The Best Festivals and Fairs in Arizona this Summer

There are few more visually striking settings in Arizona to host a music festival than in the shadows of the majestic White Mountains. Here each year, the Alpine Country Blues Festival draws music lovers from far and wide to enjoy a feast of tunes performed by renowned Country and Blues artists and singers. Now in its fourth year, the festival takes place in Mellody Field and has grown to become one of the region’s most popular musical celebrations. This year’s edition promises to be bigger and better than ever, featuring standout names including Desert Dixie, Harlis Sweetwater Band, Hans Olson, Levi Platero Band, Joey Leone Band, and Crimson House Duo. There’ll also be After Hours Parties on both the Friday and Saturday nights, as well as food stalls and a Beer and Wine Garden open throughout the festival. (Photo: Alpine Country Blues Festival)

The cool pine country is preparing to put its literary hat on for this year’s edition of the Payson Book Festival. Free of charge for everyone, the family-friendly festival takes place on a small college campus and invites visitors to engage and interact with 80 Arizona authors who will be showcasing (and selling) their works, spanning both fact and fiction across numerous genres. Last year’s debut festival was a big success and there are high hopes that this year’s edition will more than match it, with up to 700 book lovers expected to attend. The programme also includes a host of fun and educational activities including captivating Arizona tales by state historian Marshall Trimble, story time for kids, author presentations, workshops, cowboy poetry and songs, food and entertainment. (Photo: D.J. Craig)

Those who love a front row seat would do well to pitch up early at this hugely popular music and beer festival in the city of Flagstaff. Held on a grassy lawn at the Continental Golf Club, the day-long event features a line-up of seven award winning live blues performers who entertain guests from 11 am until 9 pm. For lovers of the amber nectar, craft beer served up by a total of seven different breweries will certainly quench your thirst – for beer and wine! But don’t be fooled into thinking this is an adults-only affair – there’s also a children’s area filled with bounce houses and games, with kids aged 8 and under admitted to the festival for free. (Photo: Flagstaff Blues and Brews Festival)

You don’t have to be a history buff to enjoy Medieval Mayhem – just a love of dressing up will suffice! Now in its 9th year, the annual event celebrates the Dark Ages and Renaissance eras through a kaleidoscope of events and activities involving costume, arts & crafts, music, food, sword fighting demonstrations and much more. Those seeking inspiration for their attire could look through photos or past years, or perhaps even watch an episode of Game of Thrones. Suffice to say, the event has seen it all: Vikings, Celtic warriors, pirates, knights in armour, an entire queen’s court, gypsies, elves, faeries, mermaids…you name it, they’ve been at Medieval Mayhem. (Photo: Medieval Mayhem)

No need for altitude sickness pills at the High Mountain Musicfest – the magical sounds emitting from the stage at the Pinetop Lakes Activity Center will be all the remedy you need to regain your equilibrium. The one-day, open-air festival features a dazzling array of musical performances, including Planting Seedz, Dry River Yacht Club, Drew Cooper and Banana Guns, while a variety of Arizona breweries will be on hand to serve up refreshments and beer tasting sessions. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets and to hunker down for a memorable day of music, beer and entertainment. (Photo: High Mountain Musicfest)

Arizona’s rich musical heritage has given rise to a number of popular festivals celebrating sounds both old and new – and among the most highly regarded is the Flagstaff Folk Festival. Now in its 15th year, the event showcases the very best in folk and acoustic music emanating from the Arizona music scene and beyond, with over 100 acts appearing on five stages across the two days. As well as musical offerings, there’s also workshops and informal jamming taking place throughout the grounds, with visitors encouraged to bring with their own instruments to join in the fun. (Photo: Flagstaff Folk Festival)

Beautiful scenery and fresh mountain breezes play second fiddle at the Pine Strawberry Festival, which returns for another year this June. Taking centre stage will be the luscious fruit of the strawberry, which is in ample supply throughout the two day festival. Also in attendance for the family friendly event, which takes place around a large ramada (with picnic tables underneath) at the Pine Community center, are arts and crafts stalls and a diverse selection of food vendors. Visitors should bring their appetite – and for us Brits, perhaps some cream too. (Photo: Pine Strawberry Festival)

Founded by, and for, filmmakers, the Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival is an independent festival that takes place in one of the most beautiful areas of Arizona. Originally held in the historic town of Jerome – once a ghost town but today a tourist magnet and major hub for art and culture – the four-day festival has recently expanded down the hill and now has venues in the historic hamlets of Clarkdale and Old Town Cottonwood as well. Throughout the festival, independent films are screened at various and unusual locations in all three towns, including a haunted hilltop gold mine and on a train that travels through the majestic Verde canyon. Meanwhile local musicians perform day and night and artists exhibit and sell their works at a dedicated indie marketplace. (Photo: Jerome Indie Film and Music Festival)

Ever tried alcoholic tea? Did you even know it exists? Whatever the answer to either question, the Made in the Shade Beer Tasting Festival offers the chance to sample the most unlikely of beverage bed-fellows – along with a vast array of other boozy concoctions. Held under shady pines in Flagstaff’s Fort Tuthill camping grounds, the event showcases over 40 craft beers from across America, with ales hailing from such far-reaching places as Alaska, Hawaii and Vermont. So whether you’re into hard ciders or hard teas, or have simpler tastes such as pale ales and stouts, this festival has plenty to keep you satisfied and satiated. There’s also several food trucks on-site as well as live music. (Photo: Made in the Shade Beer Tasting Festival)

Home to a wide number of distinguished wineries, the Verde Valley is one of the most prodigious wine-growing regions in America. It is therefore fitting that the area’s most popular festival pays tribute to its prodigious wine output. Each year, Riverfront Park in the mountain-flanked city of Cottonwood plays host to the Tilted Earth Wine and Music Festival which offers visitors the chance to sample an array of local wines, as well as regional cuisine from food stalls. The festival programme also includes local artists and craftsmen selling their wares, a live music stage, a kid’s rock wall and even an archaeological dig. (Photo: Tilted Earth Wine and Music Festival)

When it comes to stamping its mark on Arizona’s cultural calendar, the Hell City Tattoo Festival has got it licked. Attracting over 200 of the world’s finest tattoo artists each year, all of whom come fully tooled up for anyone wanting some bodily artwork performed then and there, the festival is jam-packed with activities and events celebrating tattoo culture and everything that surrounds it, including tattoo competitions, an art gallery and a tattoo theatre, as well as live music and dance performances, live painting and educational seminars. (Photo: Hell City Tattoo Festival)

Ever got the feeling someone knows what you’re thinking? The Phoenix Psychic Fair invites psychics, mediums, clairvoyants, tarot card readers, healers, metaphysicians and other self-proclaimed experts in the paranormal to prove it isn’t just a hunch. The largest holistic fair in Phoenix, it offers visitors the chance to undergo psychic readings, healing sessions and more, among like-minded folk – and perhaps the odd curious sceptic, too. (Photo: Phoenix Psychic Fair)