Lujan Grisham launches Festival Flamenco Alburquerque at NHCC
Michelle Lujan Grisham marked Festival Flamenco Alburquerque’s 39th run, bringing more than 100 artists, 11 U.S. premieres and a June 20 opening at NHCC.
Michelle Lujan Grisham helped launch Festival Flamenco Alburquerque at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, underscoring how a dance festival that began decades ago has become one of Albuquerque’s clearest calling cards on the international arts stage. The 39th annual festival runs June 19-27, with NHCC performances beginning Saturday, June 20, and organizers again billing it as the largest and longest-running flamenco festival outside Spain.
Behind the performances is a local arts network that has spent years building audience, training and institutional depth in Bernalillo County. The National Institute of Flamenco says it was established in 1982 by Eva Encinias and now anchors the festival with programs that include Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company, the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts and community engagement efforts that reach beyond the mainstage. The 2026 edition features more than 100 flamenco artists and creative workers, along with one world premiere and 11 U.S. premieres.
The NHCC schedule starts with De Scheherezade by María Pagés Compañía, co-created with El Arbi El Harti, on June 20. Yjastros follows on June 21, bringing one of Albuquerque’s signature flamenco companies back to the center. Miguel Poveda’s Recital de Cante is set for June 23, while June 24 pairs the juried Puentes Flamencos and Certamen Coreográfico competitions. Úrsula López’s Comedia sin Título is slated for June 25, before the two-night Fiesta Flamenca finale begins June 26.
That finale is built around some of the festival’s best-known names, including Daniel Ramos, Miguel Ángel Heredia, Carmen Talegona, Antonio Molina “El Choro” and María Pagés. NHCC ticket prices for Fiesta Flamenca are listed at $49, $69, $89, $109 and $129, putting the closing shows at a range that can draw both dedicated flamenco followers and local audiences looking for a single-night entry point.
NHCC Executive Director Zack Quintero said the festival has been an outstanding series in the center’s history and pointed to New Mexico’s growing place as one of the epicenters of flamenco in the United States. That standing rests not just on a single festival, but on the year-round teaching, company work and community programming that keep flamenco visible in Albuquerque long after the final curtain falls.
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