New party IN TOWN
Tequila, Tacos & Cerveza Festival coming to ABQ after Cruces success
Tequila, tacos and cerveza apparently are some of Albuquerque’s favorite things.
PartyTenders Inc. created the Tequila, Tacos & Cerveza Festival, which it launched last year in Las Cruces. The event was so successful and well-attended that PartyTenders decided to test the waters and see what kind of response it would receive if the event were held in other parts of the region. It created promotional pages on Facebook, and the more people “liked” the page the better their chances of having the festival come to their area. The festival is now extending from Las Cruces to Albuquerque, Denver and Phoenix, as well as El Paso and San Antonio, Texas, according to Justin Hodges, owner and operator of the Tequila, Tacos & Cerveza Festival.
As of early last week, the Facebook page for the Albuquerque event had 15,000 RSVPs from people saying they would be attending the event. Currently, the National Hispanic Cultural Center area, where the event will be held, accommodates 3,500 people. There are plans to address the expected large attendance, including limiting walk-up ticket sales and extending event times. A two-day event also is being considered for the future, according to Hodges.
“We engage interest via Facebook through our news feeds and our Facebook event link,” Hodges said. “And from there we kind of go, OK, cool, this market is really interested in these three things, you know, tequila, tacos and cervezas. It’s like a traditional beer fest but a lot more exciting. It’s more of a niche market too. We take that beer fest concept, which is extremely popular these days, and we put a little more flair to it, if you will.”
The event will feature 60 tequilas from makers including 1800, Azunia, Blue Nectar, Camarena, Corazón, Corralejo, Don Eduardo, El Jimador, Gran Centenario, Herradura, Jose Cuervo, Los Nahuales, Maestro Dobel, Milagros, Peligros, Siete Leguas, Tanteo and others. The ticket price includes 10 quarter-ounce samples and includes a sampling glass as well as a koozie. Full shots of tequila, margaritas and Mexican beers including Dos Equis, Tecate and Corona varieties, as well as Negro Modelo, Victoria, Sol, Estrella and Montejo, will be available for purchase.
“We usually have about five different tequila brands per station, so just like a wine or a beer fest, you go around and you can use your 10 sample tickets however you want on whichever ones you want. You can also buy additional samples for $1.”
A number of taco food trucks will be there selling their eats including Street Food Blvd., Zacatecas Tacos + Tequila, Nosh Wagon and others. Mariachis and other live bands, DJs, Chihuahua racing, Tequila Olympics, water pong and more will keep eventgoers entertained.
“We book all local food trucks, and we put a big emphasis on them selling tacos, and they have to be pretty creative with it, Hodges said. “They can have carnitas; they can have steak; they can do duck if they wanted — shrimp, fish tacos, whatever, veggie tacos. We also encourage some of them to do dessert tacos as well, so ice cream and sweets too. Plus the usual shrimp cocktails. All those Hispanic features, we try to really push those.”