Schedule 2025
I look forward to seeing you in Marfa. This year’s Festival will take place between June 5 and 8. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free, though a few will require reservations based on limited space. I hope you will visit and support all of the co-hosting institutions year round.
Seating at the Crowley Theater is free, but first-come, first-served, so please arrive on time to any events that interest you. We’ve never turned anyone away, and I don’t expect to this year, but please be prompt, just in case.
Several local restaurants and galleries will present special events during Agave Festival, mostly inspired by the Festival but not always. Here are some of the businesses and organization who will present events during the weekend: Ballroom Marfa, Cactus Liquors, Club Nowhere, Cochineal, Do Right Hall, Gabba Gabba at the Wild Mare, Larry’s, La Venture at Hotel Saint George, Maintenant, Marfa Public Library, Planet Marfa, Tierra y Que, and the Wrong Store. I have attempted to provide basic information for these events below, but further details for each of these independent events are available on each entity’s social media, or by reaching out to them directly.
Thank you to Cecilia Ballí, Tim Crowley and The Crowley Theater, Meredith Dreiss and David O. Brown, Jim Fissel and Jim Martinez, Kathy and Okey Johnson, Liz Lambert, Caitlin Murray, James Reece, Caroline Waterlow, and Mishka Westell for their support of the Festival, and thank you for supporting local businesses during your visit. - Tim Johnson
thursday
June 5th
8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
MEET AT MARFA VISITOR CENTER
302 S HIGHLAND
FREE BUT REQUIRES REGISTRATION
Join Dixon Water Foundation and Center for Big Studies for a guided hike of the Alamito Creek Preserve. Hikers will learn about: the hydrology, archaeology, and ecology of our desert creek systems as well as their long-time usage as an important corridor, trade route, and home for people of the region. Dixon Water Foundation encourages anyone interested in learning more to read this paper on Alamito Creek. Please note: it’s hot in June, the ground is sometimes uneven, so hikers must wear appropriate clothing, including hiking shoes. Also, the Preserve is roughly 30 miles south of Marfa and hikers will pass through one immigration checkpoint on their return trip, so bring all necessary documents. Register here.
3:00 pM - 5:30 pM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Judd Foundation and Agave Festival Marfa present a series of talks centered around the importance of building drought resilience by restoring land and water ecosystems in the Chihuahuan Desert region. Presented in partnership with Borderlands Research Institute and Rio Grande Joint Venture.
6:o0 pM - 7:00 pM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Journalist, essayist and river guide Sam Karas of the Big Bend Sentinel will reflect on the modern history of rafting Santa Elena Canyon in what's now Big Bend National Park, from the US military expedition that mapped the southern border in the 1850s to her own personal experiences hiking the canyon during a record-shattering dry spell. As the US and Mexico spar over nonexistent water and the region is subjected to unprecedented militarization, can the iconic canyon still stand as a symbol of wonder, hope and international friendship?
thursday evening events (independent)
various locations
The Pool at Hotel Saint George will host a public pool party starting at 6 pm, with drink specials featuring Barrica Azul Tequila of Amatitlan, Jalisco.
Several local galleries will present exhibitions during Agave Festival, including Club Nowhere, Do Right Hall, Maintenant, and Tierra y Que, each of which will be hosting openings on Thursday evening. They will also have open hours through the weekend, and may also host additional programs. These are independent presentations and definitely worth checking out! Further details available on social media, or by reaching out to each of the venues directly.
FRIday
June 6th
9:00 AM - 11:o0 aM
CDRI
43869 TX-118
FREE but requires reservation
Join us for a hike at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, led by head gardener, Faith Hill. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the bats and plants of the Chihuahuan Desert and to get to know one of our region’s best and most beautiful institutions, CDRI. Register here.
9:00 AM - 11:o0 aM
the block / la mansana de chinati
400 w el paso st
FREE
Judd Foundation presents Arroyo Sessions: Volunteers are invited for coffee and breakfast treats, followed by hands-on riparian restoration of neighboring Mimm’s Creek, including planting of native grasses, shrubs, and trees. Boots and protective clothing recommended.
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Three of the leading voices in the field of traditional agave spirits, Salvador Rosales of Cascahuin Tequila, Pedro Jimenez of Mezonte, and Clayton Szczech, author of “A Field Guide to Tequila,” will host a two part conversation, discussing the cultural, economic and environmental conditions that they and their peers are facing. In the first part, our guests will explain different methods and approaches of production in agave spirits and address some of the many problems facing tequila, including the impacts of globalization and raw material speculation. In the second part, they will discuss the raicilla tradition in western Jalisco, its new Denomination of Origin and the consequences that have already happened.
The talks will include a tasting which you won’t want to miss. Also, free tamales will be served at the conclusion of the event, while supplies last!
2:00 pM - 3:00 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Art historian and poet, Roberto Tejada reads from his new book, Carbonate of Copper, an astonishing collection of poems, addressing lives lived on the borderlands. Written during periods in Brownsville, McAllen, and Marfa, in Carbonate of Copper Tejada gives voice to unsettled stories from the past, as well as to present-day experiences of custody and displacement. The poems stage scenes adjacent to the U.S.-Mexico border and to the realities of migration warped by jarring political vitriol, bearing witness to past and present-day hazards and sorrows wagered by those in search of asylum.
4:00 pM - 5:15 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
For thousands of years, humans have turned to art not just for beauty, but for shaping beliefs, forging identity, and creating shared meaning –– in other words, to belong. Join Jessica Lee Hamlin of the Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center for a journey through the remarkable landscape of the lower Pecos canyonlands and its extraordinary rock art. Hamlin will explore how the stunning murals, painted millennia ago, reveal the complex social and spiritual lives of the painters. Hamlin will share how Shumla is using cutting-edge science and partnerships with indigenous communities to understand, preserve, and share this irreplaceable library of ancient knowledge—and how these efforts connect us all to one of humanity’s oldest and most profound impulses.
6:00 pM - 7:00 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Ruben Garcia, founder of Annunciation House, will discuss the work of this extraordinary organization which, for almost fifty years, has provided shelter for people in migration. With houses of hospitality in Juarez and El Paso, Garcia and his associates have committed their lives to a belief in the rights of all people to a safe place to stay, a healthy meal, basic education and access to work. This commitment has required Annunciation House to maintain a complex relationship with governmental agencies, especially following the ongoing efforts by Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, to shut it down.
7:00 pM - 11:00 PM
el cosmico
802 s highland
FREE
Conjunto legends Max Baca y Los Texmaniacs will perform a free concert at El Cosmico, with a brief opening set performed by Marfa’s beloved duo, Primo y Beebe. Max Baca, whose storied career has found him playing bajo sexto alongside Flaco Jimenez, Augie Meyers, and Rick Trevino, has also won a Tejano Grammy of his own for the beautiful Borders y Bailes (2010). Heavy Metl Imports and Siete Leguas Tequila sponsor the evening which is a fundraiser for Marfa Parent Teacher Organization. Donations support student scholarships and teacher gifts. Heavy Metl Imports and Siete Leguas Tequila will sponsor the event and provide extraordinary spirits from 7 until 9:30. For those who'd like to learn more about Max Baca and the conjunto music tradition, check out the book, Crossing Borders: My Journey in Music, which Max wrote with Craig Harris, and which was published by the University of New Mexico Press in 2021.
Friday evening events (independent)
various locations
Cochineal will host a tasting by Sotol Raramuri from 8-9 pm at their Casita Gallery, where works by Salvador Luna will be on view.
Sierra Skye and the Wild Cocks will perform at a Max Baca y Los Texmaniacs afterparty at The Wild Mare. Too Sexy for Agave Fest?
Saturday
June 7th
9:00 AM - 11:o0 aM
CDRI
43869 TX-118
fully reserved
Join us for a hike at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, led by gardener and landscape designer, Jim Martinez. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the bats and plants of the Chihuahuan Desert and to get to know one of our region’s best and most beautiful institutions, CDRI.
9:00 AM - 11:o0 aM
chinati foundation
1 Cavalry row
FREE
The Chinati Foundation invites you to visit Al río / To the River, an exhibition in three parts by Zoe Leonard. Leonard, who is one of the most acclaimed and influential artists of her generation, is known for the way her exhibitions respond to their surroundings. This one, attuned to Chinati’s history and our cultural and environmental context is especially poignant and will only be on view for one more month. Don’t miss this very special exhibition.
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Chinati Foundation and Americas Society present "Photography in Context: Al río / To the River," a conversation with José Esparza Chong Cuy, Katherine Hubbard, Roberto Tejada and Zoe Leonard. This conversation, moderated by Aimé Iglesias Lukin (Americas Society) will address Leonard’s exhibition, Al río / To the River, and discuss the various ways the exhibition engages, formally, with its multiple contexts.
This conversation is part of a series of public programs presented in association with Zoe Leonard's Al río / To the River, currently on view at the Chinati Foundation.
12:00 pM - 4:00 PM
cactus liquors
405 south highland
FREE
Mind-bogglingly good liquor store and garden center, Cactus Liquors, presents an agave spirit tasting featuring tables of wonderful spirit makers and outrageously good food provided by TacoNeta of El Paso. Soak up samples with authentic Chuco-style tacos –– it's the tastiest way to drink responsibly.
1:00 pM - 2:00 PM
MARFA PUBLIC LIBRARY
115 EAST OAK ST
FREE
Marfa Public Library hosts a watercolor painting station for children of all ages. Attendees, mostly kids but adults are also welcome, will paint an agave, with watercolor supplies provided by the Library. It'll be a wild watercolor blast. Parents and guardians are asked to remain with their kids during the course of the event. Light instruction will be provided by artist Ross Cashiola, and there will be lots of encouragement. And lots of fun.
4:00 pM - 5:00 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Historian Oscar Rodriguez (Lipan) will discuss the old Rio Grande dialect, Caló, which he has been sharing on a weekly basis with listeners of Marfa Public Radio for the past many years as a part of the eponymous program which he writes, produces and performs. In addition to being a great historian, Rodriguez is fabulous raconteur with an illuminating understanding of our region and its linguistic particularities. This is a great chance to meet Oscar, who is returning to Agave Festival for the second time, and to hear a little Caló in person!
6:00 pM - 7:00 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Keeanga Yamahtta Taylor, whose books Black Lives Matter to Black Liberation and Race for Profit, are fundamental to a current understanding of race and inequality in the United States, is a MacArthur “genius” Grant recipient, the co-founder of the journal Hammer & Hope and a contributing writer at The New Yorker. For Agave Festival, Taylor will offer a new critical assessment of the legacies of the Combahee River Collective and the Black Lives Matter Movement and discuss the outlook and possibilities for building collectives and political alliances in 2025. You can learn more about Keeanga and her work with and alongside Angela Davis, Saidiya Hartman, Robin DG Kelly and others at her website.
8:00 pM - 9:45 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
We’re honored to co-present Cruz, a film by documentarian and narrative filmmaker, Teresa Camou Guerrero, with Intercambios Culturales of Chihuahua and Marfa’s Club Nowhere. We had the honor of presenting Guerrero’s wonderful and groundbreaking film, Sunu, at Agave Festival in 2021 and are eager to share this film, which follows a family of Raramurí farmers as they look for work and safety, with you. Guerrero, who is also the founder of El Teatro Indigena de la Sierra Tarahumara, will present the film.
saturday evening events (independent)
various locations
Gabba Gabba of Ciudad Chihuahua will host Chihuahua Night at The Wild Mare, with guest DJs, Vinyl Hunters; Hotel Saint George will host a dinner, among other events.
sunday
JUNE 8th
9:00 aM - 11:oo aM
mimm’s unit
1001 N austin st
FREE but requires registration
Join Dixon Water Foundation and Center for Big Studies for a guided hike of the Mimm’s Unit. Hikers will learn about: the ecology, hydrology, and land stewardship history of the Marfa grasslands as well as the paleontology and layers of time that have passed can teach us about the history of the landscape. Register here.
11:00 aM - 12:15 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Chinati Foundation, in partnership with Agave Festival, presents a talk by Erika Blecha, archeologist at the Center for Big Bend Studies, on 16,000 years of dynamic human, animal, and environmental interactions at the San Esteban Rockshelter, situated along Alamito Creek just south of Marfa. Recent archeological work at the site is providing profound, new understandings of the history of our region.
sunday morning events (independent)
various locations
Disco Agave will present Crudolandia, featuring food by La Pájera (Cd. Chihuahua) and TacoNeta (El Paso) at Larry’s, from 11 am. Independently, Ballroom Marfa’s Supper Club will host a Vinyl Brucch at the Capri from 11 am - 3 pm, with a menu by Jocelyn Jerrils.