Schedule 2026
This year’s Festival will take place between June 4 and 7. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free, though a few will require reservations based on limited space.
Please note: 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. Also, because people find viewing schedules online difficult, and I still like printing, paper programs will be available at the Festival. This website will be updated as times or events change.
Several local restaurants and galleries will present events during Agave Festival, many inspired by the Festival but not always. Please note: Cochineal will present special Agave Festival Dinners; Larry’s Burgers and Cochineal will host No Big Bend Wall fundraisers on Friday; Marfa Spirit Co and Gabba Gabba Bar will collaborate on drinks and food; Club Nowhere presents new work and cocktail hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday; and Marfa Must, a collective of local artists, will present work at New Star Grocery, 12-6pm, daily. Additionally, Ballroom Marfa has the excellent “Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers” on view - Tim Johnson
thursday
June 4th
4:30 pM - 6:00 pM
The pool at hotel saint george
205 e el paso st
food FOR FREE
The Pool Marfa at Hotel Saint George presents the Agave Festival Kick-Off Party and complimentary preview tasting of Casa Chihuahua, a new culinary concept for breakfast & lunch coming soon to the hotel. Enjoy specialty & frozen cocktails, Mexican-inspired bites, and live entertainment by DJ Mike Am while getting an exclusive first taste of the new concept.
6:00 pM - 7:15 pM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Chinati Foundation and Agave Festival Marfa present a talk on archeoastronomy in the Chihuahuan Desert by Yuri de la Rosa of INAH-Coahuila. De la Rosa is the author of “Los astros en las rocas de Coahuila: arqueología de los antiguos habitantes del desierto” (“Stars in the Stones of Coahuila: Archeology of Early Desert Inhabitants”), and is known for his extensive and illuminating archeological research in remote regions of Coahuila, as well as his commitment to sharing the deep history of the Chihuahuan Desert through public talks, podcasts and radio interviews. De la Rosa’s presentation will begin with an overview of the history of archeology in Coahuila, including news of important recent projects and findings by INAH-Coahuila, before speaking about the role of archeoastronomy, one of his favorite subjects.
This quote by De la Rosa feels appropriate for Agave Festival: "May science, in all its aspects, be within the reach of the entire global population; may everyone who so desires have the opportunity to engage in science, and—failing that—may the results and achievements of science be within the reach of everyone."
9:00 pM - 12:00 AM
the Wild Mare
98 south austin st
FREE
Join us at the Wild Mare for a Festival Kick Off Party featuring Agave fest co-conspirator and alum, Claudia Saenz of Chulita Vinyl Club and special guests.
Chulita Vinyl Club is made up of women, gender-non-conforming, non-binary, LGBTQ+ and self-identifying people of color. CVC launched in 2014, with the context of providing a safe space for empowerment, togetherness and to utilize music and vinyl as a form of resistance against the erasure of culture. Each Chulita identifies with their own identity. They are not to be classified as one nationality or culture. Within CVC they individually identify with the following: Latinxs, Tejanxs, Chicanxs, Xicanx, Afro-Latinx and many more. The unifying denominator is that they come together over the belief that EL DISCO ES CULTURA and they believe that is worth preserving and perpetuating.
FRIday
June 5th
9:00 AM - 11:o0 aM
the block / la mansana de chinati
400 w el paso st
FREE
Judd Foundation and Agave Festival present 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.
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. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the plants of the Chihuahuan Desert and to get to know one of our region’s best and most beautiful institutions, CDRI. Register here.
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Pedro Jimenez, director of Mezonte and founding bartender of Pare de Sufrir, introduces his latest film, “Raicilla: Memoria de un Paisaje” (“Raicilla: Memory of a Landscape”) a documentary that explores the history, production and challenges surrounding this spirit from Jalisco told by the voices of those who produce it, academics, advocates and the very landscape from which it arrives. Jimenez is a visual artist, agave culture advocate, and co-conspirator of Agave Festival Marfa.
Tamales by Marfa’s Mercedes Bueno Cano will be available for free after the film, for as long as supplies last!
2:00 pM - 3:30 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Mezcal Panel: legendary agricultural activist and mezcalera Sosima Olivera (Chontal Maya) of Fane Kanstini joins agave culture advocates Diana Pinzón of Zinacatán, Francisco Terrazas of Tequila Interchange Project and Pedro Jimenez of Mezonte to discuss ecological considerations, especially concerning water and wood, in the production of traditional mezcales.
4:00 pM - 5:15 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Christina Hernandez, Oscar Rodriguez, Arian Velazquez-Ornelas, Dr. Maia Rodriguez, and Xoxi Nayapiltzin present:“Decolonizing the Fence, Part II”. Following on a previous Agave Festival panel, this second edition will focus on how the conversation has shifted from protection and interpretation of the site to the realities of resistance, ecological fragmentation, Indigenous stewardship, and what an impending wall means for communities, landscapes, and cultural continuity in the region.
FRIday
June 5th
6:00 pM - 7:15 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Jazmine Ulloa will read from her celebrated book, “El Paso: Five Families and 100 Years of Blood, Migration, Race and Memory.” As the New York Times wrote in a recent rave review: “In El Paso, a compelling chronicle of the city, the journalist Jazmine Ulloa makes a case that, rather than a vestigial organ, El Paso is the heart not only of Texas, but of the American experience. El Paso is Spanish and Mexican, Indigenous and mestizo, Anglo and Arab, Chinese and German, white and Black — and, to borrow a phrase from Ulloa, “Blaxican.” The city, in her estimation, deserves to be acknowledged as another Ellis Island.”
El Paso is an extraordinary, can’t-look-away reported history; it uses deep research and dozens of new interviews to blow away the myth of this place, where Mexico’s Juarez and America’s El Paso intertwine. It charts the history of El Paso through five families. From the Mexican Revolution and the Mexican Repatriation, to the shifting immigration laws under Reagan and Trump and the violence and bloodshed brought on by the drug war, El Paso captures a place often misunderstood or forgotten by the rest of the country, and the world.
El Paso is a brave new work of narrative nonfiction that gives new voice and perspective to history that has long been checked at the border, or told through the lens of white men alone. Ulloa draws upon meticulous research and reporting and stunning historical detail to craft the intimate narratives of an unforgettable cast of characters.
Copies of “El Paso: Five Families and 100 Years of Blood, Migration, Race and Memory” will be available throughout the festival and signed copies will be available after the event.
7:00 pM - 9:00 PM
cactus liquors
405 south highland
FREE
Liquor store and garden center, Cactus Liquors, presents an agave spirit tasting featuring tables of wonderful spirit makers. Special guests Timbo’s Tacos will be on hand, giving away free tacos while supplies last!
Friday evening events (independent)
various locations with more to be announced
in the near future - stay tuned!
Wrong Marfa will host two tastings, Borderland Spirits, from 3-4 pm; and Creador, from 5-6 pm.
Eric Morguez, Iliana Lazaro, Chris Ramming, Jax Le Baron-Widmar and Logan Caldbeck present work at Club Nowhere, with sotol and lechuguilla cocktails by Alejandro Aguilar: 5-10 pm.
Join No Big Bend Wall and Larry’s for hot dogs and music by DJ Denisse Ayay of Presidio, 6-8:30 pm.
Mexican spirit tastings of Maleza Bitters, Granicera Gin and Wild Common Agave spirits.
Mateo Galindo and Rigo Zamarron presents new painting and sculpture at ¿Tierra y Que?, 7-9 pm.
Zade Williamson presents “In Our Deaths and In Our Gardens,” an exhibition of paintings at Marfa Book Co, 7-9 pm.
Gabba Gabba of Ciudad Chihuahua will “take over” Marfa Spirit Co. with DJ Sets by DJ Ralfie, and food by Oscar Cortazar of La Pájara and La Cocineria, 9pm-12am.
Cochineal & Violette Wine Co. host a Copita Fundraiser to benefit NO BIG BEND WALL, with special guests Diana Pinzón of Mezcal Zinacantán, Sosima Olivera of Fane Kantsini, Antonio Avedaño of Tepenal Ancestral, and Valerie Alcalde of Sotol Rarámuri pouring their highly celebrated and much sought after spirits from 9-11 pm in Cochineal’s Private Dining Room.
Saturday
June 6th
9:00 AM - 11:o0 aM
CDRI
43869 TX-118
fully reserved
Join us for a hike at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the 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
chinati foundation
1 Cavalry row
FREE
Chinati Foundation presents a special viewing of Oscar Hagerman: Sillas de Mexico. Hagerman is among the leading architects of his generation and is known for collaborative building projects in rural and indigenous communities throughout Mexico. This exhibition brings together a selection of chairs designed by Hagerman and produced in collaboration with Canto Artesanos, a design cooperative in Mexico City.
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Chinati Foundation and ISAD, Ciudad Chihuahua’s School of Architecture and Design, present “Architecture is a Place: Learning from Oscar Hagerman's Narratives of Care," a talk by Juan Manuel Casillas Pintor. Casillas Pintor is a celebrated architect, full-time faculty member at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and faculty member of UMA, the University of Environmental Studies in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. With over 25 years of professional experience in the field of sustainability and construction, his work focuses on socio-environmental impact and regenerative development. He represented Mexico at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016 and 2020.
This presentation is part of a series of public programs presented in association with Oscar Hagerman: Sillas de Mexico, currently on view at the Chinati Foundation. Casillas Pintor will be introduced by Caitlin Murray and Federico Campos, Director of ISAD's Architecture Design Studio.
12:00 pM - 3:00 PM
cactus liquors
405 south highland
FREE
Liquor store and garden center, Cactus Liquors, presents an agave spirit tasting featuring tables of wonderful spirit makers. For Saturday’s tasting, El Paso’s Taco Neta will be on hand serving free food!
4:00 pM - 5:15 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Raquel Gutierrez, author of “Brown Neon: Essays” returns to read from “Southwest Reconstruction” a new collection of poems, described as a disquieting journey through the uncharted dreamspace of memory and loss, expulsion and shelter, family and recognition. Enacting an eclectic range of forms and echoes drawn from the relational complexities that occupy the difficult terrains of unceded land; these are critical improvisations of creation and closures of the imperceptible sense of displacement, and the interconnecting routes that map the vastness of desire to belong. Divided into three sections, the vocal registers in Southwest Reconstruction act as the noisy divining rod for both kinship and ancestral communication; a sonic brown butch vernacular strumming notes out of sorrow and mettle. Written over the course of almost ten years in the Southern Arizona landscape, these poems function as a psychic Thomas Guide diving into the wreck of settler logics looming large in the rearview mirror of mestizaje and the mythological ruptures left in their wake.
Copies of “Southwest Reconstruction” will be available for sale throughout the festival; signed copies will be available after the event.
Saturday
June 6th
6:00 pM - 7:15 pM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
McDonald Observatory and Agave Festival Marfa present a talk by special guest Karl Gebhardt, Chair of the Department of Astronomy and Herman and Joan Suit Professor in Astrophysics at University of Texas at Austin. Gebhardt is known for his theory of medium-mass black holes which exist between the stellar-mass black holes that result when massive stars explode as supernovae and the supermassive black holes that lie at the hearts of galaxies. He is also one of the architects of HETDEX, the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment. This McDonald Observatory project seeks to understand dark energy, that enigmatic force causing the universe's expansion to speed up.
Original Agave Festival co-conspirator and “Agave is Life” co-diretor, Meredith Dreiss will introduce Karl.
7:00pm – 10:00pm
MAINTENANT
1825 Rabbits Rd.
Festival de Arte Nuevo (FAN) and MAINTENANT, in collaboration with the Secretaría de Cultura del Estado de Chihuahua, present a sunset reception with complimentary Lechuguilla and Sotol cocktail samples by mixologist Alejandro Aguilar, and music curated by FAN and MAINTENANT.
Exhibition Reception: Watch Your Step! by Miguel Angel Rios (NYC / CDMX), Todos Somos Conquistadores by Carlos Lara (MTY), curated by Brenda Fernández (MTY)
8:00 pM - 11:00 PM
BULLROOM
43326 Ranch Road 1112
FREE
Marfa Spirit Co. and Agave Festival present Carrie Rodriguez, with special guests John Convertino (Giant Sand / Calexico) and Luke Jacobs, followed by Southwest legends, Pima Express.
You can watch Carrie’s Tiny Desk Concert here. Rodriguez is the host of the experimental performance series Laboratorio, a musical exploration and celebration of Latino culture. Rodriguez is known for several outstanding albums as a solo artist and collaborations with John Doe (of X), Ruben Ramos, Chip Taylor (“Wild Thing”, etc), and Roberto Tejada.
For over two decades, Pima Express has been rocking the Southwest and bringing their blend of country, rock and chicken scratch (the popular dance music of the native peoples of southern Arizona). From the village of Bapchule, on the Gila River Reservation, Pima Express close out the evening at the Bullroom in their own rocking style.
Doors at 8pm. Carrie Rodriguez Trio will begin at 9 pm, and Pima Express at 10:30 pm.
Thanks to Ballroom Marfa for their generous support of this event.
saturday evening events (independent)
various locations to be announced
in the near future - stay tuned!
Blind tasting at Wrong Marfa, co-hosted by Heavy Metl Imports, 4:30-6 pm
sunday
JUNE 7th
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Dr. Oswaldo Zavala, author of “Los cárteles no existen: Narcotráfico y cultura en México (Drug Cartels Do Not Exist: Narcotrafficking in US and Mexican Culture)” is joined by journalist Sam Karas, to discuss their views on the myths and realities of one of the world’s largest industries.
Dr. Oswaldo Zavala is a renowned professor of contemporary Latin American literature and culture at the College of Staten Island and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and holds two PhDs, one from the University of Texas at Austin and one from the Université de Paris III, Sorbonne Nouvelle. He has reported extensively on US-Mexico border issues—which includes a focus on ‘narcos’—and the modern discourse surrounding Latin American modernity.
Burritos by Ramona Tejada of Marfa Burrito will be available for free after the conversation, for as long as supplies last!
2:30 pM - 4:30 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
A sequence of three events:
Agave Festival and Azul Arena of Ciudad Juárez present the beautiful short film, “La Cienega”, directed by Ciela Avila Velasco and produced by Manuel Alberto Herrera Delgado. You can see the trailer here.
La Cienega tells the story of Don Efraín Delgado, the last member of a family line dedicated to the two most important cultural traditions of Temósachic, Chihuahua: the artisanal production of sotol and norteña music. At his ranch, “La Ciénega”—a place that seems suspended in time on the banks of the Papigochi River—he works to preserve the identity of his town, even in the face of the passage of time, migration, and cultural syncretism.
The film will be followed by a conversation about sotol and lechuguilla production led by sotoleros and lechuguilleros who work to keep this extraordinary tradition alive, including producers from Lechuguilla Omawari, Lechuguilla Ohui, Sotol Lazo de Me Vida, and Sotol Fernández, with support from Chihuahua’s Secretaria de Cultura.
While the lechuguilla and sotol producers are sharing their spirits, Chihuahua’s Festival de Arte Nuevo will launch their latest ‘zine and discuss the scope of their cultural work, including discussion of collaborations with several of Marfa’s cultural institutions, including Club Nowhere and Maintenant, and projects around the state of Chihuahua.
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
crowley theater
98 south austin st
FREE
Chihuahua’s Secretaria de Cultura presents the film, “La Mujer de Estrellas y Montañas” with a special pre-recorded introduction by the director, Santiago Esteinou.
La Mujer de Estrellas y Montañas tells the incredible and harrowing story of Rita Patiño, a Tarahumara woman who left her community in northern Mexico in the early 1980s and walked across the border all the way to Kansas. When the American authorities found her, she was arrested and forcefully committed to a psychiatric hospital for 12 years. Throughout this time, her identity and language were unknown to the medical authorities. Years later, and back in her hometown, the horrific episode continues to haunt Rita and her loved ones. This visually striking documentary is not to be missed.
You can see the trailer here.