Updated 12/4/23 – It’s the Holiday Season
Scroll down to find out what’s become of our quiet little town. There are so many events now offered on a weekly basis. We are presenting you with but a SMATTERING here. Southern Arizona Guide seeks out under-served events and community projects and brings deserved notice to them here. You are welcome to submit your own events for consideration here. We focus on benefits, free events, and events of interest to the general public as well as our supporters. If you wish to support our efforts to bring Southern Arizona to a growing number of interested people by advertising and supplying events to our calendar, please contact us.
Check here or FIND an EVENT on our full calendar.
If you don’t find it here, you can visit our page on websites that publish their events. We have organized them by type of activity for ease of use. Choose the ones that look interesting to you.
OUR PICK(S) THIS WEEK
December 4 – 11, 2023
If you can’t find it here, look at our new list of websites that have Special Events here.
Tohono Chul Lights
DECEMBER 2023
December is all about the Holidays! Celebrate some of these events. If you are interested in unique gifts and shopping experiences, there are plenty of opportunities, not only to find the right gift but to enjoy the day as well, see our page on Unique Shopping Opportunities.
• Wee Winter Wonderland, November 21, 2023 – January 5, 2024
• Tucson Botanical Gardens Luminaria Nights, Now called Lights Up!, November 24, 2022 – January 7, 2024
• Zoo Lights at Reid Park Zoo – December 2, 2023 – January 7, 2024
• Holiday Nights: A Million Lights at Tohono Chul Park – December 1,2,8,9, 15, 16, 2023
• Luminaria Nights in Tubac, December 1 – 2, 2023
• Oro Valley Holiday Festival of the Arts, December 2- 3, 2023
• Annual Tamal Festival, December 2, 2023
• Annual Nordic Fair, December 2, 2023
• Fiesta de Tumacacori – December 2-3 , 2023
• La Fiesta de Guadalupe, December 03, 2023
• Arts Express, December 8-23, 2023
• Christmas at the Empire Ranch, December 9, 2023
• Christmas at the Arroyo Café – December 9, 2023
• 4th Avenue Winter Street Fair – December 8 – 10, 2023
• Tombstone Christmas Light Parade, December 9, 2023
• Winterhaven Festival of Lights – A Tucson Tradition – December 9 – 25, 2023
• The Messiah, December 16 – 17, 2023
• Tucson Boys and Girls Chorus Annual Holiday Concert – December 16, 2023
• Downtown Parade of Lights is back. December 16, 2023
• Annual Holiday Bazaar at the Mercado San Agustin, December 18 – 20, 2023
• A Southwest Nutcracker, December 21 – 23, 2023
• Annual Ft. Huachuca Home Tour of Homes – December 11, 2022 TBA 2023
• Cascabel Community Fair – 2023? Not this year.
• Annual Tombstone Historic Homes Tour, No word for 2023
• A Tucson Pastorela – No word for 2023
Visiting Southern Arizona and looking for what will be happening while you are here?
Our Annual Events Page will help you plan your visit!
We are members of the Tucson Attraction Alliance. And if you have not purchased your Book of Fun yet, do so now.
It is full of discounts for over 100 venues we recommend.
To assist you, Newly Posted Events this week on this page may be highlighted.
SAVE THESE DATES! It’s all about the Season
Please consider a Membership or Donation to your favorite Venue.
Check out our Performing Arts Page. All the great venues for Tucson and Southern Arizona.
Sign up early. Tickets sell out fast.
• Season of Light, a Planetarium Show, Ongoing.
• Candlelight Concerts in Tucson, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and More. December 9th
• Candlelight in Tucson, the Nutcracker and More, December 15, 6:30 and 9 pm
• The FOX Theatre Family Series has some great shows. Check it out here.
• Broadway in Tucson has announced the 2023 – 2024 season.
• Register for Tucson Parks and Recreation’s new Classes and Programs. Check them out. Class sizes are limited. Classes are for ALL AGES.
Festivals, Arts & Entertainment
Check out our Performing Arts Page. All the great venues for Tucson and Southern Arizona.
Please consider a membership or donation to your favorite venue. It’s worth keeping our community going.
Be sure you know what each venue’s protocols are before purchasing a ticket.
Especially for the Holidays
• Marana Christmas Express – Weekends Starting December 8th
• Tombstone Courthouse State Park Christmas Celebration, Free Admission, Saturday, December 9
This Week
• The Van Gogh Immersive Experience has been held over through December. Get your tickets for Van Gogh here.
• The Arizona Folklore Preserve is back. Take a drive out to beautiful Ramsey Canyon this weekend. Enjoy the fall weather.
ONGOING
• There is always something going on at the Oro Valley Music Hall and the Gaslight Theatre.
• Club Congress always has something going on and from time to time there will be an event on the plaza.
• The Fred Fox School of Music has some wonderful musical events all season long. They are either free or very inexpensive. So if you are on a budget and love music, this is the place.
• Cave Tours for Photographers at Kartchner Caverns State Park. 3rd Saturdays.
• Check out our Annual Events Page.
• The Loft Cinema is open. Tickets may be purchased online or at the box office. Please read, and Sign up for a membership. The Loft is a Tucson Tradition.
See more on our Calendar of Events this week.
MUSEUMS & EXHIBITS
• Fall Student Art Exhibit, Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.
• Posers an Art Installation on Exhibit through November 30.
• The Van Gogh Immersive Experience has been held over through December. Get your tickets for Van Gogh here.
• Degrazia in Black and White continues in October.
• 2nd Sundays at the Tucson Museum of Art. Pay what you wish. Family Activities – 11 am to 2 pm.
• Tubac Center of the Arts offers Workshops and Classes. See the schedule for 2023.
• Second Sundaze – FREE Family Day at the Tucson Museum of Art, Every Second Sunday.
• Tucson Museum of Art is now open Thursday – Sunday. 10am – 5pm. You must reserve your 2-hour slot.
• Biosphere 2 is OPEN! Take a tour with the TOUR APP. Make a reservation!
COMMUNITY
• Friday’s BICAS ARTS CORNER. Come make Art from Salvaged Bike Parts.
• Sign up for Free and Almost Free Assorted Classes from Pima County. Painting, Line Dancing, Birding, and Skeet Shooting are some. Check it out.
• 2nd Saturdays at the Garden Kitchen, 10 – 11:30 am
Benefits & Volunteering
Food Pantries & Markets
• The Mercado Flea Market Second Second Sundays of the month through May.
• St. Philip’s Farmers Market is back, Saturdays.
• Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market at the Mercado, brought to you by the Community Food Bank is from 4 pm – 7 pm Thursday evenings.
• Second Saturdays at Steam Pump Ranch are full of Music as well as your favorite shopping. And visit the historic Steam Pump Ranch.
• 2nd Saturdays at the Garden Kitchen.
• The Community Food Bank is distributing emergency food boxes at its headquarters, 8 am – 1 pm, Wednesday – Fridays.
• The Merchants Garden has fresh Farm-to-table, Lettuce, Basil, and Tilapia with drive-through convenience. Discounts for military members, health professionals, TUSD, U Arizona and Pima students and teachers, and individuals on food stamps. Thursday – Saturdays.
• You can find other Farmer’s Markets on our page here.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
• For you Eastside dwellers: If you love wildlife and animals, please consider volunteering at the Tucson Wildlife Center. They really need your help and donations.
• Empire Ranch Restoration Work 1st Saturdays most months 8-12 pm. Help preserve our heritage.
• On the Westside you can Volunteer at PACC, Pima Animal Care Center. They desperately need your help. And if you are a hiker you can get your exercise walking dogs! Please help. It means a world of difference to the animals. They also have a foster program.
• Did you know that the Arizona State Museum has Docent Training Programs?
• The Mission Garden always needs Gardeners, Greeters, and Go-Getters!
• Reid Park Zoo has many volunteer positions available.
and so much more volunteer help is needed. IF you have a need for volunteers, send us a note.
History, Culture, Education & Tours
THIS WEEK
Ongoing
• Boat Tours at Patagonia Lake State Park. Saturdays
• Take a look around the Presidio del Tucson on a Virtual Tour.
• Visit Casa Grande National Monument. The Visitor’s Center and the compound with the Big House and ruins, and picnic area are open Tuesdays – Saturdays. It’s FREE!
• The Pima County Library is a great resource for everyone. Take a look at this page at the Pima County Library• It’s Archaeology Day at the Mission Gardens, every 4th Saturday through Spring 2023.
• The new Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium is a must-see. Great Shows coming up.
Classes / Lectures / Talks
• Sign up for Tucson Parks and Rec’s classes and workshops. Sign up early. Pima County offers free and low-cost classes to all.
• Tubac Center of the Arts offers Workshops and Classes for budding artists. See the schedule for 2022 – 23.
GARDENS & NATURE!
WEEKLY
• Bird Walks at the Sierra Vista Environmental Operations Park, Wednesday’s
• Support Tohono Chul and the Monarch Milkweed Project today!
• How about a Guided Bird Walk at Patagonia Lake State Park. Saturdays.
• Boat Tours at Patagonia Lake State Park. Saturdays at 9 am
• Go Birding with the Audubon. Check it out. Class sizes are limited.
MONTHLY
• Music in the Park, Catalina State Park, First Saturdays.
• San Pedro River Interpretive Walks, First and Third Saturdays at 9 am
• Saturdays at the Garden Kitchen, every second Saturday, 10 – 11:30 am.
• Mission Garden Archaeology Day, 4th Saturdays. 8 am – 12pm
• Tohono O’odham Gardening at the Mission Garden, every Third Saturday from 8 – 12 pm
For the Kids & Families
THIS WEEK
• Season of Light, Flandrau Planetarium,
• Enchanted Snowfall, La Encantada
• Festive Fridays at Trail Dust Town
• Tombstone Courthouse State Park Christmas Celebration, Free Admission, Events for the Kids, Saturday, December 9
• The Oro Valley Children’s Museum is open at Tohono Chul Park. Check it out.
• The Gadsden Toy Train Museum is open for the season. Come visit any Sunday, but please check first.
MONTHLY
• 2nd Saturdays – Art After Dark, at the Children’s Museum. 5:30 – 7:30 pm FREE.
• The 3rd Saturday of every month is Make N Take Model Airplane Day at the Pima Air N Space Museum.
VIRTUAL ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE KIDS
• The Arizona Historical Society has many educational fun ideas for kids and families. A wealth of ideas here.
• The Children’s Museum has stepped up with a great group of activities for Children in the Playology Playbook!
• Take a look at this page at the Pima County Library. They have some great free videos for kids here.