Phoenix Special Events

In addition to its many cultural and historic landmarks, Phoenix hosts a number of outstanding festivals and events that may coincide with your visit. What's New Year's without a little college football? Even if you're not into pigskin or you can't score tickets to the Fiesta Bowl game at Sun Devil Stadium, you can catch all the bowl events leading up to the big showdown. The annual Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade in Tempe is one of the country's largest. It proceeds down Central Avenue on New Year's Eve and includes marching bands from around the country, gussied-up horses, lavish floats and A-list celebrities. Before the kick-off there are other bowl events, including a golf tournament and a block party on New Year's Eve.

On the first weekend in March, the Heard Museum Indian Fair and Market brings together the finest Native American artists in the Southwest. You'll see pottery, carved kachina dolls, baskets, jewelry, photography and paintings--along with talented musicians, drummers and feather-costumed dancers. Be sure to try the fry bread and posole stew. This is a powwow you're sure to love.

During March, mosey on over to the National Festival of the West in Scottsdale. If you're looking for Western-themed fun, it's here: cowboy and Western music, cowboy poetry, movies, exhibits of Western lore, horse shows, an axe-throwing contest and hundreds of vendors hawking Western wear. You'll also taste some fine vittles at the chuck-wagon cook-off.

Spring brings syncopation, scat singing and slide guitars to the Glendale Jazz & Blues Festival. The shady lawns in Glendale's town square are the perfect spot to tap your toes to Latin jazz and soulful blues.

The Valley of the Sun knows how to put on a party for Independence Day, and the Fabulous Phoenix 4th lives up to its name. Enjoy live entertainment by top stars, amusement rides, a fun zone for kids and lots of food. The party wraps up with a spectacular fireworks display near Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza.

After a long, sizzling summer the heat finally breaks in October, just in time for The Arizona State Fair. Whether you favor livestock shows, carnival games, live tunes, handmade quilts or homemade jellies, you'll love this kind of old-fashioned fun. The grandstand is home to rodeos, a Wild West show and motocross competitions. Ride the Ferris wheel, test your skills at the shooting gallery or visit the Home Arts Building to see if you concur with the judges' blue ribbon choices.

The bratwurst's steaming, the accordion's jamming and the tap's open at Tempe's annual Old West Oktoberfest. Knockwurst and potato latkes are on the menu at the Bavarian Beer Garden, where guests wash down meals with a stein of their favorite brew. Sitting is verboten, so oompah into the night to lively polka melodies.

In December, 2.5 million lights transform the Phoenix Zoo into a holiday wonderland. ZooLights features fantastic creatures and light sculptures, including an 18-foot-long rattlesnake and twinkling monkeys in the trees. For holiday shopping, don't miss the Pueblo Grande Indian Market in Steele Indian School Park. One-of-a-kind crafts by more than 500 top artisans make perfect gifts for friends and family.

For 22 nights during the holiday season, you can experience Christmas lights the old-fashioned way at the Desert Botanical Garden's Las Noches de las Luminarias. A Southwestern Christmas tradition, luminarias are sand-weighted paper bags holding a candle, and they're typically spaced along walkways and rooflines. In the botanical garden, thousands of luminarias light the paths and cast a radiant glow on beautiful desert flora. Stroll the garden and enjoy musical entertainment, and sip on a glass of wine or warm cider to keep the December chill at bay.