One of the significant advantages of living in or visiting Phoenix is that the temperate weather in the winter means you can enjoy festivals and fun family events while others are dealing with snow showers.
For instance, January and February feature several opportunities for you, your family, and friends to gather and enjoy the best of what the Phoenix area offers. Here are a few suggestions for fun places and events to see in the southern Arizona wintertime.
A pair of dazzling wine festivals
On back-to-back weekends, two events appeal to fans of both wine and art. First, on Jan. 13-15, don’t miss the Surprise Fine Art and Wine Festival at the Surprise Recreational Campus, which is west of Phoenix.
Area and national artists will display their wares, while there will also be wine tasting, food trucks and live music. Find out more by visiting the Thunderbird Artists’ website on the event.
Then, a week later on Jan. 20-22, you can visit the 30th annual Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival, taking place in downtown Carefree, a city about 30 minutes north of Phoenix. There are more than 150 artists as part of this festival, which also includes live music, food trucks and the chance to taste dozens of wines both locally made and from international wineries. The website for the event has more details.
Beautiful cars for you to peruse
Vehicles can be art, which is certainly true of the annual Arizona Concours d’Elegance. It takes place on Jan. 22 at Scottsdale Civic Center. As part of this event, you can look at some of the world’s most distinctive and valuable collector cars.
Organizers only pick 100 cars for the event, a contest and an exhibition, with class prizes and a Best of Show at the end. Find out more about the event through the Scottsdale Performing Arts website.
The true joy of hot air
As one of the more popular events in the winter months, the Arizona Balloon Classic returns Feb. 3-5 at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, which is about 17 miles west of Phoenix. As part of the event, dozens of balloons fill the skies, including an ascension each morning starting at 7:35 a.m.
The festival also has Desert Glows, in which the balloons are tethered and then glow in time to music. This starts at 7:30 p.m. each night. There is also a Street Food Fest with live music, hot air balloon rides and the Desert Winds Kite Festival, taking place at various points during the festival. To get all the details, go to the ABC Fest’s comprehensive website.
Go back to the olden times at this annual fest
Taking place from Feb. 4 to April 2, the 35th annual Arizona Renaissance Festival is one of the state’s most significant events. It takes place at a festival site off US Highway 60 East in Gold Canyon, 40 miles west of Phoenix.
The festival is worth a day trip for the whole family. It’s got everything you’d expect at an event like this: actors doing everything from jousting to musical performances, a huge arts and crafts fair, games and rides for all ages and a giant “feast” with food served in the Old-World family style. The festival’s packed-to-the-gills website has everything you need to know.
A one-stop shop for managing associations in Phoenix
If you need homeowners’ association management, PMI Phoenix Valley can provide it with an emphasis on honesty, integrity, effective communication, accurate accounting and access.
PMI Phoenix Valley can provide a community website, homeowner portals, accounting and reporting, vendor communication and compliance inspections are part of our programs. Find out more by visiting our website or give us a call at (623) 688-3363.
