight climbing and switchbacks. The start/finish will be at the pavilion area circle inside of the Franklin Mountains State Park.

Attendees will be able to sample an array of Mezcal, Tequila, and Sotol selections, participate in a pottery workshop by Cantareras, shop from local vendors and spectate a Margarita Cocktail Competition sponsored by Cazadores + more!

The festival will feature a food pop-up by El Tiger Taqueria who is the brainchild of Chef Jorge Ortiz. Ortiz has worked in top kitchens in the Borderland and experienced working abroad at Pujol in Mexico City, Atelier Crenn in San Francisco and as Executive Chef at Chinooks in Seward Alaska. He also recently participated in the El Saber del Sabor festival in Oaxaca, Mexico where he worked alongside some of the Mexico’s greatest chefs.

Mighty Mujer Triathlon is an all-female “super sprint” that starts with a 300-yard swim in an indoor pool. The 15k bike course is followed by a 2-mile run in the Memorial Park area in Central El Paso. The “super sprint” course is perfect for beginners; the rolling hills will challenge seasoned athletes! Athletes must be 12 years old or older.

Sun City Craft Beer Festival is your one-day, one-stop shop for beer, music, games, and a ton more fun in Downtown El Paso. Located in the Southwest, we are proud to host the largest craft beer festival in the groovy city of El Paso!

Four Centuries. Four Cultures. One City. Enjoy El Paso’s own outdoor musical extravaganza, in the McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre. This colorful musical spectacular celebrates the four major cultures that have influenced the City of the Sun. The Native American, the Spanish Conquistador, the Mexican and the Western American cultures and their histories come alive through drama, song and dance by a cast of over 50 performers. VIVA! EL PASO is an experience not to be missed! (runs July-August)

The El Paso Zoological Society invites you to our annual event, Rock-n-Roar: a music festival at the El Paso Zoo! Kick off your summer with music and fun for the whole family. Take a walk on the wild side and sing along as we celebrate wildlife! Learn about animals and the importance of conservation as our Education Specialists guide you on your adventure. Through the sounds of nature, you’ll have a chance to explore the zoo in a new and exciting way!

An experience for all ages, Rock-n-Roar: Music at the Zoo will showcase a diverse lineup of musicians and a variety of genres from the Sun City. We welcome you into a fun, family-friendly atmosphere filled with photo opportunities, animal encounters, games, food, craft beer, live entertainment and so much more!

El Paso Sun City Pride serves as our region’s largest recognized lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organization. Initially founded over a decade ago, our mission has always been to increase the LGBT community’s visibility. In doing so, we have helped many individuals come to places of tolerance and acceptance. El Paso has long been a place ahead of its time. This community places love and support for one another above all else and we have been happy to model ourselves in those values. Over the past decade, Pridefest has expanded beyond a one-day event to include a full MONTH of events around El Paso. These include family friendly events at the Southwest University Stadium with the Chihuahuas and Locomotives, scholarship presentations for local students, bar nights, the original street festival/parade, and much more. The month of pride events concludes with our PRIDE Festival in historic downtown El Paso following the annual PRIDE parade through the surrounding city. It is at these events that we are afforded the opportunity to show the world our true selves and the positive contributions the LGBT community brings to El Paso. We look forward to seeing you there.

San Elizario celebrates Billy the Kid’s visit to San Elizario in 1876. See reenactments of the historic breakout of Billy’s friend at the old El Paso County Jail. Learn the historic truths of his visit to the old Texas town and more!

Eagle in the Sun Triathlon starts with a 400-meter swim in an Olympic-size indoor pool. The 20k bike course is an out-and-back on the historical Mission Trail, and the 5k run takes place on the Tigua Indian reservation! Individuals and relay teams are welcome for the event. The beginner-friendly course is flat and fast!

Femme Frontera is a Latinx-led film organization made up of, and founded by women and non-binary filmmakers from the U.S.-Mexico border regions of El Paso, Texas, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua, México. Our mission is to amplify films made by women and non-binary filmmakers from border regions around the world and to celebrate these unique voices through showcasing work, funding projects, and providing film education.

The El Paso Film Festival is one of the largest showcases of independently made films in the southwest. The El Paso Film Festival was created by filmmaker Carlos F. Corral in 2018 with the support and philanthropic help of the Paso Del Norte Community Foundation and serves as the organization’s 501(c)3 charitable resource for donors and the community-at-large. As the flagship film festival in far west Texas, they are leading the growth of a bi-national stage that empowers the new faces of filmmaking. In providing an inclusive platform, people will have the chance to discover and support filmmakers to tell their story while enjoying what is becoming the fastest growing independent film festival in Texas. Please visit them online for festival information.

Since its inception, CTB has quickly become one of El Paso’s premiere events and the largest FREE three-day public arts festival in the Southwest region drawing 45,000 people annually. Each year, about 200 local, national and international artists from all disciplines participate at CTB creating a fun, quirky and diverse environment for people of all ages to enjoy. The event features: Temporary interactive art installations, live dance and theatrical performances, a sidewalk chalk art competition, live bands, art and food vendors, access to various activities and exhibits at both the El Paso Museum of Art and Museum of History and more!

The international horror film festival,”Oculto”, is an event that brings together short and feature length films from all over the world in collaboration with their creators. It aims to offer a complete genre film experience to its audience, as well as provide opportunities for connection and visibility for participating filmmakers.

Join us for cultural displays, traditional crafts, food & entertainment, a curated artist and farmers market, and a parade in the Downtown Arts District! The parade will feature community floats, larger than-life marionettes, mojigangas, and alebrijes.

Bring your costume, bring your trick-or-treat bag and get ready for the wildest Halloween event in town!

Boo at the Zoo offers a fun-filled day with trick-or-treat stations sponsored by Raising Cane’s. There will be animal encounters, children’s activities, games, frightfully-delightful decorations and much more! Boo at the Zoo provides families a FUN and SAFE environment to celebrate Halloween along with the Zoo’s exotic and wild residents, the animals.

Boo at the Zoo is a unique way for families to trick-or-treat and enjoy Halloween festivities while visiting your favorite Zoo animals.

Stillhouse Presents: True West Whiskey & BBQ Fest on November 4, 2023. The fest will feature 30+ whiskey spirits, bbq eats, live music and more, welcome to all ages! True West Whiskey & BBQ Fest will showcase a wide range of whiskeys, including single malt, blended, bourbon, rye, and more from renowned distilleries. Attendees will be able to eat from the area’s top BBQ joints.The festival will feature a cigar lounge, mechanical bull rides, axe throwing, line step workshop, live rock and country music plus more! This festival is a family-friendly event, welcome to all ages. We encourage everyone to drink responsibly, alcoholic beverages will be served to 21+ with a valid ID.

We are celebrating 5 years since the El Paso Streetcar service returned to our region. As an iconic part of El Paso’s history, we are excited to take some time to celebrate!

The Streetcar was originally active during the 50s, 60s, and 70s, then returned in 2018, so we are paying tribute to its history by throwing a giant decades-themed anniversary bash on the Streetcar across two weekends.

With three distance options, Anthony Flying Horse Half Marathon, 10K & 5K is a fun and memorable event for runners of all levels. The race begins and ends in Anthony, Texas, the “Gateway to Texas,” crossing into New Mexico and taking runners through two states in one race!

The West Texas Beer Fest will take over Lowbrow Palace on November 18th, from 1PM-8PM. The event will feature over 50+ breweries, local eats, live bands, plus more! General admission and VIP tickets are available at lowbrowpalace.com. Open to all ages. Alcoholic beverages will only be served to 21+ with a valid ID.

The El Paso Downtown Lions Club organized the Parade in 1935. The parade was held on New Year’s Day from 1936 until 1978 when the event was rescheduled for Thanksgiving Day. The holiday pageant is planned, coordinated and produced by volunteer efforts and draws an annual crowd of over 250,000 spectators. The Sun Bowl Parade is the largest community event in the West Texas, New Mexico and Mexico area and brings together service clubs and civic organizations as well as all sectors of business and industries within the community.