{"id":491999,"date":"2026-01-04T15:18:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T15:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/491999\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T15:18:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T15:18:07","slug":"whats-in-store-for-scottsdale-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/491999\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s in store for Scottsdale in 2026 |"},"content":{"rendered":"

As dawn breaks over a new year in Scottsdale, what could possibly go wrong?<\/p>\n

According to an AI summary, \u201cScottsdale generally receives excellent visitor ratings\u201d \u2013 with words like \u201ccharm\u201d and \u201cbeauty\u201d popping out.<\/p>\n

Outsiders pour into \u201cThe West\u2019s Most Western City\u201d this time of year to escape bone-chilling winters. They generally return home with raves.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmbrace the calmness,\u201d the website ilovevacations.com<\/a> urges. \u201cScottsdale, Arizona is renowned for its luxurious resorts, stunning desert landscapes, and vibrant culinary scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

Millions of visitors annually pump nearly $4 billion into the booming local economy.<\/p>\n

While cranes dotting Scottsdale\u2019s landscape silently testify to the growth of the city, invisible transactions filter millions of \u201cbed tax\u201d and sales tax to the city\u2019s government, allowing it to make scores of new hires.<\/p>\n

Sounds good all-\u2019round, right?<\/p>\n

And yet \u2026<\/p>\n

Some will tell you the visitors \u2013 and even casually-engaged residents \u2013 only see the city\u2019s facade.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Scottsdale is coming off perhaps its most fractious year in decades.<\/p>\n

Mayor Lisa Borowsky spent her first year in office being thwarted by City Council representatives Barry Graham, Kathy Littlefield, Adam Kwasman and Jan Dubauskas.<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Solange Whitehead mockingly dubbed those four \u201cthe bloc,\u201d insinuating they were using back channels to frustrate not only the mayor \u2013 but the majority of residents.<\/p>\n

In fitting fashion, the last meeting of 2025 had Graham insisting procedural changes pushed by the bloc gives residents more time to speak \u2013 with Whitehead countering that removing the public comments section that opened meetings for decades was an effort \u201cto silence the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

The harsh words likely will continue in 2026, as Whitehead and Graham launch reelection campaigns.<\/p>\n

Kathy Littlefield will \u201cterm out\u201d to put a third council seat on the ballot; Bob Littlefield, Kathy\u2019s husband and a former city councilman, is pondering another run.<\/p>\n

They and other candidates will debate how\u00a0 Council is steering the city.<\/p>\n

In 2026, the city of Scottsdale will mark its 75th anniversary since its incorporation in 1951.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the big events for Scottsdale in 2026:<\/p>\n

January<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board, coming off a 2025 that rivaled Scottsdale City Council for drama, holds its first meeting of the new year at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6.<\/p>\n

In December, capping months of emotional pleas and depressing slide shows on declining enrollment, the SUSD board voted to close two schools.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s SUSD meetings are likely to be just as heightened, as Superintendent Scott Menzel has a plan for more school closures.<\/p>\n

This time last year, \u201cthe bloc\u201d shocked many by canceling a month-old sustainability plan, following that by \u201ccanceling\u201d the city\u2019s diversity, equity and inclusion programs.<\/p>\n

This year, Borowsky just fired the first shot in her battle with the bloc, flexing her muscles to schedule a Jan. 7 \u201cdowntown Council summit.\u201d The special meeting is likely to take on the planned parking garage that Borowsky reviles, as \u201cdowntown parking solutions\u201d is featured on a draft agenda.<\/p>\n

City Council is scheduled to have its first regular meeting of the year Jan. 13.<\/p>\n

A few days later, \u201cThe World\u2019s Greatest Collector Car Auctions\u201d returns to Scottsdale.<\/p>\n

The Barrett-Jackson event takes place at WestWorld Jan. 17-25.<\/p>\n

Thousands of high-end, unique and collector\u2019s dream automobiles will be auctioned, with millions captivated in-person or watching on live television and streaming.<\/p>\n

Back on the local politics front, Borowsky is scheduled to give her \u201cState of the City\u201d address at 8 a.m. Jan. 22 at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.<\/p>\n

Next up for a busy month: Scottsdale\u2019s annual \u201cWestern Week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Event highlights include: Western Week Gold Palette ArtWalk (6 to 9 p.m., Jan. 29); the Pony Express mail delivery (Jan. 30);\u00a0 the iconic Parada del Sol Parade (9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 31); and the culminating Trail\u2019s End Festival (noon to 5 p.m., Jan. 31).<\/p>\n

February<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whispering crowds admiring brilliant pro golfers with polite applause?<\/p>\n

Not here.<\/p>\n

Also known as \u201cThe People\u2019s Golf Tournament,\u201d the WM Phoenix Open\u2019s famous\/infamous 16th Hole is a frat party on the greens: Beer-chugging spectators alternately lustily cheer and howlingly boo golf shots they praise or declaim.<\/p>\n

The tournament was just dubbed \u201cEvent of the Year\u201d by the PGA \u2013 the sixth time the Scottsdale tournament has scored the honor for \u201ca tournament that excels in every facet of the event, from fan and player experience to charitable impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2026 WM Phoenix Open returns to TPC Scottsdale February 2\u20138, bringing back \u201cThe People\u2019s Open\u201d for its 91st edition.<\/p>\n

Information: wmphoenixopen.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Those interested in a more restrained sporting event can visit the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe greatest horse show on Earth\u201d returns to WestWorld Feb. 12-22, featuring world-class horses, kid-friendly activities and plenty of entertainment.<\/p>\n

February is also \u201cplay ball!\u201d time for another top-tier sporting event: spring training.<\/p>\n

While half of Major League Baseball teams will train in Florida, the other half ramp up for the long season with spring games around the Valley.<\/p>\n

Scottsdale has two venues: Scottsdale Stadium and Salt River Fields at Talking Stick; the latter is just outside the city\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 20, the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Colorado Rockies at Talking Stick. Two days later the San Francisco Giants host the Chicago Cubs at Scottsdale Stadium.<\/p>\n

The Cactus League action brings tens of thousands of visitors to Scottsdale.<\/p>\n

On more of a \u201clocals only\u201d vibe, the annual Founders Day celebration will be held Feb. 26. The event recognizes Scottsdale\u2019s founder, Chaplain Winfield Scott, and his wife Helen as champions of education. This is the 116th anniversary of the opening of the Little Red Schoolhouse.<\/p>\n

March<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spring Training games continue through March 24.<\/p>\n

SUSD students end the third quarter March 13, starting a week-long spring break.<\/p>\n

April<\/strong><\/p>\n

After circling the globe with his camera, Pete McBride returned home to study a crucial waterway. A showing of his works over\u00a0 two decades documenting the Colorado River will be held April 2 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.<\/p>\n

On the local politics front, April is huge:<\/p>\n

The deadline to file signatures is April 6, according to City Clerk Ben Lane.<\/p>\n

Before soliciting signatures of support, candidates must submit a \u201cstatement of interest\u201d form to Lane.<\/p>\n

The exhilarating, adrenaline-pumping Arizona Bike Week roars into Westworld April 8.<\/p>\n

May<\/strong><\/p>\n

WestWorld is just for horse, car and motorcycle shows, right?<\/p>\n

Nope.<\/p>\n

On May 16, the Scottsdale event center hosts Collect-A-Con \u2013 the nation’s largest trading card, anime and pop culture convention.<\/p>\n

The West Coast Conference Baseball Tournament takes place May 20-23 at Scottsdale Stadium.<\/p>\n

The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 and now includes Gonzaga, LMU, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary\u2019s, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Seattle University.<\/p>\n

On the topic of colleges \u2026 Many Scottsdale Unified seniors will prepare for post-high school education by \u201cwalking the walk\u201d at May 21 graduation ceremonies.<\/p>\n

Other SUSD students have early release May 22 \u2013 the last day of the school year.<\/p>\n

June<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scottsdale City Council and the SUSD Governing Board will cap months of meetings and study sessions by passing annual budgets.<\/p>\n

The spending plans must be passed by June 30.<\/p>\n

July<\/strong><\/p>\n

The city\u2019s celebration of Independence Day takes place at WestWorld.<\/p>\n

Bull riding and kid-friendly games will go on for hours \u2013 leading up to a big fireworks show after sundown.<\/p>\n

August<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of fireworks \u2026<\/p>\n

After what is expected to be months of debate, chest-thumping and accusations, Scottsdale\u2019s primary election will be held Aug. 4.<\/p>\n

Any of the council candidates can gain enough votes to win \u201coutright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Otherwise, depending on the number of candidates who run for the three seats, the field will be narrowed for the November General Election.<\/p>\n

September<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feeling a little quilty?<\/p>\n

The Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival travels around the country before stopping in Scottsdale Sept. 3-5.<\/p>\n

The festival offers \u201ca wide variety of sewing, quilting, needle-art and craft supply exhibits.\u201d<\/p>\n

October<\/strong><\/p>\n

For most of October, McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park transforms into a \u201chaunted park of fun for our annual Halloween Spook-Track-ula.\u201d<\/p>\n

The kid-centric events are \u201ca little spooky, but never too frightening.\u201d<\/p>\n

November<\/strong><\/p>\n

The General Election is Nov. 3.<\/p>\n

Also in November, Scottsdale will light up with \u201cCanal Convergence,\u201d an annual arts show along the waterfront that draws thousands to Old Town.<\/p>\n

Dates have not been announced, the festival typically starts around Nov. 7 and runs for 10 days and nights.<\/p>\n

December<\/strong><\/p>\n

The city gets festive with the annual Scottsdazzle celebration, which unofficially kicks off the holiday season.<\/p>\n

Dec. 31 marks Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield\u2019s last day in office.<\/p>\n

The question, just under a year away: Who will replace her?<\/p>\n

And will Graham and\/or Whitehead be reelected \u2013 or will one or both of them also \u201cclock out\u201d at the end of 2026?<\/p>\n

Stay tuned \u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As dawn breaks over a new year in Scottsdale, what could possibly go wrong? According to an AI…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":492000,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[179695,5229,5643,1587,166900,166898,183858,138901,1589,7600,221707,201586,221706,152497,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-491999","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-adam-kwasman","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-arizona","11":"tag-az","12":"tag-barry-graham","13":"tag-bob-littlefield","14":"tag-kathy-littlefield","15":"tag-lisa-borowsky","16":"tag-phoenix","17":"tag-scottsdale","18":"tag-scottsdale-center","19":"tag-scottsdale-unified-school-district-governing-board","20":"tag-scottsdale-will-mark-its-75th-anniversary","21":"tag-solange-whitehead","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-united-states-of-america","24":"tag-unitedstates","25":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115837502785136927","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/492000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}