Phoenix, Arizona Events Calendar for November

Hardly a day goes by without something spectacular to do in Phoenix during the month of November. The start of the winter high season brings cooler temperatures—which is a good thing in the hot desert southwest—but you'll still find plenty of sunshine and increasing crowds as the snowbirds start to arrive.

Christmas tree lightings, holiday festivals, and seasonal events typically begin in mid-November and continue through the end of December and even into January, but you'll also find several fall celebrations, festivals, and events earlier in the month. No matter what time you come to Phoenix in November, you're sure to find something to do.

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Find Treasure at the Gem and Mineral Show

You can find pretty much anything rock related at the Rock‑A‑Rama Gem & Mineral Show in Black Canyon City: Dealers, demonstrators, minerals, gemstones, jewelry, fossils, crystals, tools, equipment, books, lapidary supplies, gold panning, beading, wire-wrapping, faceting, stone carving, gem setting, a raffle, and help with rock identification. From November 1 to 3, 2019, you can enjoy free admission to this annual event, but bring money so you can add to your collection.

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Eat and Dance at the Local First Fall Festival

This family-friendly street festival at Hance Park in Phoenix features members of Local First Arizona, a nonprofit organization of locally-owned businesses. On Saturday, November 2, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local First Arizona restaurants and vendors will sell their goods, products, and services while Arizona musicians, bands, and performers provide entertainment. There will also be a raffle and a silent auction to raise funds for Local First.

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Savor the Food & Wine Experience

Join Arizona chefs, visiting chefs, and cookbook authors for the Food & Wine Experience which includes a farmers market, technology expo, kitchen gadget expo, and seminar series at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on November 2 to 3, 2019. At the event, you'll also get the chance to explore the Martha Stewart Experience, which features all of the latest products from this lifestyle matron's extensive collection.

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View the Art at the Litchfield Park Festival of Arts

Located in the heart of downtown Litchfield Park near the historic Wigwam Resort, this outdoor festival features an artisan's village filled with more than 250 fine arts and crafts booths plus artist demonstrations and an international food court. On November 2 and 3, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the popular Litchfield Park Festival of the Arts returns for its 50th year, making it one of the oldest events of its kind in the American Southwest.

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Raise Money While Running at the Phoenix 10K and Half-Marathon

One of the longest-running 10K races in the United States, the route of the annual Phoenix 10K and Half-Marathon travels through downtown Phoenix on November 3, 2019. Alternatives are the 5K and 1-mile fun run. The event will also feature music performances, exhibitor booths, a health fair, and other festivities in honor of this annual run for charity.

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Take in the Bluegrass Festival & Fiddle Championship

From November 8 to 10, 2019, you can enjoy three days of bluegrass bands on stage—along with contests for awards and cash—at the Wickenburg Rodeo Grounds. Presented by the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce, this annual event features local and national talents competing for the title of the best fiddler in the country. Headlining acts in 2019 include Featured bands are The Incidental Bluegrass Band, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys.

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Go Back in Time at Cave Creek Wild West Days

From November 8 to 10, 2019, you can check out one of Arizona's largest Western Festivals at Cave Creek Wild West Days. Featuring artists, vendors, roadhouse attractions, a parade, pig races, and other family-friendly diversions, this annual event takes place throughout the historic town of Cave Creek.

You'll also want to stick around for mutton bustin', a motorcycle poker run, and the official Wild West Days Dance as well as a battle of the bars, a corn hole tournament, and a pie-eating contest.

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Learn Some History While You Eat

Authentic, old-fashioned chuck wagon teams compete at this family-friendly event at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler on Saturday, November 9, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This free event, the largest chuckwagon cooking event in the southwest, also features live music, gunfight reenactments, evening campfire glows, and cooking demonstrations as well as a unique, up-close look at some of the region's history. Lunch tickets will be on sale at the event.

The evening before, Friday, November 8, 2019, for $10 paid at the gate, enjoy music, dancing, food, and beverages. Local country music band Rhondavous will headline.

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Meet Indigenous Artists

The Heard Museum hosts a marketplace on the second Saturday during the months of November, December, January, and April. You'll have the opportunity to meet and purchase art from indigenous artists in an intimate setting in the Central Courtyard. In addition, you'll be entertained with live performances and artist demonstrations. You can visit the artists for free on the Second Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Over Veterans Day weekend there will be a Marketplace featuring Navajo weavers and veteran artists.

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Do Your Holiday Shopping at the Arizona Harvest Festival

Celebrate the coming of cooler weather with live music, activities for kids, gourmet food, and a beer garden serving up seasonal brews such as pumpkin ale in downtown Chandler at the annual free Arizona Harvest Festival and Farmer's Market on Sunday, November 10, 2019, from 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Over 100 merchants selling local produce and farmers market items as well as sellers of home decor and furniture, jewelry, clothing, art, and health services will be on-site for this annual event. Activities also include such fall fun as a pumpkin toss, pumpkin pageant, corn hole games, pie-eating contests, corn shucking contest, a cakewalk, and a children's zone.

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Start Your Engines at Good Guys Southwest Nationals

From November 15 to 17, 2019, more than 2,500 hot rods, custom cars, classic vehicles, trick trucks, and muscle cars will park at this swap meet and sale at WestWorld in Scottsdale. The show will also feature a swap meet, a vendor and manufacturer exhibit, a burnout competition, live music entertainment, a model & pedal car show, a kids' zone, a bar and grill, and an autocross bike race.

Both members and non-members of Good Guys Rods & Customs Association are welcome to attend, but the price of admission varies based on membership.

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Celebrate History at Orme Dam Victory Days

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation hosts this celebration with a powwow, rodeo, and other outdoor activities plus Yavapai traditional song and dance, sporting events, concerts, and a carnival on November 15 to 17, 2019.

There is traditionally a golf tournament, a softball tournament, and a 5K run that coincide with the festival as well as a parade.

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation is a 950-member Native American with lands located to the northeast of Phoenix. The 40-square mile reservation is a small part of the ancestral territory of the once nomadic hunting and gathering Yavapai people.

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Relive History at the American Heritage Festival

Take an educational family-friendly trip through American history with reenactments, demonstrations, historical characters, and more at Schnepf Farms in Queens Creek, Arizona, on November 16, 2019. This interactive event presents American military and civilian life through several periods from American history—from early Colonial Days to modern times.

School trips can also book a tour on other days, but the November 16 event is open to the general public.

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Have Fun at the Enchanted Island Harvest Festival

The Enchanted Island Amusement Park hosts its Harvest Festival on November 23 and 24, 2019. This annual event welcomes kids 2 to 10 years of age (and their families) to enjoy a full weekend of games and activities, pony rides, a petting zoo, a barrel wagon, hayrides, bounce houses, and a rock-climbing wall.

Try your hand at a seasonal sport like pumpkin golf or pumpkin bowling during the event which lasts 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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Support Local Talent at ArtFest of Scottsdale

Fine art, live music, international foods, and an interactive family area featuring hands-on art activities and creative challenges for children make this annual event worth a slot on your itinerary.

From November 23 to November 24, 2019, more than 200 select contemporary artists and craftspeople from across the nation will show and sell one-of-a-kind artwork at the Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza as part of this free annual event.

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Drive the New Cars

You can see and test-drive hundreds of the newest cars, trucks, minivans, and sport utility vehicles on display at the Phoenix Convention Center, with live entertainment and celebrity appearances at this Thanksgiving weekend mainstay.

From November 28 to December 1, 2019, you can experience the best in modern automotive technology, as well as check out discussions about the new cars and demonstrations of the latest innovations in the automotive field.