Cosmopolitan city – or Western town?
Scottsdale says:
“We’re both!”
The city where high-end restaurants and five-star hotels elbow for space is just as proud of its “The West’s Most Western Town” motto.
Every January for decades, Scottsdale – now booming with 240,000 people and many more to come in huge developments – celebrates its heritage with Western Week.
The festival tips a cowboy hat to the city’s Western roots, Native American cultures and local history.
The annual event takes place throughout Old Town Scottsdale from Saturday, Jan. 24, through Saturday, Jan. 31, featuring family-friendly activities, cultural experiences and signature community events.
Visitors as well as residents are invited to hands-on workshops, historical programs, live entertainment and activities.
The week-plus festival culminates with the favorite event of many longtime Scottsdalers: the Parada del Sol Historic Parade.
One of the week’s largest events, the Arizona Indian Festival, returns to the Scottsdale Civic Center on Saturday Jan. 31.
Hosted by the Arizona American Indian Tourism Association, the festival features representatives from all 22 Arizona tribes, along with traditional arts and crafts, cultural demonstrations, food, performances and the Indigenous Food Symposium.
The grand finale is the 72nd Annual Scottsdale Parada del Sol Historic Parade and Trail’s End Festival Saturday, Jan. 31. Starting at 9:30 a.m., some 150 floats, mounted riders, marching bands and horse-drawn carriages will celebrate Scottsdale’s diverse cultural heritage under the 2026 theme, “A Diamond in the Desert: Celebrating 75 Years of Scottsdale.”
Following the parade, Historic Old Town will transform into a Western-style festival with live entertainment, food trucks and activities for all ages.
For a schedule of events, maps and details, visit OldTownScottsdaleAZ.com.