ORO VALLEY FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS & HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING
UP TO 135 ARTISANS | HOLIDAY THEMED ART INTERACTIONS | LIVE MUSIC | FESTIVE CELEBRATIONS
ORO VALLEY TREE LIGHTING CELEBRATION
ORO VALLEY TREE LIGHTING CELEBRATION
DECEMBER 2 & 3. 2023
The 13th annual Oro Valley Festival of the Arts & Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration is the year's shopping event, celebrating the kickoff to the Holidays in the Oro Valley, AZ community. This highly attended annual juried marketplace draws up to 30,000 attendees and features one-of-a-kind seasonal items, high-quality handcrafted goods and holiday gifts, specialty foods, and the most beloved Holiday entertainment event of the year.
The festival is the essence of creative placemaking, cultivating the arts as an essential part of Oro Valley's identity. The two-day festival is one of Southern Arizona's largest community arts celebrations, with over 125 artisans, over 150 students, and local performers presenting holiday-themed performances on the event mainstage, family art activities, food trucks, the TUBACHRISTMAS holiday play-along, and free photos with Santa in front of the Golder Ranch Fire Truck.
Festivities culminate on Saturday with the lighting of the official 35-foot holiday tree, alongside carolers, the official Santa parade, and local culture at the center of it all. The festival brings the community together, stimulates the local economy, enhances surrounding businesses, and provides opportunities for local artists to promote their work.
The festival is the essence of creative placemaking, cultivating the arts as an essential part of Oro Valley's identity. The two-day festival is one of Southern Arizona's largest community arts celebrations, with over 125 artisans, over 150 students, and local performers presenting holiday-themed performances on the event mainstage, family art activities, food trucks, the TUBACHRISTMAS holiday play-along, and free photos with Santa in front of the Golder Ranch Fire Truck.
Festivities culminate on Saturday with the lighting of the official 35-foot holiday tree, alongside carolers, the official Santa parade, and local culture at the center of it all. The festival brings the community together, stimulates the local economy, enhances surrounding businesses, and provides opportunities for local artists to promote their work.
EVENT TIMESSaturday 10AM-5PM
*Tree Lighting Saturday at 6pm Sunday 10AM-4PM |
EVENT LOCATIONOro Valley Marketplace
12155 N Oracle Rd Oro Valley, AZ 85737 |
ADMISSIONFree Admission
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EVENT PARTNERS
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EVENT LOCATION
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Oro Valley Marketplace
12155 N Oracle Rd, Oro Valley, AZ 85737 We are Oro Valley’s open-air shopping, dining, and entertainment destination, located at the corner of Oracle and Tangerine Roads. Visit us for a variety of specialty shops and national brands, popular restaurants to suit every appetite, and a Century Theatres Movie Theatre, all surrounded by exquisite mountain views. Join us on select evenings for live music during our Oro Valley Concert series in collaboration with the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA), and on weekends for seasonal art festivals, car shows and more. Oro Valley Marketplace is where the community comes together! |
GET INVOLVED
- Volunteer at the festival. Volunteer shifts will open on September 1, 2023
- Artist and Exhibitor space is sold out
- Event Sponsor. If you are interested in sponsoring the festival and supporting artists, contact kate@saaca.org
ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS EXPERIENCES
TUBACHRISTMAS
Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 2:00PM
TUBACHRISTMAS is a music concert held in cities worldwide that celebrates those who play, teach, and compose music for instruments in the tuba family, including the tuba, sousaphone, baritone, and euphonium. Join over 100 euphoniums at TUBACHRISTMAS at the Festival of the Arts.
TUBACHRISTMAS is a music concert held in cities worldwide that celebrates those who play, teach, and compose music for instruments in the tuba family, including the tuba, sousaphone, baritone, and euphonium. Join over 100 euphoniums at TUBACHRISTMAS at the Festival of the Arts.
ARTS ACTIVITIES
- Oro Valley Coloring Pages Grab & Go Kits
- Wooden Holiday Ornament Making with Lucky Cat Social Art
- Handmade Holiday Greeting Card Station for Overseas Troops
- Comic Bookmobile (Saturday only)
More details and the full event schedule will be released on September 15, 2023
LIVE PERFORMANCES
Coming Soon
HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING
The crowning moment of the festival will take place on Saturday evening when the 35-foot holiday tree towering over the Marketplace is lit at 6:00 PM. The Tree Lighting Celebration festivities begin at 3:00 PM on Saturday and will feature live entertainment from local students, activities for children, cookie decorating kits and Games with the Oro Valley Youth Advisory Council, activities with the Oro Valley Parks and Recreation, ornament making and crafts with Lucky Cat Social and photos with Santa!
Saturday 3:00 PM-6:00 PM near the Holiday Tree
Saturday 3:00 PM-6:00 PM near the Holiday Tree
- The arrival of the Santa Procession Parade
- Cookie Decorating and games with Oro Valley Youth Advisory Council
- Free Photos with Santa and the Golder Ranch Fire Truck (3:30 PM-5:30 PM)
- Arts Activities
- Piggy Bank Painting with Pima Federal Credit Union
- Roving carolers
- Reading of the Polar Express with Oro Valley Police Department Chief Riley and Golder Ranch Fire Chief Randy Karrer (5:30pm)
- The Oro Valley Holiday Tree will come to life with Santa at 6 PM, live with Holiday caroling
FOOD VENDORS
Food vendors will be announced Sep 1, 2023
featured artists & EXHIBITORS
Only one week after Thanksgiving, the Oro Valley Marketplace is transformed into a holiday marketplace complete with handmade craft artisans from around the world. This is your antidote to the big-box madness of holiday shopping. By bringing together craft artists of the highest caliber to a single event, the Holiday Festival of Arts is a one-stop holiday shopping opportunity for unique, handmade gifts at various prices. Browse over 130 artisans to find that perfect one-of-a-kind gift for your family and friends.
FESTIVAL TIPS & DETAILS
Parking is available free of charge at the Oro Valley Marketplace. The Oro Valley Marketplace is a large shopping center located in North Oro Valley. Parking is available within the large shopping center, surrounding the festival.
Please keep the weather in mind when you attend outdoor events and plan accordingly (bring water bottles, sunscreen, umbrellas, jackets, etc). Dogs are allowed at the event on leashes. A SAACA Information booth will be located in a central location onsite, to help answer any questions you may have upon arrival at the festival. Food and beverages are available onsite for purchase from food vendors, and at local shopping center restaurants.
Please keep the weather in mind when you attend outdoor events and plan accordingly (bring water bottles, sunscreen, umbrellas, jackets, etc). Dogs are allowed at the event on leashes. A SAACA Information booth will be located in a central location onsite, to help answer any questions you may have upon arrival at the festival. Food and beverages are available onsite for purchase from food vendors, and at local shopping center restaurants.
