Plan your Sedona vacation or getaway knowing you and your family will never run out of things to do in Sedona and the Verde Valley. With this annual events page you can see all the fun things to do in the Sedona-Verde Valley for the year, allowing you to plan your vacation ahead! So what are you waiting for? Plan your vacations to Sedona, Arizona today! To get all the current news on events for the week visit our Sedona events page.
Sedona Annual Events
6th Annual Sedona Marathon
February 4th, 2012
Sedona is host to one of the most inspiring and rugged marathon races. Fast becoming one of Sedona’s premiere outdoor events, the 6th annual Sedona Marathon will be held on Saturday, February 12, 2011, and will feature three divisions: a full marathon ( 42.195 km) a half marathon, and a 5k race. Run through the red rocks of Sedona and you’ll never be the same again. For more information visit the Sedona Marathon.
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11th Annual Camp Verde Pecan, Wine, and Antiques Festival
Weekend of Pecans, Antiques, Wine and plenty of Entertainment
February 17th – 19th, 2012
It’s an annual Verde Valley Tradition! Come join us for a weekend of Pecans, Antiques, Wine and plenty of Entertainment! You’ll have three days to enjoy a variety of tasty Pecan dishes, glorious Verde Valley Wines, wonderful historical Antiques, and Arizona Artisans! For more information visit Camp Verde Pecan Festival.
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18th Annual Sedona International Film Festival
One full week and more than 145 films!
February 18th – 26th, 2012
From features to shorts, documentaries to animation and foreign films to student films, you will be treated to a cinephile’s dream! Join filmmakers, celebrities, industry guests and film buffs from all around the world as Sedona takes center stage with its biggest celebration of film yet! Passes for the 2011 festival available here! For more information visit Sedona Film Festival.
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Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival
Celebration of Nature
April 26th – 29th, 2012
Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival celebrates nature with workshops and field trips where expert guides take visitors to the area’s birding hot spots. The annual event is presented by Arizona State Parks and the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce. For more information visit Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival.
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Sedona PhotoFest 2012
Photography Competition, Symposium and Exhibition
June 7th – 10th, 2012
Sedona Arts Center is pleased to host Sedona PhotoFest 2012 on June 7 – 10, 2012. Keeping to our reputation for high quality arts education in an intimate setting, PhotoFest 2012 offers a select group of Master Photographers with in-depth areas of expertise and an opportunity to catch the majesty and magic of Sedona’s landscape each day. New this year is our Thursday schedule of events and the Symposium free to the public. For more information on this Sedona event please visit the Sedona PhotoFest.*******
Sedona Bluegrass Festival
Chamber Music Sedona
June 2012
Grammy nominated songwriter, guitarist and singer Claire Lynch brings her acoustic quartet to town as the third of three CMS Artists in Residence in a five-day series of Bluegrass activities culminating in the Sunday Festival. Lynch’s quartet is joined by three additional bands TBA. For more information visit Chamber Music Sedona.
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28th Season of Magic in the Red Rocks
Chamber Music Sedona
2012
Chamber Music Sedona is pleased to present the 27th Season of Magic in the Red Rocks. Chamber music was written by the world’s greatest composers for themselves and their friends to be performed in a small acoustic chamber that brings friends, family and community together. What better place then Sedona to enjoy all nine concerts for more information visit Chamber Music Sedona.
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16th Annual Sedona Taste
Benefit for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northern Arizona
Summer 2012
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
The 16th Annual Sedona Taste will take place at Los Abrigados Resort and Spa located at 160 Portal Lane in Sedona. Admission cost grants access to fine food and beverages from some of the area’s fabulous restaurants, and wine and beer vendors. There will be a silent auction for jewelry, art, restaurant gift certificates, fitness packages and getaways. Proceeds from the Sedona Taste benefit the scholarship fund for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northern Arizona. For more information visit Sedona Taste.
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Museum of Northern Arizona
79th Annual Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture
July, 2012
A Fourth of July tradition since the 1930s, the Hopi Festival is the world’s premier gathering of Hopi artists and scholars. More than 55 booths brim with Hopi fine arts and crafts. Visitors gain insight from carvers, painters, jewelers, potters, quilters, and basket and textile weavers against a backdrop of cultural presentations, storytelling, music, and dancing. For more information visit Museum of Northern Arizona.
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Cottonwood Parks and Recreation
13th Annual Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza
Free admission
July 4th, 2012
The City of Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting its 11th annual Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza. Activities start at 4:00 pm with children’s activities, water slides, giant inflatable rides and a watermelon eating contest. The countdown to Northern Arizona’s finest fireworks display will begin at 7:45 pm with music, presentations, and a patriotic salute by the VFW Color Guard. At 8:45pm grab a blanket or lawn chair and settle in for 35 minutes of lights, booms and ahhs.Come down, enjoy the day, have a picnic, listen to the music and enjoy the activities that the City of Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department has put together for your enjoyment. The event will be held at the Cottonwood Kids Park on 12th street next to the Verde Valley fairgrounds. For more information visit Cottonwood Parks and Recreation.
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Slide Rock Apple Fest
Slide Rock State Park
Waiting for date of event
A celebration of Oak Creek’s agricultural and farming history, the Slide Rock Apple Fest is a two-day event with live music, activities for children and adults, food, arts & crafts, natural exhibitions, educational booths, homesteading demonstrations and lectures about sustainability. For more information visit Slide Rock Apple Fest.
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National Day of the Cowboy Celebration
“a whole lot of cowboy goin’s on”!
July 28th, 2012
National Day of the Cowboy Celebration in Uptown Sedona is held on the fourth Saturday in July (as designated by Presidential Proclamation). Come enjoy “a whole lot of cowboy goin’s on”! See live performances by world champion gunslingers, trick ropers, bullwhip crackers and western actors. Listen or dance to live western music. Watch traditional cowboy craftsmen demonstrations and meet accomplished western artists at work. Join in the cowboy/girl outfit contest for a chance to win prizes. Cheer on the American Cowboy Parade entrants. This free community event is presented by Sedona Main Street in partnership with “Rock Holliday” and area businesses.
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Sedona Main Street Program
Moonlight Madness Street Festival
September 1st – 3rd, 2012
Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend is Sedona and attend the Moonlight Madness Street Festival. Bring your family and enjoy the sidewalk sales, childrens activities, entertainment and more hosted by the merchants along State Routes 89 A & 179 and side streets in the Uptown Sedona area. For more information visit Sedona Main Street Program.
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37th annual “Fiesta del Tlaquepaque
Celebration of Mexican Independence Day
September 8th, 2012
Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village located at 336 State Route 179 in Sedona is proud to present their 37th annual “Fiesta del Tlaquepaque,” The charming plazas, patios, and streets of Tlaquepaque will be dressed in a festive wash of color, music, and dancing in the spirit of old Mexico. The lively mariachis, the heart-pounding rhythms and beats of Flamenco dancers, and the mouth-watering tastes of Mexico will fill the day. Kids will be treated to face painting, balloon art, Yo-Yo demonstrations and the mesmerizing talents of Magical Michael Steele. Arts and crafts exhibits will abound offering a glimpse into the traditional and present artistry of Mexico and the free Road Runner shuttle service will run from 10 am to 5 pm between Tlaquepaque and the Uptown municipal parking lot located on Apple between Jordan and Highway 89A. For more information visit Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village.
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Sedona Winefest
Two-day wine festival
September 2012
The two-day wine festival, which celebrates the wine growing industry of Arizona, particularly the wineries in the Verde Valley, is an event by the Sedona Fair Inc. and being sponsored by Sedona Airport as a community service. This Sedona event will take place on airport mesa at the Sedona Airport. There will be plenty of things to do, taste and experience at this festival including wine tastings, car show, art demonstrations,live music and much more. For more information visit Sedona Winefest.
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Red Rocks Music Festival
Unique Collaboration of Musicians
August 24th – September 2nd, 2012
The Red Rocks Music Festival educates, engages and challenges audiences through a unique collaboration of musicians from leading Arizona performing arts organizations and world acclaimed artists. For more information visit Red Rocks Music Festival.
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Verde River Days
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Cottonwood , AZ
September, 2012
The activities during Verde River Days promote preservation and care of the environment by showcasing informative exhibits on the Verde’s riparian habitat. Some of the day’s events include environmental exhibits, hands-on-activities, fishing, canoeing, and live entertainment. The Verde River Days celebration begins at 10 am on Saturday and brings together 40-plus nature-based exhibits, sandcastle building, a menagerie of live animals, non-stop activities from canoe rides (with or without assistance), to nature hikes, as well as continuous entertainment and local food vendors. Guests of all ages are welcome to fish in the lagoon that is loaded with hundreds of pounds of catfish. For more information visit Verde River Days.
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3rd Annual Festival of Native American Culture
Celebration of Native American Music and Dance
September 2012
Immerse yourself in Native American culture. The Festival of Native American Culture is a place where friends of the Native American culture come together to share their passion. Hosted by the Verde Valley Archaeology Center, Inc., the festival is a non-profit event with proceeds dedicated to the protection, preservation and interpretation of the Native American cultural heritage sites of Sedona and the Verde Valley of Arizona. We are pleased to partner with the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village in Sedona for the 2011 Festival of Native American Culture as our primary host. Many events will be held on their beautiful grounds. Festival of Native American Culture.
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Sedona Jazz on the Rocks Festival
The Ultimate Jazz Experience
October 2012
Established in 1981, Sedona Jazz on the Rocks is one of the oldest and most respected Jazz festivals in the Southwest. Each Fall, we showcase the newest talent and legendary performers for three days of incredible music in one of the most breathtaking settings on earth. Ask any Jazz musician of note—and chances are—they have either performed here or would love that opportunity. Simply put, there is no other venue like it, anywhere.
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Sedona Arts Festival 
Featuring over 150 Artists
October 2012
Featuring over 150 of the nation’s finest artist and crafts persons, live music, prizes and an interactive kid zone. Free parking is available for this event and a complimentary shuttle ride drops you off at the festival. For more information visit Sedona Arts Festival.
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Sedona Plein Air Festival
Featuring the finest Plein Air painters in the country
October 2012
Fall, 2011 Sedona Plein Air Festival is a celebration of Sedona’s extraordinary beauty as seen through the eyes of 30 of the finest plein air painters in the country. The week long festival will feature these painters all over town – on the streets, trailheads, creeks and vistas – capturing the beauty of the Sedona area on canvas. “En pleinair,” French for “in the open air,” is a spontaneous art form with artists creating outdoors, responding to the immediacy of the moment and reflecting the excitement of the changing light, weather conditions and deepening shadows on canvas. For more information visit Sedona Plein Air Festival.
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Sedona Visual Artists Coalition
Annual Fall Show
November 2012
SVAC’s annual fall show begins November the 5th in the Sala de Milagro Ballroom (above RENÉ) at Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village, located at 336 Highway 179 in Sedona. Please join the SVAC artists for the Opening Reception of Pathways on Saturday, Nov 6th from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on the Sala de Milagro Ballroom Terrace. Hors d’oeuvres, beverages, music & a silent auction are all part of the fun under the stars. The 9th SVAC Annual Fall Art Exhibition features over 80 works of art by area artists exploring this year’s theme. The Sedona Visual Artists’ Coalition is a not for profit organization encouraging a network of artists to show their work to the community. For more information of this event visit The Sedona Visual Artists’ Coalition.
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Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village
Festival of Trees
Winter 2012
The Festival of Trees is an exciting event taking place at the Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village. Area artists and galleries will have over 30 Christmas trees fully decorated in fun and exquisite ways to entice the guests of Tlaquepaque. Kick of your holiday season with a beautiful themed tree already pre-decorated…The trees will be on display throughout the courtyards of Tlaquepaque accompanied with silent auction bid sheets. Viewers may visit Tlaquepaque and check their bids through 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 5th. The proceeds will go to local charities. For more information visit Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village.
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20th Annual Red Rock Fantasy
Festival of nearly one million lights
Winter 2012
Red Rock Fantasy at the Los Abrigados Resort & Spa located at 160 North Portal Lane in Sedona, now in its twentieth year and boasting nearly two dozen displays created by families from the Southwest, the festival promises never-before-seen marvels of light that leave children in wonderment and move adult minds to enjoy the holidays as they did when they were young. “Lights On” for the 20th Annual Red Rock Fantasy will take place this year at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 18, 2010. The event will last through the New Year, ending with “Lights Out” on Saturday, January 1, 2011. The festival is open each evening (weather permitting) from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Admission is reduced to $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for children aged 5-12 and is complimentary for children 4 and under. Blocks of 20 tickets or more are sold at a discounted rate of $4 per person. For more information visit Red Rock Fantasy.
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Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village
Festival of Lights
December 2012
This one day event at Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village is a cherished tradition which involves the lighting of six thousand Luminarias in Tlaquepaque’s courtyards and walkways at 5:00 pm. Dozens of entertaining events, including performances by musicians and singers are scheduled. This year, they will once again offer personalized luminarias in honor of a cancer survivor or victim at our Festival of Lights on Saturday, December 11, 2010. The American Cancer Society will have a booth located in the Patio del Norte where you can purchase a special luminaria to honor a friend or family member who has had cancer and your donation will go directly to the American Cancer Society. Each personalized luminaria is $10.00 and you can light your own luminaria at 5:00pm during the Festival of Lights. To see the schedule of events for this very special event or to purchase a personalize luminaria in advance visit Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village.
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