Albuquerque Nightlife

Albuquerque's nightlife consists of a variety of dance clubs, sports bars, microbreweries and restaurants with outdoor patio dining - with a beautiful Southwest sunset as a backdrop. Note that bars and lounges close by 0200.

Anodyne, 409 Central Avenue NW, is a hip spot to shoot pool and listen to music on arguably the best jukebox in town. Head over to intimate Burt's Tiki Lounge, 313 Gold Avenue SW (www.burtstikilounge.com), to listen to live bluegrass, indie rock and alternative music. Caravan East, 7605 Central Avenue NE (www.caravaneast.com), is an enormous honky-tonk where you can two-step to country-western music. El Rey Theater, 620 Central Avenue SW (www.elreytheater.com), presents live-music concerts of all types.

Kelly's Brewpub, 3222 Central Avenue SE (www.kellysbrewpub.com), occupies a former 1930s petrol station. It has a huge patio and serves excellent house-brewed ales. The grandly restored KiMo Theatre, 423 Central Avenue NW (www.cabq.gov/kimo), is a 1920s pueblo deco-style theatre with a wide mix of entertainment. The Launchpad, 618 Central Avenue SW (www.launchpadrocks.com), showcases indie, reggae and blues bands. O'Niell's Pub, 4310 Central Avenue SE (www.oniells.com), is a neighbourhood favourite with a wide variety of live music.

Albuquerque's culture is steeped in its past, with strong ties to both its Hispanic and Native America heritage. You can learn about Hispanic culture at the National Hispanic Cultural Center of New Mexico. An excellent way to get oriented with the region's indigenous culture is to visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

The city's Public Art Program is one of the oldest in the country and contains more than 400 works of art. A large concentration of the collection is downtown as well as in the University/Nob Hill and historic Old Town areas. Visit www.cabq.gov/publicart to obtain a map/brochure listing the sites.

For information on cultural events, contact the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau (tel: 1 800 284 2282; www.itsatrip.org) or pick up free newspapers in dispensers around the city.

Classical Music: No matter what music appeals to you, Albuquerque likely offers some form of it - the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, Albuquerque Youth Symphony, Baroque Chamber Music Society, Opera Southwest and much more. Many performances take place at the University of New Mexico, including a series called Popejoy Presents, a wide range of entertainment at Popejoy Hall, Center for the Arts, at the University (tel: (505) 277 4569; www.popejoypresents.com).

More intimate places to hear classical, chamber, renaissance and liturgical music are the beautiful Cathedral Church of St John (tel: (505) 247 1581; www.stjohnsabq.org) and St Paul Lutheran Church (tel: (505) 242 5942; www.stpaulabq.org).

Dance: The New Mexico Ballet Company (tel: (505) 292 4245; www.newmexicoballet.org) offers performances at the KiMo Theatre (see below) and other sites throughout the city.

Theatre: A seminal example of pueblo deco architecture, the KiMo Theatre (tel: (505) 768 3522; www.cabq.gov/kimo) is the city's architectural gem and plays host to a wide variety of local, national and international performance events. Several other small theatres are located downtown and around the University of New Mexico.

Film: There are plenty of mainstream blockbuster cinemas in Albuquerque, but for alternative stuff and movies that just aren't shown elsewhere in the city, visit Guild Cinema (tel: (505) 255 1848; www.guildcinema.com) and Basement Films Inc. (tel: (505) 842 9977; www.basementfilms.org).