- Rio Grande Theatre - Las Cruces, NM

october, 2026

Event Details

Admission $35-$80
Doors Open at 6:00 pm
Film at 7:00 pm
Panel Discussion following the film
Concessions served including snacks, refreshments, beer, wine, and spirits

Special screening of The Day the Music Died with Special Guests, live music, and filmmaker Q&A. Oct. 17 at 7 PM at Rio Grande Theatre.

Experience a special screening of the award-winning The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s “American Pie”, featuring special guests, live music, and a post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers.

Join the Las Cruces International Film Festival on October 17 at 7:00 PM at the Rio Grande Theatre for a special evening celebrating the story and enduring impact of one of America’s most iconic songs.

Time

(Saturday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

Rio Grande Theatre

211 N. Main Street

Organizer

LCIFF

Calendar GoogleCal

september, 2026

12sep8:00 pm10:00 pm

Event Details

Click Here to Purchase Tickets

Admission $22
Doors Open at 7:00 pm
Show at 8:00 pm
Concessions served including snacks, refreshments, beer, wine, and spirits

Saddle up for a wild ride at the world premiere of ACID WESTERN, an unforgettable evening of Wild West Arts at the historic Rio Grande Theatre on Saturday, September 12, 2026. ACID WESTERN blends live music, championship trick roping, immersive video art, and interactive storytelling into a one-of-a-kind celebration of the mythology of the West.

ACID WESTERN features CHRIS McDANIEL,Guinness Book of World Records holder and acclaimed trick roper from New Orleans, bringing his award-winning bullwhip artistry, cowboy comedy, and breathtaking Wild West skills that have delighted audiences across the globe.

Also featuring New Mexico’s own BETTY BENEDEADLY whose signature “twang-edelic” sound has been described as “aural hallucinations and sensory bliss” with songs that capture “the heartbeat of the desert.” Her cinematic music influenced by spaghetti westerns provides the soundscape of the evening, transporting audiences to a place where the frontier ends and the surrealist begins. Original video collage and visual art inspired by the stark beauty of the desert landscape create an immersive backdrop inspired by the Acid Western genre.

Before the curtain rises, artist and filmmaker DR. JULIA SMITH invites audiences onto the trail with an interactive multimedia presentation tracing the surprising origins of the Acid Western. Through rare archival footage, film clips, and stories from her documentary Birth of the Acid Western, she uncovers a little-known chapter of Southern New Mexico film history that helped redefine the mythology of the American West.

ACID WESTERN is brought to you by DR. LUCKY PRESENTS, producer of acclaimed events including Cocktails & Cabaret and Blue Revue, as well as a whole series of shows at the Rio Grande Theatre for the 2026- 7 season.

This family-friendly event features open seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Giddy up and get your tickets now at the Rio Grande Theatre box office or online. Guests can enjoy concessions at the beautifully restored Rio Grande Theatre in the heart of downtown Las Cruces.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Signed to Desert Records, Betty Benedeadly serves up twang-edelic, foot-stompin, banjitar-driven arrangements that explore spaghetti westerns, experimental folk, indie bluegrass, surf & roots rock. She has published several albums, described as “some lost soundtrack to a spaghetti Western directed by David Lynch, the atmospheric album combines elements of surf, folk, psychedelic rock, blues, country and ambient desert music.”

World Champion trick roper Chris McDaniel brings the charm of the Wild West everywhere he roams. This 2-time world record holder for bullwhips uses his special skills, comedy, and cowboy songs to wrangle up a great time for audiences. As featured on The Late Show With David Letterman,with Neil Patrick Harris and Reba McEntire on NBC’s Best Time Ever, and on Little Big Shots: Forever Young Edition with Steve Harvey, and in two Broadway national tours, his original one man show “Ropes, Whips, and Songs About Cows” has been met with critical claim and rave reviews. His contributions to the variety arts won him the Historical Circus Society’s Candlelight Award.

Artist and filmmaker Dr. Julia Smith presents an interactive multimedia introduction drawn from her documentary Birth of the Acid Western. Through rare archival footage, film clips, and live commentary, she explores the discovery of Orville Wanzer’s little-known 1965 feature The Devil’s Mistress and the surprising history of experimental filmmaking in southern New Mexico. Blending film history, personal investigation, and audience interaction, Smith traces the origins of a forgotten cinematic legacy that helped shape the acid western. Her work combines archival research, documentary filmmaking, and cultural history to uncover overlooked stories from the American Southwest.

Dr. Lucky blew into New Mexico in 2018 and stayed, bringing with her decades-long experience in New York City nightlife. She has hosted shows at the KiMo Theatre (Albuquerque) produced a resident show at the Hotel Andaluz (2018 – 2023), and now produces shows in Las Cruces at the Rio Grande Theatre and at Grounded. Her critically acclaimed “Surrealist Burlesque” series – described as “Socrates meets Stripping” by Brooklyn Paper — ran for nine seasons at Coney Island USA and has been featured in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Timeout NY, AM/PM, among others. Dr. Lucky has been featured locally in The Las Cruces Bulletin, Desert Exposure, The Round Up, and many others. Learn more at www.lynnsally.com & www.doctorofburlesque.com.

Time

(Saturday) 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

Rio Grande Theatre

211 N. Main Street

Organizer

Rio Grande Theatre

Calendar GoogleCal

14sep6:00 pm9:00 pm

17sep7:00 pm9:00 pm

Event Details

TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

Admission $10 in advance/$7 for students and seniors/$15 at the door:
Doors at 6:15pm
Film at 7:00pm
Concessions served including snacks, refreshments, beer, wine, and spirits

Join Heart of the Gila & New Mexico Wild for a special screening of Journey Down the Gila, a stunning and heartfelt film by Albuquerque, NM, filmmaker David Garcia, that captures both the beauty of the Gila River and the powerful story of three New Mexico teens who lost their lives in service to the wild. The film follows their mothers’ emotional voyage down the river and the ongoing effort to keep the Gila free-flowing and wild.

Four years and multiple river trips in the making, this full-length documentary is a lush, cinematic journey down America’s first wilderness river. The film chronicles the long struggle to keep the Gila free-flowing with interviews from long-time advocates for the Gila and culminates with a visit the three mothers made to Washington D.C. to advocate for federal legislation to protect the Gila River as Wild and Scenic.

Journey Down the Gila is a love letter to the Gila and a rallying call to protect it.

After the film, stay for a brief Q & A with film co-producer and Heart of the Gila Director, Patrice Mutchnick and a legislative update on the current Gila Wild & Scenic bill with NMW Gila Grassroots Organizer, Luke Koenig.

This film is not available on-line so please join us for this one night only, special screening, and get your discounted ticket on-line, in advance. All proceeds go towards protecting the Gila river!

Time

(Thursday) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location

Rio Grande Theatre

211 N. Main Street

Calendar GoogleCal

18sep5:00 pm10:00 pm

26sep7:00 pm9:00 pm

Event Details

Click Here to Purchase Tickets

Admission $85-$150
Doors Open at 6:00 pm
Show at 7:00 pm
Concessions served including snacks, refreshments, beer, wine, and spirits

WAR, one of the most iconic bands of the 1970s – are set to perform two intimate evenings at Las Cruces’ Rio Grande Theatre on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27. Tickets are $85 for general admission balcony, $95 for general admission floor seating, and $150 for reserved front-row VIP seating. Doors at 6pm, show at 7pm. Presented by Hardin’s Music Saloon.

Since their inception in 1969, WAR has been one of the most beloved bands of the classic rock era, with countless hits such as “Low Rider,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” “Spill the Wine,” “Me and Baby Brother,” “The Cisco Kid,” “Slippin’ Into Darkness,” “Summer” and many others.

“We are thrilled to have a band so beloved by the community perform in such an intimate venue,” says Hardin’s artistic director Vincent Edward Arrieta. “It’s not often you get to see someone who rubbed shoulders with Jimi Hendrix in our beloved downtown theatre, so this is bound to be a truly special pair of evenings.”

As WAR sing, “We met down on the border Rio Grande…”

IMPORTANT NOTE: Tickets will be available to pick up at will-call on the day of the show. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE TICKETS FOR THE CORRECT DATE – tickets are not interchangeable between dates.