Albuquerque Headbangers Market: Five Years of Music, Art and Community
Five years ago, a simple idea inspired by a love of Albuquerque's arts and music scene became a special community event that brings together artists, musicians, creators, and fans. As it marks its fifth anniversary, the Albuquerque Headbangers Market still stands out by bringing alternative art, music, and community together in one space.
For the organizers, reaching five years means a lot, especially since the event started with so much uncertainty. "Five years ago, we didn't know if we were gonna do it again. We didn't know how to run an event. We had never produced anything before, and it was just an idea because we love the arts and music scene so much."
After the pandemic, the organizers noticed their friends in the local music and arts scenes were struggling. They wanted to find a way to bring these groups together. What began as a trial run has since gotten a great response from Albuquerque. "We're concertgoers. So it was really coming out of the pandemic, and we have musicians, friends, and artist friends who were struggling. So after making the right connections, we thought it was a great opportunity to bring both of those worlds, like arts and music, into one place, and we've had a really positive response from the community."
This next event will be the seventh Headbangers Market, sticking to its original idea of being different from a typical market. Instead of featuring the usual vendors and crafts, it highlights a darker and more alternative style. "We are a platform for unique arts and crafts, right? It's not your traditional market, pop-up market, grower's market, or anything like that."
The market spotlights horror, heavy metal, rock, punk, and alternative art. It gives creators a place to share their work, especially if it doesn't fit in at more traditional arts and crafts events. "This is embracing the darker arts and crafts, horror, anything that is under the umbrella of heavy metal, rock, punk, and alternative art. So I saw the need for a platform like that, and I thought, why not? What do I have to lose, right?"
Even though the name and style might seem intense, one of the key things about the Headbangers Market is that it welcomes all ages. The organizers made this choice after seeing how special it was for musicians to have their families watch them perform. "One of the first events we did, one of the band members had said to me, like, this is the first time my daughter's ever been up to watch me perform. And so that just kind of makes it click in your head."
Similar stories have continued over the years, including musicians sharing that their grandchildren were able to watch them perform. "It's great for the youth to see people like their family on stage. It's good for them."
The organizers also make sure to include younger performers, so kids in the audience can see people their own age up on stage. "We usually try to bring at least one younger band so that the younger people can see the younger people on stage and kind of realize that they could do that too, kind of things like that. And it's just a good, positive thing; it's meant to be a good, positive thing for everybody."
By staying open and inspiring, the market becomes more than a place to shop. It lets people see what's possible for themselves, whether that's making art, playing music, or just joining in with the community.
The event's growth shows in how many artists and musicians want to take part. This year, twice as many bands applied compared to last year, which has made choosing who gets to play even harder. "We started just picking bands, because we used to go to a lot of the local shows and we would choose bands to play. So it got to the point now, it got to a point where we were asking bands to start putting in a submission form if they wanna perform."
Interest in the event has spread beyond New Mexico, with people applying from other states and even other countries. "We're still in that beginning stage where it feels like, wow, it's so cool that people wanna play our event. So it's nice to see the response. We've gotten responses from people who are out of state, even out of the country this year."
This year's event will have over 40 vendors, nonprofit groups, seven bands, and an acoustic duo. There will also be a raffle with prizes from local businesses and other surprises to help everyone get involved.
With more acts and a steady focus on being welcoming to all kinds of alternative art and music, the Albuquerque Headbangers Market has truly become part of the local creative scene.
The organizers' invitation is simple: "Come and check it out. It's for everyone."
To get event details, vendor and band news, and updates, follow the Albuquerque Headbangers Market on Facebook and Instagram. Find tickets and more information at fusionnm.org.
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