Gotta love a festival centered around one of the region鈥檚 most famous and beloved spirits, tequila.
Specifically, the four-day 2022 鈥 Thursday, April 28, through Sunday, May 1 鈥 which is all about the plant at the root of tequila.
After a two-year hiatus courtesy the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual event returns as a four-day celebration of the plant that produces a spirit culturally connected to 蜜柚直播 and our Mexican neighbors.
鈥淭here is no other festival in the U.S. that comes close to the richness and depth that has been our calling card to aficionados from all over the region and south of the border,鈥 Todd Hanley, the festival鈥檚 founder and CEO, said in a written release. 鈥淭his festival brings together over 40 presenters, in over 20 events taking place over four days that celebrate every aspect of the agave plant in our region.鈥
The festival features more than 20 distinctive events, from conversations with producers to showcasing the women behind mezcal and a concert with .
This festival comes 14 years after the inaugural Agave Fest in 2008 that launched it all. Since that single-day event at Hotel Congress, the agave plant has gained worldwide fascination and tequila has exploded.
So has the festival.
That one-day inaugural event that featured a number of artisanal and ancestral agave spirits has nearly tripled today, and has grown into a multiday festival that looks beyond what鈥檚 poured in your margarita to the sustainability and historical, cultural and economic significance of the agave plant across borders.
鈥淥ver the years, the Agave Heritage Festival has been refining the art of throwing a festival that both celebrates agave spirits in themselves and educates the public on the history, culture and ecology of the human-agave relationship, including spirits production,鈥 said longtime participant Doug Smith, who owns 聽and its sister El Crisol mezcal tasting bar. 鈥淭here is no other festival in the U.S. that approaches the depth and breadth of this one, no other that appeals as strongly to enthusiasts on both sides of the border or draws more important figures in Mexico, from scholars to conservationists to actors in the spirits industry. We bring together more than 40 presenters addressing nearly every aspect of the agave plant.鈥
The festival includes several free . Ticketed events can be purchased at
The festival kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Thursday with a lecture and workshop on Mexican fermented beverages. Participants can sample some of those beverages: tepache, tesg眉ino, roasted agave and colonche made with prickly pear fruit. It鈥檚 being held at Crisol, the tequila bar at Exo, The cost is $25.
Obviously since the festival is all about alcohol, no one under 21 will be admitted to most of the events.
Here are some highlights from the schedule:
Thursday: In addition to the workshop, is in concert at 8 p.m. at Centennial Hall, , on the University of 蜜柚直播 campus. The concert is presented by ; $30 through .
At 10 p.m., headlines the Lila Downs after party at The Century Room at Hotel Congress, ; $10 through .
Friday: 鈥淚gnite Agave: Women of Mezcal,鈥 6 p.m. at Leo Rich Theater, , explores women鈥檚 role in mezcal, from the craft distillers to those who are reshaping the industry. Panelists include Diana Pinz贸n (Mezcal Zinacantan), Kristen Lear (Bat Conservation Intl), Francesca Claverie (Borderlands Restoration Network), Yuan Ji (Erstwhile Mezcal), Lorena Carre帽o (Mezcal Carre帽o), Lauren Espinoza and Adriana Torres de la Huerta (Las Mujeres de Bacanora/Maguey Mexico) and Julie Figueras (Banhez Mezcal).
At 7 p.m., the performs at The Century Room ($15-$20) and there鈥檚 a Bacanora tasting and talk at Crisol.
At 8 p.m., 15 downtown restaurants and bars are participating in MezCrawl. For a list, visit .
After the crawl, head over to the Hotel Congress Plaza at 9:30 p.m. Friday for the El Tamb贸 Fest dance party without borders; $15.
Saturday: Get up early and trek Tumamoc Hill for an agave walking tour that starts at 9 a.m. Archaeologists Suzy and Paul Fish and additional guest speakers will conduct a walking tour of the Hohokam agave fields on the western slopes of Tumamoc Hil, ; $30.
At noon, , , is hosting a free screening of 鈥淭he Agave: Spirit of a Nation.鈥 Mezcal Vago鈥檚 Francisco Terrazas will participate in a Q&A following the film; free.
The Agave Fiesta VIP Borderlands Jazz Concert with Amilcar Guevara Latin Jazz All Stars begins at 6 p.m. at the The Century Room; $40 which includes an agave-inspired cocktail or neat mezcal pour.
The Agave Fiesta showcase event is at 7 p.m. on the Hotel Congress Plaza, highlighting more than 50 artisanal and ancestral mezcals and tequilas and entertainment from (El Paso) and . There鈥檚 also the highly anticipated agave cocktail showdown; $50.
蜜柚直播 Latin classical guitarist closes the evening with a late-night gig at The Century Room beginning at 9 p.m.; $5 at the door.
Sunday: At noon, , , hosts the free screening of 鈥淪ons of Mezcal.鈥 Filmmaker Stephan L. Werk follows four families as they pass onto the next generation their traditions of making mezcal. RSVP through .
Also at noon, is hosting 鈥淧ainting in the Desert鈥 at , ; $25.
Explore and taste mezcal鈥檚 kindred spirit, sotol, at 5 p.m. at Crisol; $35.
Gather 鈥榬ound the fire pit at , , for the Agave Expo and roasting pit. This is where you get to taste what organizers describe as 鈥渢he smokey sweet caramelized penca and biguata (roasted agave leaves and heart).鈥 Your price of admission ($75) gets you an assortment of La Luna mezcal spirits and cocktails paired with local food prepared by Exo.
At 6 p.m., the Agave Heritage Dinner gets underway at Maynards, 鈥 a five-course mezcal-inspired feast prepared by 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Iron Chef Brian Smith of Maynards and James Beard Award nominee Aaron DeFeo of in Phoenix 鈥 he formerly worked for . The pair will present a menu featuring regional and heritage ingredients; $167 (includes tax & gratuity).
The festival wrap-up party with Latin jazz band kicks off at 9 p.m. at The Century Room; $10 at the door.
For more information about the Agave Heritage Festival, visit the .