SANTA FE, N.M., July 14 (Our New Mexico Times) — A snack brand and a state tourism agency are teaming up to sell a road-trip feeling.
The New Mexico Tourism Department, New Mexico Magazine and Chex Mix have announced a Route 66-themed promotion that pairs limited-edition Chex Mix BOLD packaging with a New Mexico road-trip sweepstakes. The official aim is to build attention ahead of the highway’s 100th anniversary, which the release says will be officially recognized on Nov. 11, 2026.
For New Mexico, the campaign fits into a larger push to turn Route 66 into a year-long tourism draw.
What the Chex Mix promotion is
According to the New Mexico Tourism Department and New Mexico Magazine, special Chex Mix BOLD packaging will roll out in convenience stores across the United States. The release says the displays and signage are being designed with Route 66 imagery.
The collaboration is tied to a sweepstakes called “Chex Mix Hits the Road in New Mexico,” with New Mexico Magazine serving as the sponsor. The magazine is described in the release as the state’s original magazine publication, dating to 1923.
What the prize includes
The grand prize is built as a New Mexico road trip. The release says it includes five nights of hotel accommodations across Gallup, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Tucumcari, plus a VIP experience at Acoma Pueblo Sky City.
Other parts of the prize package include passes from the Museum Foundation of New Mexico, a $1,000 airline gift card and a mid-size rental car for the trip.
The release names Hotel El Rancho, El Vado Motel, La Fonda on the Plaza, Roadrunner Lodge and Sky City Cultural Center & Haak’u Museum as participating hospitality and cultural partners.
Who can enter
The sweepstakes is scheduled to run from June 1, 2026 through Aug. 31, 2026, according to the release.
It is open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., who are 21 or older and have a valid U.S. driver’s license. No purchase or payment is necessary.
Why Route 66 matters to New Mexico
New Mexico tourism officials have been building toward the Route 66 Centennial for some time. State tourism materials describe a broader 2026 celebration that includes festivals, public art installations, restored neon signs, new visitor experiences and cultural programming.
The department also says New Mexico MainStreet has launched the NMMS Route 66 Centennial Passport program for 2026, running from January through December.
Another official Route 66 project is the Route 66 Centennial Challenge, which the New Mexico Magazine page says runs from July 1, 2025 through Aug. 31, 2026 and is open to people 18 and older. That challenge uses check-ins, postcards and prize drawings to encourage travel to designated stops around the state.
How this fits into the bigger tourism campaign
The Chex Mix promotion is one piece of a wider state effort to turn Route 66 into a marketing engine for New Mexico.
The Tourism Department says its Route 66 Centennial Grant Program was created to help communities and organizations pay for marketing campaigns, special events and infrastructure tied to the highway. The department says marketing and promotions grants can cover creative production or advertising deployment, and successful applications may receive up to $250,000.
For travelers, the result is a growing slate of official Route 66 experiences. For the state, the goal is to keep one of America’s best-known highways in front of visitors as the centennial approaches — even if the first contact comes through a snack display in a convenience store.
