It’s all about the outdoors for Scottsdale Arts in March

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Scottsdale Arts welcomes the warming weather with a lineup of fun outdoor events, programs and performances in March.

Scottsdale Arts’ longest-running concert series, Sun & Sounds, is back and better than ever during the 50th anniversary season. Every Sunday, audiences can enjoy free live music, dozens of crafty and artistic vendors via the Merchantile Market, an expanded food footprint and a cocktail bar. Scottsdale Civic Center continues the outdoor music performances with amphitheater concerts by Trampled by Turtles on March 14 and Trombone Shorty on March 20. 

The Civic Center’s verdant spaces will also host a few festivals in March. For wine connoisseurs, We-Ko-Pa Celebrity Wine & Spirits Festival returns on March 21 for another round of seminars, live music and gourmet food trucks. And those looking for family-friendly events can visit Scottsdale Family ArtsFest on March 6 and 7. This free, two-day festival of creativity includes performances, interactive demonstrations, creative interventions and culinary delights from local food trucks.

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

PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS

Sun & Sounds | Megan Diana and Nolan McKelvey
Sunday, March 1, 2026, noon (market opens at 10 a.m.)
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets: Free
Listen to music by the pioneer of the dream-country-disco genre, Megan Diana, and Phoenix-based singer-songwriter and bassist Nolan McKelvey at this free outdoor concert at Scottsdale Civic Center, now with dozens of crafty and artistic vendors via the Merchantile Market. 

Scottsdale Family ArtsFest
Friday, March 6, 2026, 5–9 p.m.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 9 a.m.– 2 p.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets: Free
Experience performances and art exhibitions delivered by Scottsdale Unified School District students, family-friendly arts activities presented by Scottsdale Arts and interactive demonstrations from City of Scottsdale departments at this two-day free event.

Paquito D'Rivera
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $52
A true citizen of sound, Paquito D’Rivera’s dazzling command of both the clarinet and saxophone is full of rhythmic complexity and lyrical beauty.

Sun & Sounds | Lunes and Bolero Jonze
Sunday, March 8, 2026, noon
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: Free
Experience music by Lunes, a collective of artists whose music is inspired by the Chicano lifestyle, and Tucson-based psychedelic bolero/lounge trio Bolero Jonze at this free outdoor concert at Scottsdale Civic Center, now with dozens of crafty and artistic vendors via the Merchantile Market.

Films.Dance Screening
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 6 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: $23
Discover the creative voices of dance, music, choreography and fashion who expand the language of movement through the art of film, directed by Jacob Jonas The Company.

Neko Case | Supporting Artist: Destroyer
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $55
For more than 25 years, Neko Case’s ferocious indie-rock and country-noir sound has created music of terrifying beauty from a potent and evocative voice.

Fran Lebowitz
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $45
Step into the razor-sharp world of cultural icon Fran Lebowitz, where every observation is laced with wit and an old-school New York attitude.

Trampled by Turtles
Supporting Artist Wild Horses
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets start at $59 
With banjos blazing, fiddles howling and harmonies soaring, Trampled by Turtles deliver fiercely folky jams and heart-tugging bluegrass ballads with an exhilarating and virtuosic string band experience. Americana band Wild Horses will open.

Sun & Sounds | Mo Maduro and Mario Why
Sunday, March 15, 2026, noon
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets: Free
Music by Mario Why and emerging multi-instrumentalist  singer-songwriter Mo Maduro highlights this free outdoor concert at Scottsdale Civic Center, now with dozens of crafty and artistic vendors via the Merchantile Market.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Friday, March 20, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets start at $85
An undeniable showman with utterly magnetic charisma, Trombone Shorty’s legendary live shows blur the lines between funk, soul, R&B and psychedelic rock.

Telling Your Story Through Abstract Forms
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 10:30 a.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center Library
Tickets: Free
Join "Modern Messages" artist Ahchipaptunhe for a hands-on workshop that blends storytelling with abstract art. No art experience is needed; just bring your curiosity.

We-Ko-Pa Celebrity Wine & Spirits Festival
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 1 p.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets start at $65
Celebrity Wine & Spirits presents an adventure of the palate, featuring a rare collection of famously named wines, spirits and beers — gathered in one beautiful location.

Sun & Sounds | Silver Lake Rodeo and Jerusafunk
Sunday, March 22, 2026, noon
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets: Free
Hear tunes from Southwestern indie rock band Silver Lake Rodeo and nine-member psychedelic world funk ensemble Jerusafunk (JFUNK) at this free outdoor concert at Scottsdale Civic Center, now with dozens of crafty and artistic vendors via the Merchantile Market.

Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra | The Wayfarer’s Hope
Sunday, March 22, 2026, 4:00 p.m.
Tickets start at $20
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Experience a musical journey through struggle, identity and triumph — featuring Mahler, Sibelius and a powerful new American overture, composed for the orchestra in honor of our country’s 250th anniversary.

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel | Music of Joy and Peace
Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $34
Experience “Music of Joy and Peace” with the uplifting and sublime works of Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin and Gershwin.

Sunrise Hike at Papago Park with Jacob Jonas The Company
Saturday, March 28, 2025, 6:19 a.m.
Offsite: Papago Park
Tickets: Free
Connect with nature and engage your senses with Jacob Jonas The Company on a hike through the striking desert landscape of Papago Park.

Meditation with Jacob Jonas
Saturday, March 28, 2025, 6:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets: Free
Ground your body and calm your mind with a sunset meditation in James Turrell’s “Knight Rise" Skyspace ahead of Jacob Jonas The Company's evening performance.

Jacob Jonas The Company
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $31
Known for blending contemporary dance, acrobatics and street dance influences, Jacob Jonas The Company presents a new work with original music composed by Imogen Heap.

Sun & Sounds | Ang Sirena and Jaleo
Sunday, March 29, 2026, noon
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets: Free
Filipino American Phoenix-based singer-songwriter Ang Sirena and Jaleo, a highly polished and skilled group of professional musicians, perform alongside an expanded food footprint, a cocktail bar, and dozens of crafty and artistic vendors via the Merchantile Market.

ANTONIO SANCHEZ “BIRDMAN LIVE”
Sunday, March 29, 2026, 6 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $45
Watch the film “Birdman” alongside a visceral solo percussion performance of its soundtrack by Grammy-winning composer Antonio Sánchez.

LOOKING AHEAD 

Cycle the Arts – 20th Anniversary!
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Tickets: Free (RSVP link coming mid-March)
Join Scottsdale Public Art and the city of Scottsdale in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Cycle the Arts. This free public art tour via bicycle offers participants the chance to see multiple public artworks throughout Scottsdale. More details to come.

EXHIBITIONS 

Mark + Making | Selections from the SMoCA Collection
Opening March 21, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Featuring drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture from SMoCA’s collection, “Mark + Making” explores the use of marks, gestures and line to build form and shape ideas in contemporary artistic practice.

Tender Alchemy: Beth Ames Swartz and Julianne Swartz
March 21 through Aug. 23, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 
Admission: $10 to $16
"Tender Alchemy" presents the works of mother and daughter artists whose distinct practices are united by a shared devotion to transformation.

• 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.

Teaching Artists
Jan. 30 through April 19, 2026
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Free
“Teaching Artists” reflects on the connections formed through shared creative processes, emphasizing how art can foster a strong sense of community and belonging.

Modern Messages: Ahchipaptunhe and Jacob A. Meders
Jan. 9 through March 31, 2026
Scottsdale Civic Center Library 
Free 
Ahchipaptunhe and Jacob A. Meders tell the stories of their people with contemporary artwork that invites conversation and rejects tropes.

SMoCA _____ space Installations 
March 8 through Sep. 7, 2025
Oct. 11, 2025, through March 8, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 
Free 
In “Pathfinding,” Evan Roth reflects a search for slowness, light and warmth, using the sky above Scottsdale as both source and inspiration.

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