Why Scottsdale is an art town
Scottsdale art festivals run for most of the cool season, and the galleries fill in the gaps. Between January and April you can see a working outdoor studio show with more than a hundred artists, two major Native American art markets, a luxury-car art week and a juried festival of roughly 170 artists, and still walk the Arts District every Thursday night for free.
We have hosted collectors, first-time buyers and people who just like a good afternoon of looking, and the advice is the same for all of them. Pick the event that matches your taste, book the house early because these weekends fill, and leave room in the schedule for the galleries that are open all the time.
What follows is the annual lineup, in calendar order. Exact dates move a little from year to year, so confirm with each organizer once you have the month fixed.
Celebration of Fine Art (mid-January through March)
The Celebration of Fine Art is the long one. It opens in the middle of January and runs to the end of March, about ten weeks, which is unusual for an art show and is the whole point. Rather than a weekend of booths, it is a show of more than a hundred artists set up in the desert, many of them working while you watch.
That changes how you experience it. You can watch a painter work through a canvas, ask a jeweler about a setting, and come back another day to see what changed. The range is wide, from large paintings to small intricate jewelry, and the artists are there to talk rather than to sell from behind a table.
If you have a collector in the family, this is the event to plan a longer stay around. Ten weeks means you can visit twice in one trip, and the mild late-winter weather makes the outdoor setting comfortable most days.
Scottsdale ArtWalk (Thursday evenings, year-round)
For more than forty years Thursday nights in Scottsdale have belonged to the ArtWalk. The galleries of the Arts District, along Main Street and Marshall Way, open their doors in the evening and the street becomes a slow, sociable stroll. It is put on by the Scottsdale Gallery Association and it costs nothing.
There are no rules. Some people move with purpose, hunting for a specific piece. Others wander, spend as long watching the crowd as looking at the walls, and end up at dinner. You will see the contemporary and the funky next door to the classic and the traditional, and the people-watching can be as good as the art. Well-known artists, the occasional athlete and now and then an actor turn up on these walks.
On some Thursdays the association adds live music. As the sun drops behind the mountains, the string lights in the trees come on, the band starts, and the evening is about as pleasant as an evening gets. Parking farther out often comes with a shuttle, and sometimes a carriage ride, into the district.
Spring is the peak. The sun is out without the heat and the temperatures hold in the 70s, so a Thursday in March or April is the version to aim for. Then head back to the house and open a bottle on the patio.
Arizona Indian Festival (early February)
The Arizona Indian Festival celebrates the cultures of Native American tribes across the Southwest, and it lands at the start of February. Traditional dances and live music run throughout the day, and an artisan market brings handmade jewelry, pottery and textiles from tribal artists.
It is a chance to learn directly from Navajo, Hopi, Apache and other Indigenous communities, and to buy from the makers themselves. Come for the food as well. Fry bread and roasted corn are the staples, and they are worth the line.
Heard Museum Indian Fair and Market (early March)
The Heard Museum in Phoenix has hosted its Indian Fair and Market for more than six decades, and it has grown into one of the most important Native American art markets in the country. It falls on a weekend at the start of March and it is a short drive from any of our Scottsdale houses.
More than 600 Indigenous artists show work: jewelry, pottery, paintings, textiles and more, much of it one of a kind. Around the booths there are live cultural performances, storytelling and traditional food. The market also directs real support to Indigenous artists and their communities, which is a good reason to buy something rather than just look.
Talk to the artists. The best part of this fair is hearing the meaning behind a piece from the person who made it, and that turns a purchase into a keepsake with a story attached.
Ferrari Art Week in Scottsdale (March)
Ferrari Art Week brings together cars, design and art for a few days in March, and it draws an audience that expects the whole trip to be done well. Events are spread across Scottsdale venues, and the crowd tends to book private homes with pools, views and room to entertain.
If that is your weekend, Valley Vista Estate in Paradise Valley is the house that fits. Eleven bedrooms, a full compound for a large party, and privacy that a resort cannot offer. Wild West Estate is the choice if you would rather be steps from Old Town for the evenings.
Scottsdale Arts Festival (early April)
The Scottsdale Arts Festival is the big juried show, held over a long weekend at the start of April. Around 170 local and national artists show painting, sculpture, jewelry and photography, and the festival wraps live music, interactive art and local food around them.
It is a full day out and a good one for mixed groups. Serious buyers can work the booths while everyone else listens to the bands and eats. Because it pulls visitors from across the country, the surrounding weekend is one of the busier ones in town, so reserve your house well ahead.
Planning an art weekend in Scottsdale
The calendar stacks in your favor. In the first week of March you can see the Heard Museum market on the weekend, the Celebration of Fine Art any day, and the ArtWalk on Thursday, all in one trip. In early April the Arts Festival and the ArtWalk pair the same way.
Base yourself where the driving is short. Wild West Estate near Old Town puts the Arts District within minutes. Valley Vista Estate and Casa Palacio give a larger group more room to spread out between outings and a proper kitchen for the nights you stay in.
Bring a way to get purchases home. Festival buys are often larger than planned, and a house with a garage and a spare room beats a hotel closet.
- Mid-January to late March: Celebration of Fine Art
- Early February: Arizona Indian Festival
- Early March: Heard Museum Indian Fair and Market
- March: Ferrari Art Week
- Early April: Scottsdale Arts Festival
- Every Thursday evening: Scottsdale ArtWalk
Questions we get asked
When is the Scottsdale ArtWalk?
Every Thursday evening, year-round, in the Arts District along Main Street and Marshall Way. It is free. Spring evenings are the most comfortable.
How long does the Celebration of Fine Art run?
About ten weeks, from the middle of January to the end of March. Artists work on site, so it is worth more than one visit.
Is the Heard Museum Indian Fair and Market in Scottsdale?
It is in Phoenix, at the Heard Museum, a short drive from Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. It takes place on a weekend at the start of March.
Which Scottsdale art festival is best for families?
The Scottsdale Arts Festival in early April, with live music, interactive art and food alongside the booths. The Arizona Indian Festival in February, with dance performances and fry bread, is another easy one for children.
Where should art buyers stay in Scottsdale?
Close to Old Town if you plan to walk the galleries, which points to Wild West Estate. Larger groups that want space and privacy between events tend to choose Valley Vista Estate in Paradise Valley or Casa Palacio.
