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Photo courtesy Taos Main Street Locals can be seen dancing La Marcha in the Taos Plaza

Round 2 Of Cultural Events Fund Awards$25,000 To Eight Taos-Area Events

Eight cultural events celebrating the traditions, arts and heritage of Taos and Northern New Mexico have been selected to receive grants through the second round of the Cultural Events Fund, completing the inaugural year of the pilot program.


Taos MainStreet, in partnership with the Town of Taos and Taos County, announced the latest cohort of recipients, awarding a combined $25,000 to events scheduled between June 1, 2026, and Jan. 1, 2027.


Launched in 2025, the Cultural Events Fund provides financial support to nonprofit organizations, businesses, individuals and community groups that preserve and promote the region’s cultural traditions through new, existing or revived events.


The second round matches the program’s first round, which also distributed $25,000 to eight organizations, bringing the total awarded during the pilot year to $50,000. Individual grants range from $1,500 to $5,000.
The largest grant, $5,000, was awarded to Cambalache: Harvest Festival in Conjunction with Questa Farmers Market, an annual celebration marking its 38th year in 2026. Scheduled for Oct. 10, the festival combines harvest traditions with the burning of the Cucui, a longstanding Taos County tradition.


Two events received $4,000 grants: the Local Food Fiesta, hosted by the Taos County Economic Development Corporation on Sept. 12, and the Re-Earthing Futures Festival at Rio Fernando Park, set for Oct. 10. The Local Food Fiesta highlights Northern New Mexico’s agricultural heritage, while the Re-Earthing Futures Festival will celebrate traditional practices such as adobe construction, seed saving, textile production and animal husbandry, culminating in the construction of a community seed library.


Fiestas de Taos, a centuries-old celebration of local culture and heritage which took place July 17-19, received $3,500.


The Puro Norte Truck, Bike and Car Show, held June 13, was awarded $3,000 to support its showcase of traditional music, dance, visual arts, local food and artisan demonstrations reflecting the area’s Indigenous, Hispanic and rural communities.


A $2,500 grant went to the Los Comanches de la Serna Community Event, a nearly 300-year-old New Year’s Day tradition in Ranchos de Taos honoring community members named Manuel or Manuelita through ceremonial dances, songs and processions.


Two recipients each received $1,500 awards: Taos Plaza Live, the Taos County Chamber of Commerce’s free summer concert series running Thursdays from July 23 through Aug. 20, and Cultural Stewardship of Land and Water Across the Rio Fernando de Taos Watershed, a summer and fall initiative led by the Rio Fernando de Taos Revitalization Collaborative focused on connecting residents with the watershed and its historic acequia system.
For more information about the Cultural Events Fund and other Taos MainStreet programs, visit taosmainstreet.org.