Rockin Route 66 is a festival celebrating the history and nostalgic persona of America’s “Mother Road”, Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. Rockin Route 66 will take place annually during the last weekend of June each year. The festival will be celebrating throughout the City of Tucumcari. Smaller portions of the festival will be showcased at local establishments up and down historic Route 66. The featured concerts, car show, bike show, vendors markette, and other scheduled events will take place at the Route 66 Museum at the City of Tucumcari Convention Center on both Friday and Saturday.

Rockin Route 66 was inspired by the rich history while traveling on Route 66. The highlights of the festival will be creating a family environment showcasing hot rods, traditional rods, classics, rat rods, vintage motorcycles, hand built bikes, and special appearances by many several celebrity builders. We will model fashions of the past with current spins on style at Rockin Route 66’s Pin Up contest, and Fashion Show. Throughout the day at local venues, and then featured national acts in the evening at the Museum of Route 66, we will feature music acts including Rockabilly, Ska, Swing, Blues, and Americana; all of which were genres giving Route 66 a very distinct vibe in the 50’s. From Chicago Blues to the Big Bands of the West Coast, Rockin Route 66 will be creating a very diverse blend of music and musicians from local to our national favorites. We will include a markette of vintage collectables, fashion, artists, and unique gifts. We will be featuring a Taste of New Mexico sourcing local and regional restaurants in the New Mexico area to highlight specific flavors of the region. We will include our side show carnie twist and theme to our event while over time add on to the festival with stunt shows, visiting guest artists, celebrities, and more!

Rockin Route 66 is about the local community of Tucumcari, New Mexico. Rockin Route 66 is a City of Tucumcari endorsed festival. We have worked hard to provide the city with a long term plan while celebrating their rich lifestyle of Route 66. The City of Tucumcari was recently name in  the top 50 destinations nationwide for anyone to visit in USA Today.

“It’s easy to miss the small city of Tucumcari when you’re speeding down Interstate 40 through the New Mexico desert. But put on your blinker, get off the highway and discover why it deserves a reputation as a bucket list destination. Tucumcari’s downtown, along Old Route 66, boasts building-sized murals that depict the city’s history as a ranching town and Route 66 destination. At night, neon lights blaze to life along the famous highway. Stop by Watson’s BBQ ($6 and up) at Tucumcari Ranch Supply to taste local delights from baked goods to beef. Get a selfie with a skeletal Torvosaurus, T-Rex’s cousin, at Mesalands Community College’s Dinosaur Museum ($6.50), or explore oddities and antiques at Tucumcari Historical Museum for free.”

We have created life long friendships in the City of Tucumcari, as well as many other Route 66 locations, including: Amarillo, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Shamrock, Texas, and so many more off the beaten path. We have named this festival the Great American Road Trip, hoping that everyone who travels here shares their stories about the road trip along the way. We have spent hours at abandoned gas stations talking, taking pictures, and walking the fields. We have met countless of true Americans in local restaurants and bars across the highway. We have crashed in motels to hotels, from roach to coach, and have had a blast each and every time. Rockin Route 66 is about celebrating. It’s a celebration of history. It’s a celebration of kulture. It’s a celebration of tradition. It’s a celebration of life on the road, where one may believe is the “capital” of Route 66.

Come and celebrate with us the last weekend of June every year. Come ride the foothills of Mount Tucumcari. Come and get your “Kix on Route 66” every morning, America’s Main Street Eatery, tune in to KQAY-FM 92.7 as you cruise down Route 66 while soaking in the most amazing sunsets. Rockin Route 66 is about the destination, just as much as the road trip. Roll into town where you will see iconic neon light the night sky. Stop by infamous stops like the Tee-Pee and stay at one of many nostalgic motels like the Road Runner Lodge, originally built in the 60’s. You can see why so many people have come to fall in love with this great city…