Sadness, Madness, & Mayhem III

General admission tickets cost $27 in advance, $32 day of show (including service charges). Tickets are also available by phone through Hold My Ticket at 505-886-1251.

VIP tickets cost $165 (including service charge). VIP passes include access to the main Mayhem event plus the private, all-inclusive afterparty in the El Rey Mezzanine! Enjoy a meet and greet with entertainers over delicious food and libations! VIP members will receive an exclusive gift bag, gourmet food and drinks, and an unforgettable, magical night of reverie! VIP afterparty tickets are extremely limited.

Music will be wrapping up around 10, with the VIP afterparty events following the concert.

Mayhem Returns!

Returning bigger, better, and bolder, Dust City Opera's third annual Sadness, Madness, & Mayhem costume ball will be moving to The Historic El Rey Theater in downtown Albuquerque!

This otherworldly extravaganza brings together New Mexico's finest performing artists to celebrate alternative folk music, circus culture, haute haunted fashion, and mystical entertainment.

Enjoy live music, carnival games, circus performances, photo booths, and more! Together—in equally fanciful and horrifying costumes—revel in the madness and mayhem that will ensue.

Headlined by New Mexico's own alt-rock orchestra Dust City Opera with support from Giovanni String Quartet and Movement Caravan Circus Troupe!

Visit Dust City Opera's page for photos, videos, sponsorship options and more!

Dust City Opera:

This unexpected alt-rock orchestra materialized out of Albuquerque, but they might as well have slipped through an intergalactic portal or stowed away on a derelict spacecraft before crash landing in the desert. Dust City Opera tells harrowing tales of sadness, madness, and mishaps. With each performance illuminating the space between death and humor, this quintet becomes the soundtrack to stories steeped in cosmic horror and transcendence. This award-winning group will draw you deep into their mad world of storytelling, so enter with caution. You may find yourself abducted by ancient aliens, lost in haunted fog, or more fascinating yet: face-to-face with your own insanity, with no way out.

Thank you to our 2026 partners and sponsors:
 
AMP Concerts
El Rey Theater
Giovanni String Quartet
Movement Caravan
Counce Creative Consulting
Jonito Art
The Funny Fiesta presented by Arts Hub
Pomegranate Coaching
Black Wall Arts
Rusty Rutherford Photography