October 20th, 2026
With a full lineup of concerts, the 15th anniversary of a fan-favorite art festival and much more, Scottsdale Arts kicks off the 2026–27 season with a wide variety of things to do and see.
CAPTION: Images (left to right): Canal Convergence and “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock LIVE” are among the events happening at Scottsdale Arts in November.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — With a full lineup of concerts, the 15th anniversary of a fan-favorite art festival and much more, Scottsdale Arts kicks off the 2026–27 season with a wide variety of things to do and see.
November brings Canal Convergence back to Scottsdale. Beginning on Nov. 6 and continuing until Nov. 15, this year's theme, Western Nature, will highlight and honor inspirations of Arizona and the Southwest through the event’s public art, workshops and activities, tours, community engagements, special events and, of course, through live music and dance.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts continues its season with a sold-out show by Lyle Lovett and his Small Large Band on Nov. 5, followed by North Mississippi Allstars on Nov. 8, Marc Broussard on Nov. 17 and Parsons Dance on Nov. 21. The month ends with a special performance of "Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock LIVE" on Nov. 28 that is perfect for first-time theatergoers and fans who remain young at heart.
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, Civic Center LIVE and Scottsdale Arts @ Cattle Track. Visit ScottsdaleArts.org for information.
PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS
Canal Convergence
Friday, Nov. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, evenings
Scottsdale Waterfront
Free
Scottsdale Arts’ Canal Convergence will explore and celebrate the environmental and cultural landscapes that define the American West, Southwest and Arizona as public art with large-scale, light-based public artworks, live music and dance performances, creative workshops, educational tours and activities, food trucks and a beer and wine garden.
Lyle Lovett and his Small Large Band — SOLD OUT
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $84
Versatile and eccentric, haunting and masterful, Lyle Lovett’s live performances couple his gift for storytelling with elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel and blues.
North Mississippi Allstars
Friday, Nov. 8, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $42
Raw and loose, full of rhythms and riffs, the North Mississippi Allstars manifest pure energy and musicality through their signature brand of Hill Country blues.
Marc Broussard with Opener Cristina Vane
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $38
Incorporating funk, blues, rock and R&B into his fiery performances, Marc Broussard’s bayou soul unleashes energy in the form of music, and the audience reflects it back. Singer-songwriter Cristina Vane will open.
Glow Up @SMoCA: Sound Bath
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026, 7 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets: $25
Glow Up @SMoCA is a series advocating for self-care and supporting wellness. Refresh your aura as a sound bath led by Melinda Milton eases you into deep relaxation inside SMoCA’s exhibitions.
Parsons Dance
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $43
Returning to the Center after eight years, Parsons Dance delivers heart, athleticism and pure joy in motion, thrilling audiences with bold ensemble work and effortless movement.
Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra | Color Comes to Life
Sunday, Nov. 22, 2026, 4 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $20
From beloved classics to modern favorites, the magical music of animation bursts into color — live on stage with the energy and imagination of a full orchestra.
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock LIVE
Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, 4 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $35
Perfect for first-time theatergoers and fans who remain young at heart, "Fraggle Rock" is a hilarious and heartwarming live experience from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
LOOKING AHEAD
What a _____ Year, NYE Party on the Park 2026 with The Docksiders
Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026. 8 p.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets start at $161
Celebrate New Year’s Eve with the inaugural NYE Party on the Park — a high-energy evening with local radio host Rich Berra, a DJ and The Docksiders yacht rock experience, presented in partnership with Pinyon and AZ88.
Arizona Concours d'Elegance 2027
Sunday, Jan. 24, 2027, 9 a.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets start at $97.50
Discover the art of elegance at speed during the 9th edition of the Arizona Concours d’Elegance, an automotive showcase meets garden party on the green lawns of Scottsdale Civic Center! In celebration of its 80th anniversary, this year's featured marque is Ferrari, and a significant number of the legendary Italian race cars and sports cars will be present for up-close viewing.
EXHIBITIONS
Desert Perspectives
Sept. 19, 2026, through Jan. 31, 2027
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
“Desert Perspectives” is a yearlong, collection-centered exhibition that brings together a multigenerational group of artists working in — or regionally connected to — the Southwest whose practices engage deeply with the desert, not only as a physical landscape but as a layered site of ecological, cultural, historical and political significance.
Desert ArtLAB | What the Earth Keeps
Sept. 19, 2026, through Jan. 31, 2027
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
A site-specific installation, performance, and cyanotype-mapping project, “What the Earth Keeps” by the collective Desert ArtLAB, explores relationships between land, ecology and cultural memory.
alejandro t. acierto: Model Home
Sept. 26, 2026, through Feb. 7, 2027
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Using architectural elements as a framework for display, “Model Home” examines recent changes to the broader desert landscape because of increased development and population growth in the Phoenix metro area.
Mark + Making | Selections from the SMoCA Collection
March 21, 2026, through Jan. 31, 2027
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.
ArtSpark #1
Sept. 25, 2026, through Jan. 17, 2027
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Free
“ArtSpark #1” features work created by the artists in the first cohort of Scottsdale Arts’ new ArtSpark program. These artists engaged the local community and participated in career development workshops that connected them to the professional arts community.
Club Creatives
Oct. 16, 2026, through Jan. 10, 2027
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Free
Club Creatives is an after-school arts program that provides high-quality art workshops and museum experiences for youth organizations. The artwork featured in this exhibition is a collaborative showcase created by teens from the Hartley & Ruth Barker Branch and Vestar Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale.
Delicately Drawn: Alexandra Bowers and Matthew Hunt
Oct. 6 through Dec. 31, 2026
Scottsdale Civic Center Library
Free
Phoenix artists Alexandra Bowers and Matthew Hunt create delicate, detailed drawings that explore Sonoran Desert plants.
Scottsdale Public Art Permanent Collection
Ongoing
Various locations throughout Scottsdale
Admission: free
More than 150 artworks, many of them large-scale sculptures, can be found throughout the city at parks, in public facilities and along the streets. See the map at ScottsdalePublicArt.org for locations.
For more information about the events and to order tickets, visit ScottsdaleArts.org.
Scottsdale Arts thanks the following sponsors and partners: City of Scottsdale, Betty Hum & Alan Yudell, Flinn Foundation, Karen and John Voris, Nationwide, Northern Trust, Scottsdale Fashion Square, SRP, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, Krumwiede Lewis Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Old National Bank, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation and AJ's Fine Foods.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Ritter | SydneyR@ScottsdaleArts.org | 480-874-4663