Belen plans grandest All-American Celebration yet with drone show, fireworks

Belen will turn Eagle Park into a full evening festival Saturday, June 27, with a drone show at 9 p.m. and fireworks immediately afterward, a lineup designed to keep the city’s biggest summer gathering on site from the first band set through the finale. The celebration begins at 5 p.m. at 305 Eagle Lane and is free to the public, except for purchases from vendors and food trucks.

The City of Belen packed the schedule with live music, a car show, jumpers, an obstacle course, face painting, a dance floor and family-friendly activities throughout the evening. The Black Pearl Band is set to play from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by the headline performance from 7 to 9 p.m. before the drone show takes over the sky.

This year’s event also carries a note of loss. The city said it is honoring Al Hurricane Jr. and that he will not be part of the lineup, with Los Blue Ventures stepping in for his slot on the stage. That change gives the night a different musical shape, but the city is still anchoring the celebration in the same public gathering place that has long hosted Belen’s signature summer festivities.

The drone show is not built as a citywide display. Belen says it is a directional performance meant for guests inside Eagle Park, with the best viewing area on the large soccer field where the music and jumpers are located. That detail matters for families deciding where to settle in before dark, especially with the fireworks following immediately after the drones.

Eagle Park has become the city’s main stage for civic celebrations, and the All-American Celebration has already established itself as a recurring July tradition for Belen and surrounding Valencia County families. This year’s addition of a drone show, alongside fireworks and the usual mix of vendors and community attractions, gives the event a larger patriotic frame in the nation’s 250th anniversary year while keeping the focus on a local park that draws residents back every summer.