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Paseo Project previews September nighttime festival, asks town for sponsorship
Summary
Paseo Project leaders told the Taos council they will stage Paseo 2025 Friday and Saturday nights in September, featuring international and local artists, free admission, education programs for students and a sponsorship request to the town.
Executive director Matt Thomas and education director Amber Vasquez presented the Paseo Project's plans for Paseo 2025 at the Aug. 12 Town of Taos council meeting and asked the town for continued financial and logistical support.
What the presenters described - Dates and format: Paseo 2025 will return to downtown Taos for two nights in September, running from sunset to about 11 p.m. and using public streets from Park to Civic Plaza Drive. - Programming: Thomas said the festival will include roughly 22 visiting and local artists; the program mixes light and interactive installations, performance pieces that incorporate AI and choreography, inflatables and returning "fan favorites" such as a fire arts piece by Flaming Lotus Girls. - Education: Amber Vasquez said Paseo's education program brings middle- and high-school students to the festival site for workshops and artist-led activities. She described a Steam Day for hundreds of students and noted Paseo's interns run much of the program for visiting youth. - Local partnerships and artists: Thomas listed collaborations with the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Imagine! Children's Museum, Revolt Gallery and local artists including Jody Herrera and Agnes Chavez.
Funding and town support Thomas thanked the town for prior discretionary funding and said Paseo aims to make the event 100% free to the community. He asked council to consider sponsoring Paseo again this year; manager Martinez said staff is investigating using Rogers' tax funding so town discretionary funds are not required.
Why it matters Paseo positions itself as a cultural highlight for Taos, combining public art with youth education and local economic activity tied to nighttime cultural tourism. Organizers emphasized community access: Thomas said the project plans significant engagement with local students and a gallery collaboration at the Hotel Wille.
Next steps Organizers said they are five weeks from the event and continuing final installations and logistics. They encouraged council members to attend and to consider sponsorship; council members praised Paseo's work and noted the festival's benefits for Taos's cultural profile.
