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Gilbert Days Rodeo and Festival
Starts: 11/21/2025 - Ends: 11/24/2025
Gilbert Days was first held in 1959 and has grown into a major community event. The rodeo is a key part of this celebration, showcasing Gilbert's western heritage. The Gilbert Days Rodeo is a long-standing, multi-day event in Gilbert, Arizona, that celebrates the town's history and western heritage. It's part of a larger Gilbert Days celebration, which includes a parade, carnival, and other community events. The rodeo itself is a highlight, showcasing various rodeo events including bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, steer wrestling, and barrel racing. Mutton busting, where younger children ride sheep, is a popular event for families.
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Arizona State Fair
Starts: 09/19/2025 - Ends: 10/26/2025
The Arizona State Fair has been an annual central Arizona tradition for more than 100 years. The fair, located on the grounds of the Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, features an extensive midway with more than 60 rides for children and adults of all ages. The fair also hosts a popular fall concert series, with free nightly concerts inside Veteran's Memorial Coliseum. Enjoy free Native American dance performances, a large concessions area, and new attractions every year.
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2025 NASCAR Championship Raceway Weekend
Starts: 10/31/2025 - Ends: 11/03/2025
In 2025, NASCAR Championship Weekend will be held at Phoenix Raceway, with the Cup Series Championship race on November 2nd. This marks the final time Phoenix Raceway will host the championship weekend before it moves to Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2026. The NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway will be the culmination of the season, with the top drivers vying for the championship.
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Water Lantern Festival
Starts: 11/07/2025 - Ends: 11/10/2025
Water Lantern Festival is an incredible experience where you, your friends, and your family will create a magical memory together. It can be a very emotional experience, writing down some of your hope and dreams, or a letter to a loved one, and then sending it out into the water. At Water Lantern Festival, we cherish these moments and will do our best to help you have an memorable experience that you'll never forget.
While they're called many things, such as lantern festivals, lights festivals, floating lanterns, water fest or Chinese lanterns — only the Water Lantern Festival allows you to light the water in a way you'll never forget. Now you can experience the magic of thousands of lanterns as the soft lights reflect upon the water of Kiwanis Lake in Tempe.
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Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade
Starts: 12/13/2025 - Ends: 12/13/2025
Light up the night and be dazzled this holiday season at Tempe Town Lake on Dec. 13, 2025. The Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade at Tempe Town Lake is the Valley's most unique holiday event and celebrated tradition. Enjoy holiday shopping, festive eats and treats, a dazzling boat parade featuring boats of all shapes and sizes and a spectacular fireworks show. This is a FREE and family-friendly event. Parade starts at 7PM from the marina. Fireworks start at approximately 8:00PM.
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Tempe Festival of the Arts
Starts: 12/05/2025 - Ends: 12/07/2025
Coming from throughout North America - and around the world- Festival artists' original works cover the gamut of creative visual categories including painting, sculpture, photography, jewelry, ceramics, folk craft, glass, leather, metalwork and many more.
The Festival returns to Downtown Tempe, Dec. 5-7, 2025. The three-day Tempe Fall Festival of the Arts street fair, art walk and pop-up market consistently ranks among the Top 20 Art Festivals in the nation by Sunshine Artist and has received the Pinnacle Award from the International Festival and Events Association.
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Indigenous Peoples' Day Phoenix Fest
Starts: 10/11/2025 - Ends: 10/13/2025
Indigenous Peoples' Day Phx Fest returns to “Indigenize the Valley” with a vibrant celebration of Indigenous Art, Music, Film, & Food. The event is hosted by Cahokia PHX in collaboration with valley partners such as the Heard Museum, the Phoenix Art Museum, the Burton Barr Central Library and a multitude of Indigenous creatives and entrepreneurs to provide festival go-ers with immersive experiences. Located on the ancestral lands of the O'odham and Piipaash people, the festival transforms the Arizona Center. Time: 8:00 PM to 8:00 PMGeneral admission to the event is free and includes access to the vendor market, food trucks, the skateboard demos and competition, community zone, Indigenous film screening, and musical guests on the Main Stage.
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Hondo Rodeo Festival
Starts: 11/07/2025 - Ends: 11/10/2025
The Hondo Rodeo Fest will provide unique experiences for competitors, musicians and fans alike in a one of a kind format! Live Music and Dancing. Family-Friendly Activities. Petting Zoo. The Stillery Stage Music will have a mix of Live Country Artists and National/Local DJs.
Three nights of elite rodeo performances including Bareback, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Saddle Bronc, Tie Down, Breakaway, Barrel Racing and Bull Riding! Come see the best in the world compete for their piece of a Million Dollar Payout and experience the biggest rodeo to ever happen in The Valley of the Sun! - Concerts will immediately follow the rodeo action each night and ONE ticket will grant you full access to all of it - Nickelback, Cody Johnson, Jason Aldean, Treaty Oak Revival, John Pardi, Riley Green!
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Four Peaks Oktoberfest
Starts: 10/10/2025 - Ends: 10/13/2025
Four Peaks Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake is one of Tempe's signature annual events and is always a great time for the whole family, including the kids! The Festival combines beer gardens, live music, a polka stage, great food, a carnival, kids activities and much more fun. Enjoy the festivities as Tempe Beach Park will transform into a traditional Bavarian Beer festival during the day and a concert venue at night! The festival boasts a full weekend of live music from rock, to pop, to German polka, contests, the Runnin' for the Brats 10k, 5k and 1k race and a carnival!
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Renaissance Festival & Artisan Marketplace
Starts: 01/31/2026 - Ends: 03/29/2026
Experience Raucous Revelry. Annual Arizona Renaissance Festival & Artisan Marketplace - Feasting, Jousting, Music, Comedy, Rides, Games & Much More! 200 Artisans and Crafters. Over 2000 Costumed Characters! 30 acres to explore. East of Apache Junction on US Highway 60, approximately 15 minutes.Open Saturdays and Sundays from January 31, and February 1 through March 28 and 29, 2026We are located only 15 minutes from the Renaissance Festival.
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Barrett-Jackson 2026 Scottsdale Auction
Starts: 01/17/2026 - Ends: 01/26/2026
The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction is a world-class automotive lifestyle event where thousands of the world's most sought-after, unique and valuable automobiles are on display and will cross the block in front of a global audience ? in-person, on live television and streaming. Hundreds of thousands of people attend to witness auction action at its best, capture the car of their dreams, mingle with celebrities, experience adrenaline-pumping thrill rides in the latest vehicles from America's top automakers, enjoy a variety of indoor and outdoor dining and shopping in the vast Exhibitor Marketplace.
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Barrett-Jackson 2025 Fall Auction
Starts: 10/15/2025 - Ends: 10/18/2025
See auction action at its best this October 15-18 at Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale Fall Auction! Witness the bidding action in the arena, capture the car of your dreams, mingle with celebrities, take an adrenaline-pumping thrill ride in the latest vehicles from top automakers, shop in the vibrant Exhibitor Marketplace and enjoy interactive sponsor displays.
