Showcasing a 'hidden gem': City hosts second annual Multicultural Arts Festival at Singing Arrow Community Center

May 8—The Singing Arrow Community Center opened its doors in 2022. As a city-owned center, its goal is to bring the community together.

Councilor Renée Grout, who represents District 9, has made it a priority to celebrate the beauty of the Albuquerque community.

This is why she helps put on the Multicultural Arts Festival, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the community center.

The event is in its second year, and Grout hopes it will continue to grow.

"There are a lot of different cultures in our community," Grout said. "Singing Arrow is a new facility, and we have a lot of people that pass through the area. The purpose for the festival is to celebrate the different cultures while bringing people to the center."

Singing Arrow is near the Tijeras Arroyo, which the city of Albuquerque has a plan to preserve.

The Tijeras Arroyo is nestled between the Sandia and Manzano mountains. It encompasses a rich living history and a diversity of vegetation, including large cottonwood trees and willows.

In 2014, the city adopted a Resource Management Plan for the Tijeras Arroyo Biological Zone, or Bio-Zone, because of its significance as a sensitive riparian area that provides critical habitat and a corridor for wildlife; aquifer recharge and tributary to the Rio Grande; and a major historical and cultural site that connects Albuquerque to the East Mountains and the larger grassland of the Great Plains to the east.

"This area is like going into a different world," Grout said. "It's so close to Albuquerque. We have wildlife and outdoor recreation. There's a lot of history in the area itself."

There will be close to 40 artisans selling their work during the event, as well as dance and music groups representing mariachi, flamenco, folk and Celtic.

Grout said there will also be a kid's corner that will have a bounce house, face painting and family activities.

There also will be food trucks.

"This is an opportunity to get outside and enjoy the outdoors," she said. "The center is an asset to the community. We're trying to showcase this hidden gem to the community. I'm hoping that this event will be held for years to come."