Weird & wacky Arizona festivals happening in 2025
Aside from the typical food, beverage, and music events, there are plenty of weird and wacky Arizona festivals to look forward to in 2025.
Calling all weirdos! Are you tired of all the same tried and true food, art, and music festivals? Is art becoming a definition rather than a lifestyle? Are you ready to spice up your life by discovering new and obscure interests?
2025 is the time to finally live into the “new year, new you” concept by getting weird and wacky with these 22 Arizona festivals. Who knows, you just might find a new hobby to liven up your world and add more joy to your life!
Arizona festivals in January-March
Fight the winter blues by getting out there this chilly season. Of course, the word “chilly” is dependant on which part of the state you live in. We are in Arizona, after all.
Rubber Tramp Rendezvous
Dates: Jan. 8-16
Location: Town Park Baseball Field, Quartzite
Cost: Free to attend
What to expect: An annual gathering of nomads and like-minded individuals who live a mobile lifestyle in vehicles such as cars, vans, RVs, and buses, Rubber Tramp Rendezvous is a nationally-known event and attracts people from all walks of life. Expect to arrive in your self-contained mobile living quarters where you can interact and learn tips and tricks from others and build an imperative community in the burgeoning subculture of “van-lifing.”
Havasu Balloon Festival & Fair
Dates: Jan. 9-12
Location: 699 London Bridge Road, Lake Havasu City
Cost: $20
What to expect: A family-friendly gem of an event, the Havasu Balloon Festival and Fair is a great way to celebrate Arizona and the Southwest at large. Whether you choose to watch the serenity that the hot air balloons muster or pay a little extra to ride in a balloon, indulge in a booth, or interact with the community, this festival is a memorable one that is world-renowned.
Superior Home Tour and Antique Show
Dates: Jan. 25-26
Location: Main Street, Superior
Cost: $20
What to expect: The town of Superior, about an hour east of Phoenix, is a historical mining town full of whimsy and charm. The 17th annual Superior Home Tour and Antique Show is a perfect way to get acquainted with this town that has maintained its history throughout the ages. Arrive early to enjoy a pancake breakfast, peruse and purchase antiques at the Senior Center, explore the quirky homes that are older than most of us, shop the quaint farmers market, and hike along the Lost Trail. Pro tip from a local: while in Superior, check out the Silver King Smokehouse and Saloon for some killer ribs and brisket. It is worth the wait.
Scottsdale Parada del Sol and Trail’s End Festival
Dates: Feb. 1
Location: Old Town Scottsdale
Cost: Free to attend
What to expect: From 9:30 to noon, the streets of Old Town Scottsdale celebrate Western culture by turning into a giant parade of over 150 entries. From noon to 4, the streets evolve into a family-friendly festival complete with shopping, games, pony rides, food, and more. All of this is part of Scottsdale’s Parada del Sol and Trail’s End Festival that has been a community staple for 71 years and ushers in over 30,000 spectators.
Arizona Renaissance Festival
Dates: Feb. 1-Mar 31
Location: 12601 E. US Highway 60, Gold Canyon
Cost: $24-36, depending on age
What to expect: This festival may be fairly tried-and-true, but it is still definitely otherworldly and wacky to newcomers as the theme celebrates a time of distant history. The Arizona Renaissance Festival boasts time travel back to Camelot via a 50-acre village that removes you from modern times and immerses you into an era of chivalry, feasting, and shopping. Dress up, watch knights jousting via horseback, shop arts and crafts, enjoy 16 different stages, feast upon traditional eats, and spend the day escaping the woes of our modern living. If you feel like celebrating, just say, “huzzah!”
Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show
Dates: Feb. 1-16
Location: 22nd Street/Downtown Tucson
Cost: Free entry for most locations
What to expect: The Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show is a fantastical exploration of geology, mineralogy, and the esoteric alike. Tucson transforms into one giant festival full of vendors—such as the 22nd Street Mineral, Fossil & Gem Show—and music, such as Gem and Jam. Driving down the freeway will lead you to one street-lined spectacle after the other, where you can find vendors from around the world with precious—you guessed it—gems, minerals, and fossils. This is a giant spectacle that people travel to from all over the globe, so be sure to book your rooms soon if you plan to stay for any length of time. Be sure to get your cash and credit cards ready to purchase some spectacular art made by Earth herself.
Family-Friendly “warning”: Since bringing my stepkids to this festival years ago, they insisted on joining our local gem and mineral society and have taken to the hobby of rockhounding and voluntarily picking up trash as we traverse through all the best spots. Be warned that the Tucson Gem show may act as a gateway to a love of geology and good Earth stewardship.
I Heart Pluto Festival
Dates: Feb. 13-15
Location: Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff
Cost: $30
What to expect: Is it a planet, or isn’t it? Regardless of Pluto’s status in our solar system, the annual I Heart Pluto Festival celebrates Pluto’s discovery with science presentations, observatory tours, pub crawls, and solar viewings. So grab your notebook and pocket protectors, and give into that inner nerd—it is a (inter)stellar time to explore outer space through the eyes of a scientist.
Too Tough to Die
Dates: Feb. 14-17
Location: Begins at Schieffelin Hall
Cost: $429-899
What to expect: Too Tough to Die is a three-day paranormal event that explores the haunted history of Tombstone, from the OK Corral to the notorious streets of ghoulish delight. Led by a team of varying expertise, this spooky event is also historically informative between its lectures, tours, workshops, and discussions. If you’re curious about what lingers beyond life, this weekend may be just the way to explore your intrigue of the thinning veil.
Tucson Toy Show
Dates: March 2
Location: Tucson Expo Center
Cost: $10
What to expect: With over 500 tables of both vintage and modern toys, the Tucson Toy Show is a foraging frenzy for both kids and adults alike. Find that vintage toy of your yesteryear memories, the newest addition to the collection you’ve been building, or just enjoy exploring how toys have evolved through the years. What a great way to feed that inner child!
Chandler Ostrich Festival
Dates: March 14-16, 21-23
Location: Tumbleweed Park, Chandler
Cost: $15
What to expect: Did you know that Chandler was founded by a veterinarian who wanted to utilize the relatively inexpensive land of freshly founded Arizona to build up his ostrich ranch? As a way of celebrating the founder of Chandler, the Chandler Ostrich Festival is an annual family-friendly event complete with food, rides, and ostrich racing! Yes, real ostriches! This is one of those weird events that only makes sense in the Arizona city of Chandler.
Tucson Festival of Books
Dates: March 15-16
Location: University of Arizona campus
Cost: Free
What to expect: For aspiring authors and avid book readers alike, the Tucson Festival of Books showcases new authors, highlights up-and-coming reads, and connects writers with readers. Whether you love fiction or nonfiction, this festival is the perfect way to broaden the mind through the written word. Find your newest bookshelf addition and meet fellow wordsmiths here. See ya there!
Apache Leap Mining Festival
Dates: March 28-30
Location: Main Street, Superior
Cost: Free
What to expect: Another fantastic festival in the historic mining town of Superior, the Apache Leap Mining Festival celebrates the history of mining and Indigenous culture alike—a truly unique aspect and accurate depiction of this area. This festival launches with a parade and evolves into a fest full of Western entertainment, live bands, a carnival, Navajo Dancers, a mining competition, and more.
Arizona festivals in April-June
Springtime is the time of renewal, so it’s also the perfect time to refresh your world with wacky exploration.
Agave Heritage Festival
Dates: April 10-13
Location: Hotel Congress 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson
Cost: Free
What to expect: The Agave Heritage Festival celebrates all things agave through informative workshops, tastings, and more. Held at the historical—and notoriously haunted—Hotel Congress over the course of three days, there are many different activities of interest that range in price from free to $65. Love tequila? Learn about the process. Love gardening? Learn about that! The opportunities to learn about agave AKA the Century Plant are practically endless. The Agave Heritage Festival is a great way to celebrate the flora and history of the Grand Canyon State.
Arizona Fanfest
Dates: April 18-19
Location: Graham County Fairgrounds in Safford
Cost: $5
What to expect: With Marvel on the forefront of blockbuster hit after blockbuster hit, it is safe to say that the majority of us are massive comic nerds. Arizona Fanfest 2025 features not only a cosplay contest with a cash prize but also boasts comic creators and self-publishers. This is a fantastic way to learn about up-and-coming comics and creators, as well as a way to meet fellow creatives; if you’ve ever wanted to create your own comic (or you already have!), this is the place to boost that community.
Alice in Bisbeeland
Dates: Apr 19
Location: Bisbee
Cost: Free
What to expect: Fall down the rabbit hole, or at least pass through the Bisbee tunnel to land in another world. Dress up as your favorite character from Alice in Wonderland to enjoy a day parading around Bisbee’s ultra-quirky event known as Alice in Bisbeeland. Most everyone else will be dressed up as you shop the artsy, historical streets of Bisbee, allowing you to exist in the literary universe created by Lewis Caroll a century and a half ago. If you are familiar with Bisbee, it is like Wonderland even during the humdrum days, so this event is well suited here. If you see a couple of Alices and mad hatters walking around, be sure to say hi! My stepdaughter insists that this will be her birthday activity this year (shoutout to all you Aries).
The Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival
Dates: May 7-10 Spring Fling / July 30-Aug. 2 Summer Festival
Location: Cochise College Sierra Vista Library
Cost: $45-645
What to expect: Since 1991, The Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival has operated as the oldest birding festival in Arizona. Both the Spring Fling and Summer Festival consist mainly of van field trips—with options for a car caravan—that take you to fairly inaccessible yet amazing birding locations. This means going to locations where you can see an abundance of bird varieties alongside a community of other people interested in the wondrous winged creatures. Although this may sound frivolous, Arizona is truly home to a multitude of different birds. Have you seen a real-life cardinal yet? Or a yellow warbler? How about a thrasher?
Sierra Vista UFO Conference
Dates: May 9-11
Location: Huachuca City Community Center
Cost: $150 for the whole weekend
What to expect: “I want to believe” has become the colloquial phrase for all things UFO, thanks to “The X-Files.” Many people do, in fact, believe in UFOs and have stories to share. The annual Sierra Vista UFO Conference held in Huachuca City is a 3-day event with nine speakers and several panel discussions. If you are curious about the life amongst our stars or the saucers in the sky, this may be the perfect spot to brush up on extraterrestrial knowledge while building a community with fellow believers. Speakers come from many walks of life, several with high-profile backgrounds. Most of the conference takes place in the Best Western, so finding accommodations may prove most fruitful there.
Phoenix Fan Fusion
Dates: June 6-8
Location: Phoenix Convention Center
Cost: $89 early bird special
What to expect: From cosplay to displays to games and more, Phoenix Fan Fusion is a multi-genre exploration of imagination brought to life. This is the place to explore fantasy and fan fiction brought to life. In their own words: Phoenix Fan Fusion is an annual multi-genre pop culture convention celebrating fandoms like comics, anime, movies, TV shows, gaming, and more. It features celebrity guests, panels, cosplay, gaming tournaments, an exhibitor hall, and countless fan experiences.
Arizona festivals in July & beyond
It is never too late in the year to add intrigue. Use the summer and fall to discover ways to liven up the rest of 2025.
WagFest & Fair
Dates: Sep. 14
Location: Posse Grounds Park Pavilion, Sedona
Cost: Free
What to expect: The Wagfest and Fair in Sedona is a fun family frenzy of four-legged friends and the community at large. Doggie costume contests, talent shows, raffles, and goodie bags mark this event as a howling good time for fur friends and their two-legged companions. Show up here to meet fellow dog people and see some cute friends deserving of extra pets. Must love dogs.
Wings and Wheels
Dates: Oct 11
Location: Sedona Airport
Cost: Free!
What to expect: Sedona is a beautiful place to fly over and is a local state staple for aspiring pilots in training. The Sedona Airport is hosting its annual Wings and Wheels, where you can explore all things aviation, both vintage and modern, and enjoy iconic flights, delicious eats, and some exciting greets with the aviation community.
The Great Pumpkin Splash
Dates: October 19
Location: Posse Grounds Park – Community Pool, Sedona
Cost: $5
What to expect: You’ve probably heard of pumpkin patches, but have you heard of The Great Pumpkin Splash in Sedona? This is unlike any other pumpkin patch as it involves picking a pumpkin from the floating pumpkin patch at the community pool. Floating pumpkins! Past events have also included pumpkin ring toss games, pumpkin decorating, and apple bobbing. For the nominal fee of $5, this is a wild and wacky Halloween event that can’t be beat—in fact, the splash will leave you feeling en-gourd-ged with the Halloween spirit.
Tucson Psychic and Healing Fair
Dates: Once a month
Location: 610 W Prince Rd, Tucson
Cost: Free
What to expect: Whether we appreciate it or not, Arizona is known nationally as a spiritual place. As a monthly event, the Tucson Psychic & Healing Fair is a great place to meet those who are gifted and/or interested in the esoteric. From jewelry and crafts to psychics and mediums of all different talents and expertise, you are sure to find something at this fair that can offer inspiration, enlightenment, and in some cases, healing. If you have never been to a psychic fair in Arizona, 2025 is the year to check out what all the fuss is about.
See you there!
While there is ample room for food, art, and music fests on the docket, checking out the weird and wacky walks of life often results in unexpected inspiration and restoration of passion. Be sure to add a few of these events to your calendar in 2025 to make the most out of this year because it is time for you to live your best, most joyful year yet. Since my family is full of artists and self-proclaimed weirdos, we hope to see you there. Happy New Year!
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