Sedona Arts Festival 2026: Dates, $5 Tickets and Weekend Guide

The Sedona Arts Festival 2026 is this weekend: Saturday, October 10 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Sunday, October 11 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at Sedona Red Rock High School in West Sedona. It is the festival’s 35th year, and to mark the birthday, admission has been cut to $5 per day. If you are in northern Arizona this weekend, it is one of the easiest and best-value things you can add to a Sedona trip.

We have been guiding in Sedona since 2004, and the second weekend of October has been “arts festival weekend” for as long as we have been here. Here is everything we would tell a guest who asked us about it: the hours, the tickets, how to get there, what to expect on the grounds, and how to build the rest of a fall day around it.

Sedona Arts Festival 2026 at a glance

Dates: Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11, 2026
Hours: Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Sedona Red Rock High School, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road, West Sedona
Admission: $5 per day this year, in honor of the 35th anniversary
Live music: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days
Pets: service animals only (it is public school property)
Smoking: the whole campus is smoke-free

All of that comes from the official festival site, which is also where to look for any last-minute changes. A quick note on price: some listings around the web still show the regular $15 weekend ticket. The festival’s own site and local coverage both confirm the $5 anniversary price, which is supported by a City of Sedona grant. In past years children 12 and under have been free with a paying adult; check the festival site for this year’s kids’ policy before you go.

What the festival is, and why locals go

The Sedona Arts Festival started in 1991, and it is a juried show, which means artists apply and are selected rather than simply renting a booth. This year more than 100 artists from around the country are set up on the school grounds, working in glass, painting, metal, wood, photography, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture and more. You are buying directly from the person who made the piece, and most artists are happy to talk about how they work.

Two things set it apart from a typical street fair. First, the setting: the high school sits on a rise at the west edge of town with open views of the red rock skyline, so even the walk between booths is scenic. Second, the purpose: the festival is a nonprofit, and it describes the event as its sole fundraiser for arts education in the greater Sedona area. According to the festival, it has donated more than $300,000 in scholarships and arts education funding over the years. Your $5 goes somewhere good.

Alongside the artist booths you will find food trucks and a “Gourmet Row” of locally produced kitchen, bath and home goods, which is a good spot for gifts that fit in a carry-on. The Sedona Red Rock News has a nice write-up on the anniversary if you want more of the backstory.

The music lineup

Live music runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, and the 2026 lineup is a who’s who of northern Arizona instrumentalists:

10 a.m. William Eaton (harp guitar)
11 a.m. Michael Kollwitz (Chapman Stick)
Midday Claudia Tulip (flute) in duo sets, including one with guitarist Fitzhugh Jenkins
1 p.m. and 2 p.m. the William Eaton Ensemble, with Tulip, Allen Ames and percussionist Will Clipman

It is mellow, acoustic, Southwest-flavored music that suits a morning of browsing. If the music matters to you, plan to be there before 3 p.m.; the last hour or two of each day is quieter.

Getting there and parking

The school is at 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road, just off State Route 89A on the west side of town. The festival’s directions page lays it out simply:

From Phoenix: I-17 north to Exit 287 (Highway 260), 15 miles to Cottonwood, then right on 89A for 17 miles. Upper Red Rock Loop Road is the first stoplight as you reach Sedona; turn right.
From Flagstaff: I-17 south to Exit 298 or down Oak Creek Canyon on 89A into Uptown, then about 6 miles west on 89A through West Sedona. Turn left at Upper Red Rock Loop Road.
From Uptown Sedona or the Village of Oak Creek: head to West Sedona on 89A and keep going until the high school signs.

One real advantage of this location: if you are coming from Cottonwood, Jerome, Prescott or Phoenix via 260, you reach the festival before you hit any Sedona traffic. If you are staying in Uptown or the Village of Oak Creek on an October Saturday, give yourself extra time for the roundabouts on State Route 179 and the “Y” intersection, and go early.

Parking is on and around the school campus, directed by volunteers. The festival site does not publish detailed parking instructions, so our advice is the same as for any popular Sedona weekend: arrive in the first hour, carpool if you can, and follow the signs and volunteers rather than improvising along the road.

When to go and what to bring

Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. is the sweet spot. It is cooler, parking is easiest, the artists are fresh, and the best one-of-a-kind pieces have not sold yet. Sunday after lunch is the most relaxed time to browse, and a good time to go back for the piece you could not stop thinking about.

Mid-October in Sedona usually means sunny afternoons in the 70s to low 80s and crisp mornings, but the booths are outdoors on open ground, so come prepared:

A hat, sunscreen and sunglasses; shade is limited between tents
A refillable water bottle
Comfortable shoes for walking on grass and pavement
A light layer for a 9 a.m. start
A tote bag, and a blanket or towels in the car if you plan to buy glass or ceramics
A card and a little cash; most artists take cards, but cell signal can be slow when the grounds are busy

Plan on 90 minutes to two and a half hours for a comfortable visit, longer if you stay for lunch and a couple of music sets.

One gentle heads-up for those traveling with dogs: because the festival is on public school grounds, only service animals are allowed, so pups will need to sit this one out. Do not leave a dog in the car, even in October. Sedona’s national forest trails welcome leashed dogs, and many Verde Valley winery patios do too, so it is easy to split the day: a morning walk together, then the festival while your dog relaxes back at your hotel or rental.

Make a day of it

The festival pairs well with a few things close by.

Red Rock State Park is a few minutes down the same loop road, with gentle trails along Oak Creek and classic Cathedral Rock views. It is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last entry at 4:30 p.m., and entry is currently $10 for adults and $5 for youth 7 to 13. Like the festival, the park allows service animals only. See Arizona State Parks for current details.

Verde Valley wine country is the natural afternoon follow-up. From the high school you are already pointed the right way: the Page Springs and Cornville wineries along lower Oak Creek are roughly 20 minutes southwest, and Old Town Cottonwood’s tasting rooms are about 17 miles down 89A. An art-filled morning and a creekside tasting in the afternoon is about as good as an October Saturday gets here. Our guide to Sedona wineries and vineyards covers who is pouring what.

More art later in the month. If you cannot make this weekend, the Sedona Arts Center’s Plein Air Festival brings painters outdoors around town later in October, wrapping up with a Community Paint Out on Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to noon that is free to watch. Check the Sedona Arts Center for the schedule. Visit Sedona’s events calendar is the best single place to see what else is on.

For the bigger seasonal picture, we have written about why October makes a strong case as the best time to visit Sedona and what to expect from Sedona in November if your trip falls a little later.

The short version

Go Saturday morning, bring a hat and a tote bag, spend your $5 knowing it funds local arts education, and leave the afternoon open. If that afternoon turns into wine tasting and you would rather not be the one driving, our Wine Tours of Sedona page and the Tour Chooser will help you find the right fit for your group.