Lavender in the Village Festival
The Largest Lavender Festival in the Southwest
Started in 1994, The Lavender in the Village Festival is being produced by the Rio Grande Community Farm.
The Rio Grande Community Farm (RGCF) is a non-profit organization operating on 27 acres of the City of Albuquerque, Los Poblanos Fields Open Space in Albuquerque’s North Valley and has been part of the community for 25 years. RGCF’s three primary mission elements are sustainable urban agriculture, education, and wildlife habitat. The farm operates using regenerative farming techniques for pest management, soil health and nutrition, and cultivation.
RGCF serves Albuquerque, the Village of Los Ranchos, and the surrounding community by hosting four events a year, including the Lavender Festival, serving approximately 11,000 people, supporting over 100 community gardeners in 80 garden rows, 38 micro-farmers on 1/8/ to 1-acre plots, providing farm camp programs for approximately 400 children, and conducting workshops and training programs. Many of the workshops and training programs are in conjunction with the Village of Los Ranchos Agri-Nature Center. RGCF is the home of Tres Hermanas Farms Refugee Agriculture Partnership Program and Mountain Dojo’s Celestial Mountain Farm co-op. Additionally, RGCF provides affordable regenerative farm equipment rentals, and supports wildlife by rotating small fields, planting borders, and establishing a permanent 3-acre field specifically for wildlife habitat.
For those farming on the property, RGCF provides garden tools, water cans, wheelbarrows, educational information, compost, and workshops for the gardeners. The farm provides and maintains water troughs between irrigation sessions. RGCF’s micro-farmer program has increased from eight farmers in 2020 to 38 farmers in 2023. The micro-farmers have access to drip irrigation, and workshops on equipment and farming techniques.
RGCF’s impact on the community is significant, with events and programs that serve thousands of people each year. The organization’s focus on sustainable urban agriculture, community gardening, education, and wildlife habitat helps to connect people with the earth, water, and wildlife in their urban setting.
So why run the Lavender Festival?
In 2022, the RGCF began talks with Lavender in the Village, the organization that successfully ran the Lavender Festival for many years. As a long-time grant recipient of the proceeds from the Lavender Fest, and with a robust and willing board, it seemed a natural fit for RGCF to more directly participate in this collaborative, community event.
We look forward to a terrific Lavender Fest and a successful growing season on the farm.
