From festivals and music to sports and food, here are the top reasons to visit Tempe this season
One thing sports fans, outdoor lovers, foodies and families can all agree on is that fall is the perfect time to visit Tempe. The temps are cooling and our calendar is filling up with seasonal events — from festivals and markets to sporting events and concerts.
In addition to our signature fall events, this season in Tempe also promises endless activities, attractions, Sonoran Desert hikes, iconic sunsets, a wide variety of nightlife and more to round out your next visit. And, yes, it’s still pool season.
Before you make plans to explore Tempe this season, be sure to mark your calendars for these festive fall events.
Annual Festivals
Sept. 13 & 14, 2025: The Moon Festival | Kiwanis Park
Presented by Phoenix Food Fair, The Moon Festival is bringing the rich traditions and vibrant cultures of Asia to Kiwanis Park in Tempe. Experience a breathtaking water lantern release under the glowing moonlight, indulge in authentic Asian cuisines from diverse food vendors, and discover unique crafts and artwork at this magical event.
Oct. 10 – 12, 2025: Four Peaks Oktoberfest | Tempe Beach Park
Be sure to add the 52nd annual Oktoberfest celebration in Tempe to your calendar. For three days, Tempe Beach Park will transform into a traditional Bavarian Beer festival during the day and a concert venue at night. Festival hours are Friday from 5 p.m. to midnight; Saturday from noon to midnight; and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.
Four Peaks Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake combines beer gardens featuring German and local beers, live music, carnival rides and the can’t-miss Weiner dog fashion show and races! For the full weekend itinerary, visit the Oktoberfest website.
Nov. 2, 2025: Tempe Tardeada | Tempe Community Center Complex
Celebrate Tempe’s Hispanic history and roots at the annual Tempe Tardeada, an afternoon festival featuring music, dancing, and traditional Mexican foods, arts and crafts, face painting and inflatables for children — all for free from noon to 8 p.m. For 2025, this event takes place over Día de Muertos weekend.
Oct. 31 – Nov. 3, 2025: Día de Muertos | Desert Botanical Garden
Festival: Nov. 1 & 2 | Altar (ofrenda) on view: Oct. 31 – Nov. 3
Celebrate Día de Muertos at this two-day festival filled with music, dance, storytelling and more, at the Desert Botanical Garden. Beginning on Friday, Oct. 31, a community altar (ofrenda) — featuring the work of Oaxacan artisans in an authentic and moving tribute honoring lost loved ones — will be on display in Ottosen Gallery. The festival, which takes place Saturday and Sunday, will includes La Procesión, a procession honoring passed loved ones (5 to 6 p.m.), as well as food, music, face painting, crafts and more.
Nov. 7 – 9, 2025: Water Lantern Festival | Kiwanis Lake
Experience the magic of thousands of soft lights reflecting off the water of Kiwanis Lake from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The Water Lantern Festival is a family friendly event filled with fun, happiness, hope and great memories that you will cherish for a lifetime.
Nov. 15, 2025: ASU Homecoming Parade & Block Party | ASU Tempe Campus
Celebrate Sun Devil spirit, pride and tradition as ASU Homecoming Week culminates with a parade and block party. Join Sun Devil students, faculty, parents, fans, alumni and thousands of spectators on Saturday morning for this year’s homecoming parade. The parade kicks off (start time TBD) at University Drive and Myrtle Avenue, heads east, crosses College Avenue, and concludes at McAllister Avenue.
Immediately following the parade, the ASU Block Party is a festival-style event that features more than 100 booths across the Old Main Lawn and the surrounding campus. This event is open to the entire family, and features games, giveaways and hands-on experiences, food vendors and more.
Dec. 5 – 7, 2025: Tempe Fall Festival of the Arts | Downtown Tempe
The Tempe Fall Festival of the Arts returns to Downtown Tempe the first weekend in December. This well-loved community event showcases unique and hand-made artwork from more than 350 artists. Festivalgoers will also enjoy live entertainment, street performers, vendors, sponsor exhibits and entertainment booths over the course of three days.
Pop-Up Events & Markets
Oct. 4 – Nov. 22, 2025: Dog Days at the Garden | Desert Botanical Garden
This fall, “pawsitively” perfect morning strolls await you and your pup at the Desert Botanical Garden from 8 to 11 a.m. on select Saturdays. At Dog Days at the Garden, your K9 companion is invited to join you for a tail-wagging good time exploring the beauty and sniffs of the trails.
Oct. 3 – 25, 2025: Movies in the Park | Kiwanis Park
Movies in the Park nights are back for the fall. Grab the gang, your blankets and a picnic dinner, and head to Kiwanis Park to watch the following movies on Friday evenings throughout October:
Oct. 3: “Lilo & Stitch” – Live Action (PG)
Oct. 10: “Toy Story” (G)
Oct. 17: The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG)
Oct. 25: “Monsters, Inc.” (PG) and Boo Bash Family Fall Festival
Movies in the Park begin at dusk, approximately 6 p.m., on the north soccer field (Baseline Road and Ash Avenue).
November 2025 – April 2026: 2nd Sundays on Mill | Downtown Tempe
Beginning in November, 2nd Sundays on Mill brings a local market — featuring a fantastic selection of Arizona-made goods — to Downtown Tempe from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the second Sundays of select months. The event includes street performances, live music, outdoor fitness classes and outdoor games. 2nd Sundays are free and dog friendly.
2025-2026 Event Dates & Themes:
Nov. 10, 2025: Multicultural
Jan. 12, 2026: Create
Feb. 8, 2026: Love on Mill Avenue
April 12, 2026: Urban Adventure
Performing Arts
2025-2026 Broadway Shows | ASU Gammage
The 2025-2026 Desert Financial Broadway Across America – Arizona series kicks off Oct. 14, 2025, and runs (across select show dates) through July 3, 2026. Here’s what’s coming to the ASU Gammage stage this season:
Oct. 14 – 19, 2025: “Suffs”
Nov. 4 – 9, 2025: “& Juliet”
Dec. 2 – 7, 2025: “Shucked”
Jan. 6 – 11, 2026: “The Book of Mormon”
Feb. 17 – 22, 2026: “Clue”
April 7 – 12, 2026: “The Notebook”
April 28 – May 3, 2026: “Hell’s Kitchen”
June 24 – July 3, 2026: “Disney’s Beauty and The Beast”
Oct. 3, 2025 – March 21, 2026: Candlelight Concerts | Phoenix Zoo
Candlelight Concerts, presented by Fever, are returning to the Phoenix Zoo for twilight concerts on select dates between Oct. 3, 2025, and March 21, 2026. Head to this magical outdoor venue this fall for live, multisensory musical experiences that pay tribute to such musical icons as Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Queen, The Beatles, and more and more.
Oct. 25, 2025 – June 7, 2026: Arizona Theatre Company | Tempe Center For the Arts
Arizona Theatre Company‘s 58th season kicks off in October, bringing the following mainstage shows to Tempe Center for the Arts:
Oct. 25 – Nov. 9, 2025: “Deceived”
Jan. 10 – 25, 2026: “Heist”
Feb. 21 – March 8, 2026: “Ain’t Misbehavin'”
April 11 – 26, 2026: “The Roommate”
May 23 – June 7, 2026: “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors”
Sporting Events
Aug. 30 – Nov. 28, 2025: ASU Football | Mountain America Stadium
The 2025 ASU Football season is here! We look forward to a season full of fans and action-packed football at Tempe’s Mountain America Stadium (formerly ASU Sun Devil Stadium):
Aug. 30: ASU vs. Northern Arizona University
Sept. 13: ASU vs. Texas State
Sept. 26: ASU vs. Texas Christian University (TCU)
Oct. 18: ASU vs. Texas Tech
Oct. 25: ASU vs. Houston
Nov. 15: ASU vs. West Virginia
Nov. 28: ASU vs. University of Arizona
Oct. 11, 2024: Sun Devils Hockey | Mullett Arena
ASU Men’s Hockey skates into Mullett Arena for the 2025-2026 season home opener on Oct. 3, and will host eight home games in 2025.
Oct. 3 & 4: Sun Devil Hockey vs. Penn State
Nov. 7 & 8: Sun Devil Hockey vs. Colorado College
Nov. 21 & 22: Sun Devil Hockey vs. Denver
Nov. 28 & 29: Sun Devil Hockey vs. Ohio State
Mullett Arena will also host the Ice Breaker Tournament, bringing Quinnipiac, Notre Dame and Alaska Fairbanks to Tempe Oct. 10 & 11. Additionally, the Desert Hockey Classic will bring Air Force, Alaska Anchorage and Michigan Tech to Tempe Jan. 2 & 3, 2026.
Nov. 14 – Dec. 11, 2025: Valley Suns | Mullett Arena
This fall, the Valley Suns — the NBA G League’s newest expansion team — return to Mullett Arena for their second season in Tempe. The 2025-2026 Valley Suns regular season home opener is set for Nov. 15, 2025, followed by the these 2025 home games (view the full schedule here):
Nov. 14: Valley Suns vs. Rip City Remix
Nov. 25: Valley Suns vs. Rip City Remix
Nov. 30: Valley Suns vs. Stockton Kings
Dec. 2: Valley Suns vs. Santa Cruz Warriors
Dec. 3: Valley Suns vs. Santa Cruz Warriors
Dec. 9: Valley Suns vs. San Diego Clippers
Dec. 11: Valley Suns vs. San Diego Clippers
Halloween Festivities
2025 Ghost Tours
Mill Ave Ghost Tours: A history, true crime, and paranormal walking tour that takes place at 7:30 and 10 p.m. six days a week (closed on Tuesdays) beginning Sept. 21.
The Millz Have Eyez Ghost Tour: This two-hour walking tour visits Downtown Tempe’s most haunted and historic sites. Friday and Saturday tours begin at 8 p.m. at the Hayden House lot; advance registration is required.
US Ghost Adventures Tempe: Meet outside of the Casey Moore’s Oyster House for a 1-hour, 1-mile walking tour. Tours begin at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday;s advance registration is required.
Double Butte Cemetery Tour (City of Tempe): Tempe History Museum docents will be stationed at five clearly marked gravesite to start conversations and answer questions. This free, self-guided tour takes place Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sept. 21 – Oct. 29, 2025: Four Peaks Haunted Brewery Tours | 8th Street Location
As seen on “Ghost Adventures,” Four Peaks Brewery invites you to experience its Haunted Brewery Tours, Sunday through Wednesday every week from Sept. 17 to Nov. 1. Since moving the brewing operation into the old brick building, strange things have been going on. Weird noises echo from the rafters. Tools mysteriously move location overnight. And several employees have even encountered — and in one case, conversed with — ghostly apparitions.
Four Peaks has gathered all these spooky tales (as well as their own employees’ ghost stories) for a series of special, late-night tours through 8th Street. Join them for one — if you dare.
Oct. 24 & 25, 2025: Strange Garden | Desert Botanical Garden
See the Desert Botanical Garden transform into a spook-tacular Strange Garden for two nights only. From 5:30 to 9 p.m. each night, you’re invited to trick or treat with the family, watch amazing performances, encounter mad botanists, get up-close and personal with some of the desert’s creepy crawlies, and visit the pumpkin patch to pick out a free pumpkin.
Admission: Included with garden admission or membership. Advance ticket reservations are required for general and member admission.
Oct. 24, 2025: Boo Bash Family Festival | Kiwanis Park
Taking place in conjunction with Movies in the Park, Tempe’s annual Boo Bash Family Fall Festival will include a special Halloween screening of “Monsters, Inc.” (G) as well as train rides, face painting, a dance party, costume contest, parade, concessions and carnival games. Movies in the Park begin at dusk, approximately 6 p.m., on the north soccer field (Baseline Road and Ash Avenue).
Beyond Tempe
Aug. 29 & 30, 2025: Arizona Black Rodeo | WestWorld of Scottsdale
The 2024 Arizona Black Rodeo rides into town each fall for a weekend of education, competition and celebration of a rich heritage and culture. The rodeo, which takes place Sept. 1 & 2 at WestWorld of Scottsdale, features national African American rodeo competitors competing in bull riding, calf roping, ladies barrel racing, ladies steer undecorating, relay races, steer wrestling lil’ buckaroo mutton bustin’ and more! Learn more about the Arizona Black Rodeo, courtesy of the Arizona Office of Tourism.
Oct. 4, 2025: Latino Pride Festival | Historic Heritage Square
Downtown Phoenix invites you to the fifth annual Latino Pride Festival, the largest gathering of LGBTQ+ Latinos in Arizona. Presented by Latino Pride Alliance, this festival will include live performances by local and national entertainers; mariachis and ballet folklórico; authentic Mexican food, beverages and merchandise; a kid zone with inflatables, games and crafts; local and national vendors; and more. Follow @latinopridealliance on Instagram for additional details on this year’s festivities.
Oct. 12 – 13, 2025: Indigenous Peoples’ Day Nite Market, Downtown Phoenix
Hosted by Cahokia PHX, Indigenous Peoples’ Day Nite Market is a celebration of Indigenous art, culture, music and food that aims to provide festival-goers with immersive experiences that celebrate the diverse culture of Indigenous people. The nite market, which takes place on the ancestral lands of the O’odham and Piipaash people, will include a stages, vendors, food trucks and more.
Oct. 19 & 20, 2025: Phoenix Pride Festival | Steele Indian School Park
Just beyond Tempe, Phoenix Pride invites you to its annual two-day festival at Steele Indian School Park from noon to 9 p.m. on Oct. 19 & 20, 2025. The Phoenix Pride Festival is a two-day celebration that brings LGBTQ+ and allied communities together for a festive weekend of diversity, camaraderie, entertainment, family, connections and more. The festival also features over 150 performances across multiple stages and more than 300 exhibitors showcasing a vast variety of food options, shopping opportunities and community resources.
Additionally, the annual Phoenix Pride Parade takes place Sunday, Oct. 19. Kicking off at 10 a.m. at Third Street and Thomas Road in central Phoenix, the route continues down Third Street to Steel Indian School Park. Announcer stages are located at Third Street and Osborn Road. Parade attendance is free and open to all ages.
Nov. 8, 2025: Arizona Fall Festival, Margaret T. Hance Park
Presented by Local First, the annual Arizona Fall Festival returns to Margaret T. Hance Park in Downtown Phoenix from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8. This free, family-friendly and dog-friendly event invites you to celebrate the local businesses that make Arizona unique — including more than 200 vendors, a kid zone, beverage garden, food vendors and more.
