Fifth Annual "Touch-a-Truck" Event Draws Record Crowds to East Albuquerque for Hands-On Summer Kickoff
Smokey Bear makes first time appearance at Touch-a-Truck!
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Thousands of families gathered today at Franklin Plaza to celebrate the Fifth Annual "Touch-a-Truck" exhibition. Hosted by District 9 City Councilor Renée Grout and the City of Albuquerque, the free, family-friendly event officially kicked off the summer season, offering community members of all ages an exclusive, hands-on opportunity to explore the heavy machinery and specialized fleets that keep the city safe and running, plus - two hours of fun filled exhibits, services, and activities.
Attendees filled the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Juan Tabo Boulevard to climb inside, honk the horns of, and learn about a vast lineup of municipal, county, state and federal service vehicles and equipment. The event featured everything from frontline APD and BCSO patrol cruisers and roaring fire engines from AFR and BCFD, to massive road infrastructure equipment and public health asset fleets. Beyond the vehicles and equipment, families enjoyed local food trucks, interactive neighborhood games, and dynamic departmental demonstrations. Touch-a-Truck welcomed the APD Aviation Helicopter, ABQ Parks Department’s climbing wall for the first time, and the one and only Smokey Bear made a first time appearance, welcoming all ages for hugs and photos.
“The energy out here today was absolutely incredible, and seeing the pure joy on these kids' faces as they climbed up into those massive, shining trucks is exactly why we love putting this on every year,” said City Councilor Renée Grout. “What makes today such a massive success is the extraordinary level of teamwork behind the scenes. This event coordinates dozens of moving parts across both City and County departments—from APD, AFR, and County emergency crews keeping our neighborhoods secure, to Aviation, Solid Waste, and DMD bringing out their heaviest machinery. It takes a true village of dedicated public servants to orchestrate a mobilization of this scale, and it gave our residents a wonderful chance to say thank you to the hardworking people who serve Albuquerque every day.”
A central interest of this year's landmark fifth anniversary was the high degree of inter-agency collaboration, bridging operations from the City’s departments with local, state, county, and federal agencies – all from a wide array of public services. Touch-a-Truck showcases how Albuquerque’s urban infrastructure is built, repaired, and maintained in a festival format. Children and future public works enthusiasts interacted directly with equipment operators, mechanics, and first responders, planting seeds for the community’s future workforce.
MultiAgency Assets & Demonstrations:
- First Responders & Safety: Specialty tactical and emergency units from the Albuquerque Police Department (APD), Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR), the US Forest Service, and response assets from Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS).
- Heavy Machinery & Infrastructure: Heavy operations machinery from the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority and the City’s Department of Municipal Development (DMD)—including an active front-end loader, dump truck, motor grader, and a specialized "vactor" storm-drain vacuum truck—alongside specialized fleet vehicles from the Aviation Department and Solid Waste Management.
- Community Resources: The Animal Welfare Department's mobile pet adoption van, alongside Transit Department buses and the Sun Van, interactive booths, summer resources, and youth engagement programming managed by Arts & Culture, Senior Affairs, Parks & Recreation, and Youth & Family Services.
Check out more photos from this year’s “Touch-a-Truck” 2026!