MARFA — The spirits and conversation celebrating the Chihuahua Desert start flowing again today with the fifth Agave Festival Marfa, which runs through Sunday. The annual festival celebrates the agave and its influence on culture through food, film, music, science and spirits.
Festivities begin today at 4 p.m. at the Crowley Theater with a screening of Agave is Life, the film that inspired the festival. Directors Meredith Dreiss and David O. Brown will be there to speak about why they made the film and will answer questions.
Then a whirlwind of activities follows through Sunday, interspersed with opportunities to taste tequila, mezcal and sotol. Authors, poets, researchers, musicians and artists will lead a variety of lectures and discussions, and there’s even a hike planned at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute.
See Schedule 2024 at www.agavemarfa.com for a full list of events, times and locations. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free.
Several other Marfa spaces are sponsoring events in conjunction with the festival. Ballroom Marfa and The Capri are hosting a multi-week residency with acclaimed (Michelin star) chef Michael Diaz de Leon, who will be serving food Thursday through Saturday evenings. Also, the great Sultanes del Yonke, from El Paso and Cd. Juarez, will perform at The Capri on Saturday evening for a small cover. “Hey, I Like it Here,” located in the lobby of the Hotel Saint George, will be hosting a pop up for Ni En More, a nonprofit social innovation project and clothing line that fosters networks of support between women in Ciudad Juarez.
MAINTENANT and the Chihuahuan Department of Culture will present an installation by Nortejiendo and Proyecciones, two artist collectives based in the state of Chihuahua.This work is part of the eighth edition of Festival de Arte Nuevo (New Arts Festival). This year’s edition, titled “Habitar,” meaning “to inhabit,” follows the idea of how the spaces in which we live affect us and how we do the same to them, and the importance of every individual piece that forms a whole in a community. The event — Rhizomes Unites Deserts — held on Saturday, June 8, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. — will also feature tasting of Omawari leguchilla and is BYOB.