Scottsdale Arts offers holiday happenings and more throughout December

IMAGE: Scottsdale Arts offers everything from Mystery in the Museum “The Case of the Whispering Walls” to Mariachi Sol de Mexico during the month of December.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — December is full of holiday happenings at Scottsdale Arts, but the eclectic offerings contain more than just seasonal gifts of entertainment.

While the holiday shows include concerts by Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Squirrel Nut Zippers and Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will also host Taiwanese contemporary dance company Hung Dance, Las Vegas powerhouse Rita Rudner and an intimate, yet devilishly entertaining show exploring the New Orleans jazz scene with Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Meanwhile, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art brings back the fan-favorite Mystery in the Museum series with “The Case of the Whispering Walls" and a special winter solstice sound bath at sunrise for the ongoing Glow Up @SMoCA series.

The following is a list of events and exhibitions from Scottsdale Arts, a nonprofit organization comprising Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, SMoCA, Scottsdale Public Art, Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, Canal Convergence and Civic Center LIVE. Visit ScottsdaleArts.org for information.

PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS  

Mystery in the Museum @SMoCA: The Case of the Whispering Walls
Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, 6:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets: $30 (individual), $50 (couple)
Cryptic clues have been left behind, and we need your help to decipher them! Bring a friend or assemble a team and join us in solving the riddles and finding the clues for a night of art, intrigue and fun!

Scottsdazzle Ultimate Play Date
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, 9 a.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center
Free
Hosted by Scottsdale Public Library, this is sure to stir up some holiday spirit! Bring the whole family to this free, winter-themed play date extravaganza, featuring interactive art, science, sports and more fun activities.

Hung Dance
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $36
“BIRDY” combines tai chi, contemporary dance and Taiwanese traditional opera aesthetics and instrumentation with electronic textures. Hung Dance delivers a striking meditation on identity and freedom in their Arizona debut.

An Evening with Rita Rudner
Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $56
With her signature deadpan delivery, impeccable timing and pithy one-liners, Rita Rudner is a true legend of stand-up comedy.

Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra | A Season of Light
Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, 4 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: $20
Celebrate the season with festive favorites, a holiday sing-along, joyful traditions and a visit from Santa Claus in this family-friendly musical celebration.

Keyboard Conversations®️ with Jeffrey Siegel | Beethoven—The Young Genius
Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $34
Discover the genius of a young Beethoven through his passionate “Sonata Pathetique,” humorous “Rage Over a Lost Penny,” and deeply moving “Largo e Mesto.”

Glow Up @SMoCA: Sound Bath at Sunrise
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, 6:30 a.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets: $26.50
Refresh your aura as you enjoy this unique winter solstice celebration with us! Get comfy and lose yourself in the serene beauty of the James Turrell “Knight Rise” Skyspace as the sun rises.

An Evening With Squirrel Nut Zippers – Christmas Caravan
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $45
Through the hits of holidays past—from heartwarming ballads and boisterous dance tunes—the joyous, raucous Christmas Caravan conjures the atmosphere of a yuletide speakeasy.

Mariachi Sol de Mexico presents Jose Hernandez’ Merry-Achi Christmas
Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, 6 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $56
Maestro José Hernández and his platinum-selling Mariachi Sol de México® perform treasured holiday classics and favorites from the mariachi songbook in this holiday fiesta.

LOOKING AHEAD

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS The Twenty-Sided Tavern
Friday, January 9, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 10, 2026, 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 11, 2026, 2 p.m.
Tickets start at $56
The global phenomenon that is Dungeons & Dragons is now live on stage in an experience that Nerdist calls “rip-roaring funny” and “truly a wonder to behold!”

Arizona Concours d'Elegance
Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, 9 a.m. 
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets start at $85 with early bird discount
The 8th edition of the Arizona Concours d’Elegance will display exceptional vehicles from around the world, guaranteed to impress and excite not only dedicated car lovers but anyone who appreciates the beauty of expressive design, enjoyed in the atmosphere of a stylish garden party.

EXHIBITIONS 

James Perkins | Burying Painting
Sept. 20, 2025, through Feb. 15, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
“Burying Painting” presents process-based land art by James Perkins in his first museum exhibition, highlighting the artist’s approach to nature as a collaborator.

Jeanne K. Simmons: Rooted
Oct. 11, 2025, through Feb. 22, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
“Rooted” blends sculpture and photography by Jeanne K. Simmons in a site-specific meditation on humanity’s delicate, interwoven relationship with nature.

Casey Curran: Tidal Sky
Oct. 11, 2025, through Feb. 22, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Drawing parallels between natural phenomena and present-day concerns, “Casey Curran: Tidal Sky” asks what remains when structures collapse — and what new beginnings emerge in their wake.

• Squidsoup • Infinite •
June 28, 2025, through Aug. 30, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Enter “Infinite” and be surrounded by hundreds of illuminated spheres that form a symphony of notes.

A Pivotal Point in Time: Art in Scottsdale in the 1970s
Oct. 4, 2025, through Jan 17, 2026
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Free
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, “A Pivotal Point in Time: Art in Scottsdale in the 1970s” pays homage to artists who were part of the local arts scene around the time the center was built.

Artists of Cattle Track
Oct. 6 through Dec. 31, 2025
Scottsdale Civic Center Library
Free
“Artists of Cattle Track" is an exhibition that features working artists who create in the studios of Cattle Track Arts Compound.

SMoCA _____ space Installations 
March 8 through Sep. 7, 2025 
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 
Free 
In “Pathfinding,” Evan Roth seeks out the sun around his home in Berlin to confront the emotional toll of overcast winters. 

Scottsdale Public Art Permanent Collection 
Ongoing 
Various locations throughout Scottsdale 
Free 
More than 160 artworks, many of them large-scale sculptures, can be found throughout the city at parks, in public facilities and along the streets.

For more information about the events, and to order tickets, visit ScottsdaleArts.org.

Scottsdale Arts thanks the following sponsors and partners: City of Scottsdale, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Flinn Foundation, Billie Jo Herberger, Krumwiede Lewis Family Foundation, Nationwide, National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, SOAR Foundation, SRP, Terra Foundation for American Art, Karen and John Voris, Arizona Republic, Buddy Taub Foundation, Betty Hum & Alan Yudell, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Virginia M. Ullman Foundation, Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation, and Ethelyn Cohen. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Ritter | SydneyR@ScottsdaleArts.org | 480-874-4663