Civic Plaza

This place is pretty cool. I was here for a NYE bash to ring in 2016 and although it was freezing outside, the plaza was roomy enough to easily fit 500+ people along with outdoor heaters (which there wasn’t enough). Located in downtown next to the Convention Center (and Hyatt and Doubletree). The parking around the area can be tricky, that’s for sure, but overall it is a fun place to have events.

As the center piece to the downtown area the plaza needs some work. I went to down to check out the skating rink and the Christmas lights. The lights were nice though not as many as I expected. One of the the things I noticed at night is that there are a lot of dark places especially around the fountain. I even saw a group of kids doing I don’t know what on the dark side of the fountian. With a little more lighting it could be a fun place to go on an evening for a date or just place to get away.

Have you been paying attention to the Plaza, lately?
Sure, it’s been something of a clusterf@ck this summer, but that’s a good thing. There’s so much happening on this concrete slab, I don’t know where to begin. (Well, okay, let’s begin with the Big Mistake during the holidays: the «ice» rink. I’ll state that I never put on a pair of blades nor attempted to skate the artificial mess, but I wasn’t alone. The whole idea was a disaster. Honestly, ABQ, that was so ABQ. If you aren’t willing to invest in a bonafide ice skating rink, hey, we’re cool with that. We don’t have a water park, right? But please don’t advertise it as an ice rink. We just come off looking like, well, ABQ.)
Okay, ’nuff said. The current state of the Plaza is looking GREAT. («Good for you, Albuquerque… Albuquerque, good for YOU!») Festivals seem to be popping up every few weeks. Beer and food trucks on Friday nights. Really great movies on Wednesdays. Daytime events, like the growers market, are a welcome addition. A spectacular new fountain. The adjacent Convention Center looks pretty dope. And rightfully so. The Plaza is the perfect place to reclaim downtown for the masses, and in my humble opinion it’s working. If you haven’t visited lately, it’s time to rediscover this terrific urban plot. Reinvest in your city, and enjoy our kick-​ass weather. You can be relatively sure that around here, if the movie is slated to play, it will play, even if there’s a ten-​minute rain delay.

The plaza should be more than it is. It seems they try to have events here and make this the center of town, but they never seem to get a sufficient following or attendance or interest.
Shakespeare Sundays.
Food and beer on Fridays.
Various other events, but if you get 100 people here, you seem to be doing good.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a great space. Lots of room, performance stage. Tables and chairs. Even some grass. Not a ton of shade, but that can be fixed for any given event. It’s even right across the street from the convention center. It’s a shame this space is so under utilized.
I hope that changes.
The Civic Plaza
Great space but not used enough
Hope it turns around