How the Scottsdale festival calendar works
Scottsdale festivals by month follow the weather. The big outdoor events crowd into the cool half of the year, roughly late October through April, when afternoons sit in the 70s and nobody minds standing in a parade crowd. Summer is quieter. December fills back up with lights and markets.
This guide covers the recurring cultural events we send guests to most often, from Western Week in winter to the holiday markets and New Year's Eve. Dates shift a little every year, so treat the month as reliable and confirm the exact weekend with the organizer before you book flights. Art shows, film and the music and food festivals have their own guides. This one is the calendar.
Scottsdale Western Week (late January into early February)
Western Week is Scottsdale remembering it was a cow town first. For about a week the city leans into its Old West heritage with parades, rodeo and street events, and Old Town is the center of all of it.
The anchor is the Parada del Sol Parade. Decorated floats, riders on horseback and marching bands move through the streets, and families line the route. The Scottsdale Rodeo runs the same week, with bull riding, barrel racing and the rest of the classic events. In between, Old Town hosts Western-themed festivals with live music, food and drink.
If you are coming with a group for Western Week, Wild West Estate is the house we point people to. It sleeps 16 across seven bedrooms and sits close to Old Town, so the parade and the after-parties are a short ride rather than a drive.
Nowruz, the Persian New Year Festival (March)
Nowruz marks the arrival of spring, and Scottsdale celebrates it with a festival built around food and music. It is an easy one to bring children to.
Look for the Haft-Seen table. It is an arrangement of symbolic items that stand for prosperity, health, love and other hopes for the year ahead, and visitors can learn what each item stands for and take part in the customs around it. Traditional music and dance performances run through the day.
Come hungry. Sweet pastries, baklava and savory stews like fesenjan are the reason many people show up.
Experience Ireland in Scottsdale (mid-March)
In the middle of March, Scottsdale puts on an Irish cultural celebration that brings traditional dance, live music and Irish food and drink into the desert. You do not have to cross an ocean for it.
Expect traditional dance performances, live bands and a strong showing of Irish dishes and pours. The local Irish pubs are busy the whole weekend, so book ahead for a sit-down meal.
Scottsdale Farmers Market (every Saturday, year-round)
Not every good thing in Scottsdale happens once a year. The Scottsdale Farmers Market sets up every Saturday morning in the Old Town area, and it does not take the summer off.
Local farmers bring fresh fruit and vegetables. Around them you will find handmade soaps, jewelry, fresh flowers and prepared snacks, often with live music somewhere in the mix. It is where our guests pick up breakfast, cut flowers for the kitchen table and a few gifts to take home.
Plan on a couple of hours, and go early in the warm months.
Fall festivals in Scottsdale (November)
The first real cool-down arrives in November and the Valley responds with outdoor festivals. Three are worth building a trip around.
The Fountain Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts takes over downtown Fountain Hills, a short drive east of Scottsdale. More than 500 artists from around the world set up around the town's fountain, which is one of the tallest freshwater fountains anywhere. Painting, sculpture, jewelry and clothing are all on the tables, and admission is free.
ArtFest of Scottsdale runs for two days at Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza with well over a hundred local and national artists, plus authors, musicians, food and activities for kids. Admission and parking are free, and it is a smart place to knock out holiday shopping early.
Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden is the one people talk about afterward. Winding garden paths are lit by lanterns, local musicians play along the route and hot cider is sold at the stands. It starts in November and runs through the end of December, so it overlaps the holiday season.
The Scottsdale film festival has also landed in November in some years. It gets its own write-up in our music, film and food guide.
Scottsdale holiday markets and festivals (December)
December in Scottsdale is lights, markets and mild evenings. The events cluster around Old Town, Kierland and the parks, and most fit into one long weekend.
The Old Town Holiday Bazaar gathers artisans and local vendors selling handmade crafts, seasonal decor and gifts, with live music while you browse. The Christmas Village at Kierland Commons is the upscale version: large light displays, a Santa meet-and-greet, live performances and higher-end vendors in an open-air shopping setting.
The galleries do their part with the Holiday ArtWalk, when the art district fills with carolers and lights. For families, the Holiday Lights Festival at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park adds a holiday train ride, a light display and activities like cookie decorating.
Food follows the markets. Spiced cider, hot cocoa and food trucks show up at most of the December setups.
New Year's Eve in Scottsdale
For a dressed-up night, the resort restaurants offer multi-course menus with a champagne toast at midnight. The Phoenician and elements at Sanctuary are two of the better-known options. For a louder night, Old Town's clubs and rooftops run themed parties, masquerade balls and DJ countdowns. W Scottsdale and Maya Day and Nightclub come up most, and they sell out, so buy tickets well ahead.
Families have their own version. The Phoenix Zoo hosts a Noon Year's Eve with crafts, music and a countdown at midday, which lets small children celebrate and still get to bed.
Then the morning after. An early hike up Camelback Mountain or through the McDowell Sonoran Preserve is how a lot of locals start the year. A sunrise hot air balloon ride does the same job with less effort.
A group New Year's Eve is often why people book a whole estate rather than a block of hotel rooms. Casa Palacio, with eight bedrooms, a grotto pool and a tennis court, is built for that kind of house party.
Where to stay for Scottsdale festivals
A festival weekend is better from a house than a hotel corridor. You get a real kitchen for the farmers market haul, a pool between events and one address where the group comes back together at night.
Parsons Hospitality keeps four private estates in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. Valley Vista Estate in Paradise Valley has eleven bedrooms and sleeps 30, which makes it the choice for reunions and multi-family holidays. Casa Palacio has eight bedrooms and sleeps 20. Wild West Estate has seven bedrooms, sleeps 16 and sits near Old Town, closest to the parade route and the December bazaar. Troon Ranch Casitas, three casitas in North Scottsdale, suits a smaller party that wants quiet.
Every house comes fully set up, with a gourmet kitchen, pool, outdoor living space and resort-grade furnishings, and cleaning and concierge help are available when you want them. Pick the house by group size and by which end of town your festival lives.
Questions we get asked
What is the best month for festivals in Scottsdale?
March is the busiest, with Nowruz, the Irish celebration and several art events landing in the same few weeks. Late January into February brings Western Week. November and December carry the fall art festivals, the lantern nights at the Desert Botanical Garden and the holiday markets.
Is the Scottsdale Farmers Market open in summer?
Yes. It runs every Saturday, year-round, in the Old Town area. In the hot months, go early in the morning.
Which Scottsdale festivals are free?
The Saturday farmers market, the Fountain Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts in Fountain Hills, and ArtFest of Scottsdale are free to attend. Most holiday markets are free to walk through, though special attractions such as the train ride at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park are ticketed.
Where should a group stay for Western Week?
Near Old Town, since the Parada del Sol Parade, the rodeo and the street festivals all center there. Wild West Estate, which sleeps 16, is our closest house to the action.
Do I need to book New Year's Eve events in advance?
Yes. The Old Town club parties and the resort dinners sell out, sometimes weeks ahead. Reserve tickets and tables at the same time you book the house.
