November 2017 - Follow-Up: SOMOS
On a cloudy Saturday night, downtown Albuquerque transformed into a festival featuring local artist and musician alongside national acts. SOMOS The first festival of its kind shut down Central Ave and erect four large stages. There was a $10 entry fee if you purchased your tickets in advance, they were $12 at the door. Even with the rain, hundreds flooded into the festival through a wanded security check. There were also plenty of police and security personal wandering through the streets.
There were vendors set up down the center of Central Ave selling everything from handcrafted jewelry to solar panels for your roof. On the sides of the road were interactive art installations. My personal favorite of all was the Pop-up Park. In the Pop-up Park, they laid sod on the ground and created trees and benches to bring the experience to life. Outside the park, a person on stilts greeted the visitors of the festival. Once inside the park was where the real fun began. On the first bench, you plugged into a virtual reality setup, which I can only describe as falling down the rabbit hole. On the other side of the small park with another gentleman waiting with a whole new virtual experience. Have you ever been hit by a train? Well neither had I, but what a trip.
Walking through the crowds visiting with people was mayoral candidate Gus Pedrotty. It was nice to see a candidate out enjoying downtown Albuquerque no entourage just hanging out doing some shopping and some talking. Taking his turn on the virtual reality that was the Pop-up Park.
Down from the Pop-up Park was the Hip Hop stage with Deltron 3030 playing to a packed street. A well-mixed crowd headed over from the other stages to hear the band. Across Central Ave, my fav of the night PDA played a mix to a rather fuzzy, sparkly dancing crowd. Down the middle of the street food venues lined up selling some amazing looking creations burgers to tacos to deserts to die for. Albuquerque Foodie culture was well represented. Behind them in the parking lot was the beer and mixed drink garden. Many of the Local brews were represented including, Tractor, Boese Brothers, and Duel. Sadly, but not surprisingly many were running out of beer has Dillion Francis took the stage. That minor details didn’t seem to have any effect on the party. The security was tight for the over 21 area; it was a re-check of your ID every time you went in no bracelets were given out.
The festival was a success on many levels never mind the rain. There was something for everyone and a beautiful time to be enjoyed by all.