Tucson Tourist Events

Tucson Folk Festival

On the first Saturday and Sunday of May, for over two straight decades, downtown Tucson’s El Presidio Park is home to the Tucson Folk Festival.

The Festival has shows from nearly 100 local and area musicians, as well as national acts, on five stages. Most of the musicians play 30-minute sets and all of the stages are within walking distance of one another. The Tucson Folks Festival is one of the largest free festivals of its kind in the United States.

The entire festival is organized and run by the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association and all of the proceeds from the event go back into funding next year’s festival.

The Tucson Rodeo

The Tucson Rodeo, or Fiesta de los Vaqueros, is held in the early spring in Tucson. In addition to the weeklong rodeo events, the Tucson Rodeo also holds what is known as the Rodeo Parade. The Rodeo Parade is so popular with the locals that schools in the area give their students to days off to celebrate.

The Tucson Rodeo marks the official beginning of the rodeo season in the U.S.

Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

Every February the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is held. It’s a two-week event and is considered one of the largest gem and mineral shows not just in the United States, but also in the whole world.

The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is not located in one centralized location but is instead held at dozens of places throughout the city. With an average attendance of 50,000 people from over 20 countries the show is a diverse event.

Fourth Avenue Street Fair

There are actually two Fourth Avenue Street Fairs each year in Tucson. They take place in December and March and are held between University Boulevard and 9th Street. The Fair consists of arts and crafts booth, street performers and food vendors.

The Fourth Avenue Street Fair originally started in 1970 when the area was mostly New Age bookstores and thrift shops and had a growing hippie population. Since those humble beginnings, the Fourth Avenue Street Fair has turned into a much more corporate event with many of the vendors and performers coming in from outside of the Tucson area.