Los Alamos adventure film festival returns to SALA Theater Saturday
A 90-minute Banff-backed bike and adventure film night lands at SALA for $15, with proceeds going to Los Alamos youth cycling.
Families, cyclists and residents looking for an easy weekend outing will have one at SALA Event Center, 2551 Central Ave., where the Yes! In My Backyard Adventure Film Festival will run from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Admission is $15, and all proceeds will benefit the Tuff Tykes Bike Club.
The 90-minute program will feature award-winning documentaries and shorts from Banff and other international festivals, with a lineup built around family adventure, environmental stewardship, adaptive access and the appeal of wild places. The headlining film, Best Day Ever, won Best Film - Mountain Sports at the 2025 Banff Mountain Film Festival and follows adaptive mountain bikers Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi as they navigate the trails with disability and community support.
The festival’s draw in Los Alamos goes beyond the screen. It grew out of Nathan Sandoval’s Leadership Los Alamos experience and took shape through conversations with Kyle Dickenson, giving the event a local origin story that fits the town’s habit of turning civic leadership into practical projects. SALA, a member-supported community cinema and event center built from the former Reel Deal Theater, adds another layer of continuity by keeping the event in a space that already belongs to the town’s cultural life.
That matters in a county where recreation and mobility are part of the identity as much as government and science. The festival lands on the weekend before Memorial Day, when many residents start shifting toward hiking, riding and time outdoors. In that setting, YIMBY is not just a film night. It is a public gathering that reflects how Los Alamos spends its free time and how local organizations use culture to support that life.
The beneficiary makes the connection even clearer. Tuff Tykes is a youth mountain biking community built by Los Alamos families who wanted their kids to spend more time outside, while Tuff Riders, also known as the Los Alamos SingleTrack Association, is an IMBA chapter that organizes rides and trail maintenance in town. For Los Alamos, the festival serves both as a spring outing and as direct support for the next generation of riders who will use the trails long after the credits roll.
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