Rotary Community Park, 1400 S Smoketree Ave · Lake Havasu City, AZ
Food festivalsFree
Fire on the Water July 4th Festival
Rotary Community Park, 1400 S Smoketree Ave
You can spend a free lakefront Fourth of July at Rotary Park with food trucks, a beer garden, live music from 3 p.m. and a fireworks finale over Thompson Bay.
A free street festival in downtown Mesa on the second Friday of every month, with original art, live bands, food vendors, and gallery openings. The theme changes month to month.
A Saturday farmers market with more than 100 vendors at Arrowhead Towne Center, with local produce, artisans, and food trucks. It is an easy weekly habit and a good place to meet growers and makers. Mornings are the cooler time to go.
The valley's big outdoor amphitheatre books a steady run of touring acts through the warmer months, from rock to country. Check the schedule and grab tickets early for the names you want to see.
In the warmer months the city's Parks & Recreation department hosts free evening Concerts in the Park, usually on weeknights. It is one piece of a busy city recreation calendar with camps, e-sports, and mobile rec days.
A Saturday market on 5th Street with farm-fresh produce, baked goods, and local makers. The main season runs morning hours, and in the hot months it opens even earlier to beat the sun.
A Sunday market at the ballpark with local farms, handmade foods, and food trucks. It is an easy weekend stop for produce and a coffee. The vendor lineup shifts week to week.
An evening event at the ballpark on the first Friday of the month, running roughly 5 to 10 pm. Expect music, food, and a relaxed crowd on the concourse. It is a low-key way to start a weekend.
When the sun goes down, the Desert Botanical Garden lights up its trails with installations for an evening stroll, included with admission. There are spring, summer, and winter holiday versions through the year.
A group of five year-round markets around the area, with the big Sunday one at Rillito Park on the north side. You get local produce, prepared food, and live music.
On the second Saturday of December, boats decked out in holiday lights run from the skate park along the beaches of Rotary Park. You can watch the whole thing for free from the shore.
Every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, the market at 2144 McCulloch Boulevard North brings local produce, meats, eggs, baked goods, and artisans together. It accepts SNAP and matches it with Double Up bucks.
Havasu's signature fall festival is built around the London Bridge Days Parade down McCulloch Boulevard, usually the last Saturday of October. The week includes a Renaissance faire and waterfront events. It has run for more than 50 years.
Mesa's winter holiday festival in the downtown core, complete with a 6,000-square-foot real ice rink and daily activities. It runs from late November into early January.
Beyond the festivals, the Mesa Arts Center runs a year-round calendar of concerts, touring acts, and theater downtown. Names like Jazz at Lincoln Center turn up on the schedule.
Brown Avenue, Old Town Scottsdale · Scottsdale, AZ
MarketsFreeHappens regularly
Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market
Brown Avenue, Old Town Scottsdale
You can shop fresh organic produce, baked goods and prepared foods early on Saturday mornings before the heat, with the market closing for July through September.
You can take member-based lifelong-learning courses on history, culture, virtual travel and more through the Osher institute's open summer registration.
A free outdoor midday concert series in downtown Mesa that runs through the spring, with a different band most weeks. Bring a chair and catch live music on your lunch break.
A spring fair put on by the clubs at the Sundial Recreation Center, held in mid-March. It is free, open to the public, and runs over a Friday and Saturday.
The tourism bureau keeps a broad, year-round events calendar covering the whole city, not just downtown. A good catch-all for annual festivals and one-off happenings.
A midtown neighborhood that decks out its homes in holiday lights every December and opens the streets to walkers. You can stroll the loop or ride through.