Arizona Ed made this calendar to keep track of favorite events that he wants to remember from year to year. View the listings below to find local events of interest for each month. These are traditionally held around the same time annually, so you may plan ahead for this year or the next. You can also click on the name of each month to find holidays, historic events, famous birthdays, special days and other occasions. These provide unit study ideas and timely topics to write about for almost every day of the year. Have fun!
1 January – New Year’s Day, Twelfth Night, Hobby Month, Winnie-the-Pooh Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, National Handwriting Day, and many more…
January Events in Arizona
Fiesta Bowl
Quartzite Rock and Mineral Show
Pioneer Village Civil War Reenactment
Yuma Gathering of the Gunfighters
Her Royal Majesty’s Ball
Hashknife Pony Express Ride
Project Feeder Watch
Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction
Phoenix Open Golf Tournament
2 February – American Heart Month, Black History Month, Children’s Dental Month, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Leap Year Day, and many more…
February Events in Arizona
Super Bowl Sunday (If you’re not a football fan, go to a museum or state park on this day and you will have the place to yourself!)
Glendale Chocolate Affaire
Quartzite Rock and Mineral Show
Arizona Fine Art Expo
Camp Bouse WWII Celebration
Arizona Statehood Day (Arizona’s Centennial is coming up in 2012 so watch for many special events around that time!)
VNSA Book Sale
Estrella War Medieval Reenactment (Note new date and location: Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, March 27- April 2, 2012)
Renaissance Festival
Prospector Day – Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
Yuma Crossing Day
George Washington’s Birthday Ball
Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show
Project Feeder Watch
3 March – National Nutrition Month, Dr. Seuss’s Birthday, Ides of March, St. Patrick’s Day, First Day of Spring, Doctor’s Day, and many more…
(Warning: Maybe it’s just me, but whenever I scheduled a field trip for the first week of March it always got rained out! So now I black out those days or just plan indoor activities during that week!)
March Events in Arizona
Spring Training Baseball
Renaissance Festival
Ostrich Festival
Arizona Fine Art Expo
Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month
Civil War in the Southwest @ Picacho Peak
Arizona Civil War Ball
Luke Air Force Open House/Thunderbirds Air Show (held every other year in the odd-numbered years)
SEE ASU (I believe this event has been discontinued)
Welcome Back Buzzards @ Boyce Thompson
Journey to Jerusalem (held in March or April, depending on the date of Easter weekend)
Tempe Spring Festival of the Arts
Spring Butterfly Exhibit
Desert Wildflowers
Arizona Game & Fish Outdoor Expo
Estrella War Medieval Reenactment (Note new date and location: Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, March 27- April 2, 2012)
4 April – April Fool’s Day, National Garden Month, National Poetry Month, Income Taxes Due, Earth Day, Arbor Day, and many more…
April Events in Arizona
Arizona Book Festival
Maricopa County Fair
National Park Week
Spring Butterfly Exhibit
Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival
Yuma Quartermaster Depot Civil War Days
Fort Verde’s History of the Soldier
5 May – Mother Goose Day, Cinco de Mayo, Limerick Day, Mother’s Day, International Museum Day, Memorial Day, and many more…
May Events in Arizona
Prescott Whiskey Row Marathon
Route 66 Road Rally
Cavalier Ball
Memorial Day Observance at Pioneer & Military Memorial Park
6 June – Homeschool Copyright Awareness Month, National Safety Month, Father’s Day, Flag Day, First Day of Summer, Midsummer Eve, and many more…
June Events in Arizona
Grand Canyon Star Party (Early June is Arizona’s clearest time of year for star gazing.)
Zoo by Moonlight – Heritage Park Zoo (once per month in the summer, on the night of the full moon)
Strawberry Festival
Prescott Frontier Days – World’s Oldest Rodeo
Buccaneer Ball
7 July – National Ice Cream Month, National Baked Bean Month, National Hot Dog Month, Independence Day, Tapioca Pudding Day, Parents’ Day, and many more…
July Events in Arizona
Fourth of July Firework Displays (statewide)
AFHE Homeschool Convention/Curriculum Fair
Zoo by Moonlight – Heritage Park Zoo (once per month in the summer, on the night of the full moon)
Apple Annie’s Sweet Corn Extravaganza
Flagstaff Independence Day Parade
Date Creek Ranch Peach Picking
8 August – Friendship Day, National Watermelon Day, National Root Beer Float Day, National Aviation Day, Lemonade Day, and many more…
August Events in Arizona
Perseid Meteor Shower (peaks around August 10-12)
Holbrook Old West Days
Payson August Doin’s – World’s Oldest Continuous Rodeo
Cowboy Poets Gathering – Sharlot Hall Museum (Note new date and location: September 15-17, 2011 @ Yavapai College)
Zoo by Moonlight – Heritage Park Zoo (once per month in the summer, on the night of the full moon)
Flagstaff Highland Ball
Apple Annie’s Peach Mania
Apple Annie’s Apple Harvest Celebration
Date Creek Ranch Apple Picking
Free Teacher Admission to Deer Valley Rock Art Center in August
9 September – Labor Day, National Grandparents Day, First Day of Fall, National Cheese Pizza Day, Patriot Day, Constitution Week, and many more…
September Events in Arizona
Monarch Butterfly Exhibit
Verde River Days – Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Tucson Barn Dance
Smithsonian Museum Day (Hundreds of local museums offer free admission on this day.)
10 October – Clergy Appreciation Month, Columbus Day, Fire Prevention Week, International Dinosaur Month, Make a Difference Day, Halloween, and many more…
October Events in Arizona
Autumn in Arizona
Fire Prevention Week (National Fire Prevention Week is the second week in October. Many fire departments have an open house or hold fire safety programs at this time.)
Pioneer Village Civil War Reenactment
Arizona State Fair
Family Day – Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
Monarch Butterfly Exhibit
Apple Annie’s Fall Pumpkin Celebration/Corn Maze
Fort Verde Days
Pride & Prejudice Ball
Arizona Fall League Baseball
Pioneer Village Haunted History
11 November – American Indian Heritage Month, Peanut Butter Lover’s Month, Teddy Bear Day, Veterans Day, National Bible Week, Thanksgiving Day, and many more…
November Events in Arizona
American Heritage Festival
Sierra Vista Festival of Color (Hot Air Balloons)
Project Feeder Watch
Veterans Day Parades (statewide)
Annual Night Under the Stars @ Alamo Lake
Colorado River Crossing Hot Air Balloon Festival
Pioneer Village Gunfighters & Civil War Reenactment
Fall Arabian Horse Show
Ironman Triathlon
Victorian Christmas Ball
12 December – Safe Toys and Gifts Month, Wright Brothers Day, First Day of Winter, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and many more…
December Events in Arizona
Tempe Fall Festival of the Arts
Pilgrimage to Bethlehem
Project Feeder Watch
Christmas Bird Count
Fort Verde Victorian Christmas
Pioneer Village Christmas
Click Here for Additional Statewide Event Listings
Important Note: Dates, times, and activities are always subject to change. Before attending events, please be sure to confirm fees, days and times. Some events require pre-registration; plan ahead and don’t miss the deadline!
Howdy! I'm your guide, Arizona Ed.
Please remove “Journey to Jerusalem” in your March calendar. It has been replaced by “Esther! For Such A Time As This” in April each year. Thank you!