There’s always something happening in Scottsdale!
Here are a few Scottsdale activities events (and occasionally an event from a neighboring city). This list focuses on free or inexpensive events & activities that offer unique experiences and good value, as well as links to City government meetings. If you are interested in participating, please check information links or call to confirm info, as dates/times are subject to change.
Also check our Great Links page.
Ongoing
- Through 9 November. Speak Peace: American Voices Respond to Vietnamese Children’s Paintings, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, 480-874-4654.
- Through 19 November. Arizona Fall Ball, times vary, Scottsdale Scorpions @ Scottsdale Stadium, Salt River Rafters @ Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
- Scottsdale’s Downtown Trolley is a free ride to anywhere you want to go Downtown. Ride around in environmentally friendly bio-diesel shuttles complete with air conditioned comfort during warm weather and fresh air during cooler temperatures. The Downtown trolleys run daily, every 15 minutes from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Thursdays until 9 p.m. for ArtWalk. The Downtown trolleys connect with Scottsdale’s free Neighborhood Trolley, Tempe’s Orbit trolley system, the Valley Metro bus system and even Light Rail. More information on the Scottsdale’s trolley routes can be found here or by calling (480) 312-3111.
Monday 7 November
- Traffic alert: westbound curb lane on Shea Boulevard east of Hayden Road will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for utility maintenance.
Tuesday 8 November
- 7:30 a.m. Scottsdale’s World-Class Cancer Care & Research. This Mayor and City Council breakfast will feature a panel of local experts whose work treating and diagnosing cancer is making international headlines. Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center
at Scottsdale Healthcare (10460 N. 92nd St.). Free. - NOTE EARLY START: 4:00 p.m. City Council Regular Meeting at the City Hall Kiva. Watch Cox CityCable Channel 11 or streaming via your computer. Items include the purchase of state land for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and a pending agreement with the Scottsdale Unified School District to acquire City-owned property.
- 6:35 p.m. Scottsdale Scorpions vs. Rafters. Scottsdale Stadium, 7408 E. Osborn Rd. $6.00 adults, $5 seniors/youth.
Wednesday 9 November
- 6:35 p.m. Scottsdale Scorpions vs. Desert Dogs. Scottsdale Stadium, 7408 E. Osborn Rd. $6.00 adults, $5 seniors/youth.
- 6:30 p.m. Flourishing: Achieving Happiness, Arabian Library. Dr. Larry Woodruff will share some of
the key discoveries in positive psychology for achieving happiness. Free.
Thursday 10 November
- 10:30 a.m. Local historian and author Joan Fudala will present “A Salute to Scottsdale’s Veterans and Scottsdale’s Role as a Homefront during Wartime.” Granite Reef Senior Center, 1700 N. Granite Reef Road. Those wanting to stay for lunch must register by calling (480) 312-1724. Free.
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free SMoCA Thursdays, Designed by award-winning architect Will Bruder, SMoCA’s five-gallery minimalist building (an ingenious renovation of a former movie theater) includes a public “skyspace” by the acclaimed artist James Turrell (one of only a handful in the world), where visitors can experience the ever-changing light of the desert sky. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, (480) 874-4666.
- 4 p.m. The Singing Cowboy at Civic Center Library. Meet Gary Sprague and his horse, Dusty, and enjoy songs, stories and facts about
the life of the cowboy. - 7 to 9 p.m. every Thursday, Art Walk, Scottsdale Arts District, just west of Scottsdale Road along Main Street and on Marshall Way north of Indian School Road to Fifth Avenue.
- 6 to 10 p.m. every Thursday, ArtBridge Thursdays, Featuring painters, sculptors, illustrators, wood carvers, metal smiths, weavers, and other artists. Live Music and artistic demonstrations. Marshall Way Pedestrian Bridge. Free.
- Free horse-drawn carriage or horse-drawn trolley rides are available every Thursday during ArtWalk 7-9 p.m. along Main Street and every Saturday from 1-4 on Brown and Main Street.
Friday 11 November
- 11 a.m. Scottsdale’s VFW Post 3513 will host a Veterans Day event at Scottsdale City Hall, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd. Free. For details, contact Terry Dalton, VFW Post 3513 at (480) 947-0553.
- 3 p.m. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Carol Jeannine Dahl, a 2010 Arizona Veteran Hall of Fame recipient and Scottsdale resident, will be the keynote speaker at the city’s annual Veterans Day Commemoration. McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, SE corner of Scottsdale and Indian Bend roads. Free.
- 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. American Cup Championship Arabian Horse Show. Competition open to Arabians and Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian Horses. WestWorld. Free.
Saturday 12 November
- 10am-ish. “2nd Saturday” Downtown Scottsdale Art & Cultural Trolley Tour. Free – reservations are required.
- 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Scottsdale Library Used Book Sale. Appaloosa Library. Free.
- 4pm – 8pm, McDonald’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Classic Car Show – Every Saturday night for over 20 years! Classic cars and motorcycles in a free open air event complete with 50’s era music provided by “Party Time DJ’s. An average night showcases anywhere from 250 to 500 cars and up to 150 motorcycles. FREE admission. The Pavilions at Talking Stick.
- 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Old Town Farmer’s Market features local growers and specialty food producers. Wide variety of organic and pesticide free produce, seasonal specialities, natural meats, free range eggs, artisan breads, local cheeses, jams, tamales, and more. 3802 N. Brown Avenue. Free.
- Free horse-drawn carriage or horse-drawn trolley rides are available every Thursday during ArtWalk 7-9 p.m. along Main Street and every Saturday from 1-4 on Brown and Main Street.
Sunday 13 November
- 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. SouthBridge SunDays . Artisan Foods, arts and crafts, live art performances. Live music on the patio of the adjacent restaurant, The Herb Box. Southbridge on the Canal, 7135 E. Camelback Rd. Free.
- 2 p.m. Pinnacle Peak Mystery Car Rally. Adventurous North Scottsdale Hunt Benefits Desert Foothills Scenic Drive, Preservation & Education.
- Sommelier Sundays at Iruna. Valley sommelier David M. Johnson offers an informal wine tasting on Sundays. Tapas are available for purchase. 7217 East 1st Street, Scottsdale.
1 Comment
Now that America’s greatest beloved curmudgeon, Andy Rooney has departed for his most deserved heavenly reward, I thought I’d step forward to divulge what bugs me right here in Scottsdale.
No, I’m not talking about Scottsdale’s politcal scene or the perpetual undercurrent subtly presented by the Cactus huggers to ‘finish’ the Preserve (i.e. get many taxpayers to pay for unneeded additional land to appease the avarice of a few).
I’m talking about closing free access to the Civic Center Mall area for art shows.
Now I love art (well most of it anyway…the kind you can actually understand what you’re looking at) and I love the fact that such an event takes place in our midst. But it truly bugs me that as a taxpayer, I am denied free access to the Mall area and have to pay to enter during this event.
I don’t have to pay for the same event in Fountain Hills. Nor do I have to pay to see the same art dealers in Tempe.
I undersand that some of that money may go toward the upkeep of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. That may or may not be so. Personally, I’d like to see a head count of people visiting that facility. I suspect we’re paying quite a lot in support of SMOCA per head.
We attended a recent event at SMOCA and I was about to ask why a group of two by fours and a bunch of chairs were scattered on the floor of one of the galleries. I thought perhaps the facility’s janitor hadn’t as yet cleaned the mess up, when I was told it was an exhibit.
I did say I like art, but that type of art isn’t covered.
I really don’t give a flying (use your immagination) about who gets the money, though if pressed to choose which of Scottsdale’s museums, historical sites or public art sites were funded, SMOCA wouldn’t be listed among my top one hundred thousand.
I’m bugged at the audacity of depriving Scottsdale resdients, John and Jane Q. Public and their kids the use of that facility for the sake of raising funds. We already provide funds through taxation and shouldn’t be asked to pay for an event someone…anyone decides to put on in a publicly funded park.