Description

Local First Arizona’s Certified Local Fall Festival returns to Margaret T. Hance Park on Saturday, November 7, 2026, celebrating the festival's 20th anniversary. For two decades, this signature event has brought together thousands of attendees for a day of local shopping, food, entertainment and community celebration in the heart of downtown Phoenix.

As Arizona's largest celebration of Certified Local businesses, the Fall Festival has won several Best of the Valley awards, connecting shoppers with more than 250 Arizona businesses. Attendees can anticipate handmade goods and artisan products to locally made food, beverages and gifts. The festival is an opportunity to discover new local favorites while experiencing exciting activities that bring joy and create memories for families and friends together - while building a stronger connection to your community.

“The 2026 Fall Festival is considered a must-attend event for everyone who loves Arizona and discovering new locally-owned businesses," says Kimber Lanning, Local First Arizona’s Founder and CEO.  “It is the staple that ties communities together through allowing champions of Arizona to celebrate the local businesses that make our state a place we want to live in.”

As the 20 Year Anniversary of being Certified Local, Local First is bringing out all the stops to provide attendees with an experience they can’t get anywhere else.

This year's thrilling festival will pop with interactive ways to explore your community, special offerings from businesses never provided before, a fresh slate of the best businesses in Arizona, something for everyone in the family to enjoy, and the best way to wow others who are new to localism.

This year the event will feature:

• An expanded Beverage Garden featuring curated food options from breweries and hand-selected local restaurants. Sip from 30+ of Arizona’s best breweries, wineries and distillers, then grab some local bites while catching live music.

   

• The Localist Activity Zone, presented by Vantage West Credit Union. Experience a dash of nostalgia and excitement through a variety of activities including kite making, bubble soccer, musical chairs and disposable cameras to entertain the whole family.

   

• An all-new way to to find local goods and services - The LocalistAZ App. Local First will be launching a new tool to find locally owned places, products and services minus national chains and corporations.

   

• A live community mural will be showcased by Mr. Downtown Phoenix - and everyone plays a part. Contribute to a 24-foot live painting experience by adding your own splash to this special art piece to celebrate Arizona.

   

• The fun goes all day - check out the Cowtown Skateboards activation with education about skating and tricks displayed throughout the day on local skate ramps.

   

• Bark Park: A special dog park experience with a picturesque white picket fence for your photos, a pup hydration station and vendors offering dog treats. Dog adoptions will be available from local rescue shelters.

   

• Long standing restaurants offering specials to every attendee - including pizza slices from Spinato’s Pizzeria with a chance to win gift cards and prizes throughout the day.

   

• Calling all Movie Lovers! Harkins Theatres will be on site serving up Arizona’s favorite theater popcorn and your favorite life-sized movie characters for photo opps.

   

• ¡Bienvenidos al Mercado! Fuerza Local and Amor Collective will showcase an experience of Latino entrepreneurs in a special pop-up at the festival. Experience culture, flavors and community!

   

• Who said entrepreneurship is just for adults? Check out the children’s entrepreneurship zone featuring two dozen businesses owned by Arizona’s next generation.

Attendees won’t want to miss our Festival Marketplace to browse vendor booths for a little retail therapy, learn more about what Arizona has to offer, indulge in a variety of sweet or savory treats and so much more! Confirmed vendors include:

• Harkins Theatres

• Changing Hands Bookstore

• Stinkweeds Record Store

• OHSO Brewery

• Arizona Distilling Co.

• Cowtown Skateboards

• Children’s Museum of Phoenix

• Wren House Brewing Co.

• Fairytale Brownies

• El Pastorcito Taqueria

• Arizona State Parks and Trails

• Liberty Wildlife

• Phoenix Center for the Arts

• Arizona Wilderness Brewing

• Samurai Comics

• Arizona Lemonade

• Hundred Mile Brewing Co.

• Stroll Coffee PHX

• Push Bounce Bubble Soccer

• Strap Film Lab

• Why Things Fly

• Arizona Broadway Theatre

• Zia Records

• SanTan Brewing + Distilling

For more information about the Arizona Fall Festival, visit localfirstaz.com/fall-fest.

About Local First Arizona

Local First Arizona is a nonprofit organization fiercely dedicated to driving inclusive community and economic development throughout Arizona. Its work shapes the future of Arizona by advocating that every individual and community deserves the opportunity to thrive, and that entrepreneurship is at the core of any lasting economy. In rural, Tribal, suburban and urban communities across the state, Local First Arizona is delivering resources to ensure a future focused on economic opportunity for all.