BLOCK PARTY
‘Bricklight Nights’ feature arts, crafts, live music across from UNM
Businesses in Albuquerque’s Brick Light District have teamed up with local artists, crafters and musicians for Bricklight Nights.
The outdoor market event is designed to lure more foot traffic to the area and help increase business in the Brick Light District, on Harvard NE, across from the University of New Mexico campus.
“It’s competing businesses that are brick-and-mortars that decided to stand together and collaborate,” said Carlos Contreras, event coordinator and sole proprietor of Immastar Productions. “Ripe Inc., which is the company who branded the block the Harvard District 12 years ago, was brought back into the fold to figure out how to help these businesses do that, and they tapped my business, Immastar Productions, to help with that.
So we dreamed it up and … it’s basically an open-air market.”
The open-air market features anywhere from a dozen to just short of 20 craft vendors selling jewelry, apparel, art, candles, soaps and more. Bands will perform on the patio of Mazaya Cafe, 120 Harvard SE, beginning at 7 p.m.
“We have live artists go on both sides of the street on Harvard,” Contreras said. “The street stays open, so you have to cross carefully, but on both sides of the street you have live artists. They have their easels set up, and they are painting live for people to kind of stop by and check them out in their process. It’s almost like bringing the artist’s studio to the street and watching what some of these artists do at home or in their studios.”
Businesses in the Brick Light District will also be offering specials during Bricklight Nights events.
“These businesses are joining together and trying to get business through their door,” Contreras said. “They’re all offering specials to the patrons of Bricklight Nights, whether it’s like percentages off your food or free things or buy one get one free deals, so everybody’s got some kind of special going on while Bricklight happens.”