SkyFiesta is Las Cruces' own air race and airshow — a full day of pylon air racing, world-class airshow performance, historic warbirds, and hands-on family activities at Las Cruces International Airport. Presented by the Sport Air Racing Council, the second-annual SkyFiesta took place Saturday, Oct. 17, and by the time the gates opened at 10 a.m., the line had already formed, with people arriving by 9 a.m.

The day brought together 25 Sport Class air racers, a lineup of nationally known performers, local food vendors, exhibitors, and community organizations, and thousands of spectators — many of them experiencing an air race for the first time.

The feedback organizers heard most — and heard constantly — came from people who had seen both events. A visiting group from New Mexico Tourism, along with hundreds of attendees who had also attended the air races in Roswell, told the SkyFiesta team the same thing emphatically, again and again: SkyFiesta is something very special — and in their words, it "blew Roswell out of the water."

"We built SkyFiesta for Las Cruces first — for the families, the kids, the veterans, the people who live here," said Janel Carnero, event/ground coordinator for SkyFiesta. "The racing is world-class, but what people took home was how close they could get to it. Hearing from folks who'd been to Roswell that this blew it out of the water — that's the community telling us we're building the right thing. 2027 is going to be even bigger."

What spectators pointed to wasn't just the flying. It was how close fans could get: racers and performers within reach for photos and autographs, announcers who made the racing easy to follow even for first-timers, local food, local faces, and an event that felt like it belonged to the community hosting it. Even veteran Reno Air Race media made the trip and told the team to expect more veteran race media in Las Cruces in 2027.

SkyFiesta's headline act is real Sport Class pylon air racing — pilots flying head-to-head around a pylon course at low altitude, up close. Twenty-five racers competed, including fan favorites Colleen Sterling and James Greathouse, whose pylon-visibility work racers praised. Announcer Ryan Dembroski kept the crowd in every race. First-time spectators singled out how exciting and easy the racing was to follow.