Annual Events & Festivals - Annual Events
The constant sunshine makes recurring festivals, sporting events, and other outdoor gatherings pretty easy to plan in Phoenix. Even holiday events like ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo and Glendale Glitters go off without a touch of rain or snow. With thousands of annual events, you’ll find plenty of options, especially during the high tourist seasons in the cooler months. From cultural events like Cinco de Mayo to art walks and other art events like Phoenix Film Festival, something pops up in the local listings nearly every weekend.
These are great opportunities to combine entertainment and shopping, or music and art, or other blends of your favorite things, in one event. Our listings are universal for all age groups, because young children, teens, seniors, and everyone else should be able to find something engaging at the Barrett-Jackson car show or the Peach Festival in Queen Creek. So figure out when you’ll be here and carve out a full day to enjoy some of the Valley’s top annual attractions.
1. Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (480) 663-6255
Description: Rightly dubbed “the Oscars of the collector-car world,” this is an auction and show of hundreds of classic cars, almost all in excellent original or restored condition. Along with the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Arabian Horse Show, the Barrett-Jackson Classic is one of Scottsdale’s top 3 events, attracting high-rolling auto enthusiasts from around the world. The 2011 event marked Barrett-Jackson’s 40th anniversary with a classic car road-rally through Scottsdale. Past events featured a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, 1965 Shelby Cobra 4000 Roadster, and 1964 Dodge Hemi Charger Concept Car valued at $750,000, among many others. The event runs for a week in mid-January, with daily general admission tickets ranging from $25 to $55 per day or $160 for the week.
2. Celebration Of Fine Art
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (480) 443-7695
Description: This open-air exhibition and festival hoists its big white tents every year for about 11 weeks, starting in January. It provides a chance to see the on-site studios of more than 100 artists, including painters, jewelers, photographers, weavers, ceramists, and a sculpture garden. One of the attractions at the event is the chance to see artists in action. It is no wonder that Art & Antiques magazine called this “one of the West’s premier art events.” It is usually open during daytime hours, and admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and military; children under age 12 are free.
3. P.F. Chang’S Rock ’N’ Roll Arizona Marathon And Half Marathon
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (800) 311-1255
Description: Thousands of racers, walkers, and supporters line the Valley streets for this charitable event, which has raised more than $28 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and other charities over the years. The course (26.2 miles for the marathon and 13.1 miles for the half) winds through Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe. Numerous bands and cheering squads lift spirits along the way. Spectators and racers join the fun by wearing colorful costumes, so take your camera. Racers finish near Arizona State University, where a free post-race party at Tempe Beach Park draws top-name performers. The event is usually held the second weekend in January.
4. Fountain Hills Great Fair
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (480) 837-1654
Description: The town of Fountain Hills looks forward each February to welcoming thousands to this 3-day outdoor fair featuring the creations of 480 professional artists and craftspeople. Also on the bill are food courts, live entertainment, carnival rides, games, and an early-morning hot-air balloon race—all taking place on the expansive park in the center of Fountain Hills. You can’t miss it—this is where you’ll see one of the tallest fountains in the world, shooting 500 feet into the air at set intervals. From the intersection of Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard in north Scottsdale, head 12 miles east to Fountain Hills. Admission is free.
5. Matsuri: A Festival Of Japan
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (602) 262-5029
Address: 115 N. 6th St.
Description: You will have many ethnic and cultural festivals to choose from during a Phoenix winter, but this is perhaps the best. Since 1984 Matsuri organizers have brought together the sights and sounds of Japanese classical dancing, taiko drummers, natives dressed in beautiful kimonos, and artists displaying unusual crafts. Martial arts play a big part in the festival, too, with demonstrations in judo, Shotokan karate, swordsmanship, and tae kwon do. Exhibits include bonsai demonstrations, origami folding, kite construction, fabric art, and cooking demonstrations. You can also participate in a traditional tea ceremony. Booths serving Japanese food are in abundance. Matsuri usually takes place the last weekend in February. Admission is free.
6. World Championship Hoop Dance Contest
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (602) 252-8848
Address: 2301 N. Central Ave.
Description: The popular early-February event draws more than 40 Native American hoop dancers from the US and Canada. The hoop dance was part of a healing ceremony meant to restore balance and harmony. In Native American tradition the hoop symbolizes the cycles of life. You’ll see members of various tribes in their colorful buckskin costumes. Dancers use as many as 50 hoops to form shapes and suggest images while showing off their fluid grace and precision. Admission is $12 for adults, $7 for kids 4 to 12, and free for children 3 and under. Tickets include admission to the museum.
7. Tempe Festival Of The Arts
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (480) 921-2300
Description: The 3-day outdoor festival of juried works on the last weekend of March shows everything from jewelry and pottery to photography and blown glass. The streets of downtown Tempe, including several blocks of Mill Avenue, are blocked off to traffic for pedestrians. Adding to the festive atmosphere are street musicians and performers, booths offering a wide range of food, and activities for kids. Admission is free.
8. Phoenix Improv Festival
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (480) 389-4852
Address: 222 E. Monroe St.
Description: The festival attracts national talent and local troupes. The festival showcases theatrical improv as well as comedy, so you’ll see a wide range of forms, with each performance created on the spur of the moment. In true improv fashion, actors in the 3-day festival create entire scenes based on random suggestions by the audience. There are also workshops for the public. Tickets cost $10 to $15.
9. Cinco De Mayo Festival
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (602) 279-4669
Description: The weekend near the 5th of May brings a huge Mexican-theme street celebration to downtown Phoenix. The live entertainment includes mariachi bands, folklorico dancers, and headliner acts from the US and Mexico. Performers have included Laura Flores, Los Lobos, and Freddy Fender. The celebration, which includes numerous food booths, children’s activities, local bands, and various contests, usually begins about noon each day and continues into the late evening. Admission is $5 for adults; free for children 12 and younger.
10. Fabulous Phoenix Fourth
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 300 E. Indian School Rd.
Description: Many Valley residents celebrate the Fourth by watching fireworks above Arizona’s Capitol building with a 25-minute fireworks show and numerous events scattered in the park. Nearly 250,000 people have turned out for past events in spite of the heat. The event features various stages of entertainment, food vendors, and crafts displays. In the past few years, Fabulous Phoenix Fourth has managed to book top-name country entertainment, including The Dixie Chicks, Alabama, Toby Keith, and The Mavericks. Fireworks start at 9:30 p.m. Admission is free.
11. Summer Spectacular Artwalk
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: For more than 10 years, shortly following the Fourth of July, the dozens of galleries of downtown Scottsdale collaborate on a Thursday evening ArtWalk filled with artists’ receptions, refreshments, musical entertainment, and other special events. An after-dark stroll through the galleries of Marshall Way, Main Street, and other avenues offers a good way to beat the heat, especially because the galleries roll out the red carpet by presenting works from nationally known artists. The ArtWalk is free.
12. Winter In July
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (602) 273-1341
Address: 455 N. Galvin Pkwy.
Description: Each year the zoo trucks in tons and tons of snow to help cool off Valley residents who suffer through triple-digit temps for most of the summer. Animals (where appropriate) get fresh snow in their cages, and some taste “bloodsicles.” It’s all part of a program to enrich the lives of captive animals by encouraging natural behavior and stimulating their native intelligence. Activities are free with regular zoo admission.
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 1826 W. McDowell Rd.
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
15. Aps Fiesta Of Light Electric Parade
City: Phoenix, AZ
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (602) 262-6862
Address: 5757 N. Central Ave.
Description: Phoenix has dozens of holiday events put on by both public and private sponsors. This is the biggest. Up to 300,000 people crowd 3 miles of sidewalk along Central Avenue on the first Saturday of December to watch more than 100 brightly lit floats. This has been going on since 1987, and it just seems to keep getting bigger. Admission is free.