Albuquerque to celebrate Route 66’s official 100th anniversary

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Wednesday marks a big birthday as Route 66 is officially 100 years old!

November 11, 2026, marks the 100th anniversary of when Route 66 was originally commissioned. The city of Albuquerque celebrated the big milestone over the summer at the Route 66 Summerfest but there are more festivities for the actual anniversary.

Albuquerque is home to the only place where Route 66 crosses itself – at Central and 4th in downtown. When the road was originally established back in 1926, it ran north and south through New Mexico, from Santa Fe through Albuquerque. The road was rerouted in 1937 to go east and west – as we know it today – through Albuquerque. That crossed over that original route.

Visit Albuquerque set up a special information center at the historic intersection. That is where they will be celebrating the centennial with free root beer floats and free T-shirts Wednesday afternoon.

Some Route 66 fans are already looking ahead to the next 100 years. The New Mexico Route 66 Alliance is planning to bury a time capsule, packed full of special items commemorating the Mother Road’s first 100 years. There are coins, pins, autographed books, historic photographs, a booklet of business cards and several license plates – including one from 1926.

“We are just very, very excited to be able to share Route 66 with people. So many people don’t know about the history and everything that Route 66 did for the country. Those things don’t need to be lost to history. You know, we need to remember where we all came from, what our grandparents or great-grandparents did before us,” said.

The Route 66 Alliance is burying the time capsule at Enchanted Trails Trading Post, near Nine Mile Hill on the West Side. Organizers say the goal is to dig it up in 100 years and open it up for the bicentennial. The capsule burial is set for around 1 p.m.

With it, they’re putting a boulder with a nice plaque on top so no one forget it’s there.

There are other events happening Wednesday night. Urban Mom, of 505 Kombucha, is hosting a party with live jazz music. There’s also a special 100th birthday bash at 66 Diner. Then, there will be an after-party at Hotel Zazz.

And, of course, you can celebrate it by getting in your car and driving on The Mother Road. Albuquerque has the longest urban stretch of Route 66 in the country. The city has around 18 miles out of the 2,448 total miles.

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