Chandler events, November 2026 to February 2027

Chandler's calendar fills up when the weather turns. Between now and the end of February there are monthly markets downtown, free concerts at a wetland park, a ballet company's 40th Nutcracker, a parade lit by hundreds of thousands of bulbs, and two of the city's longest-running free festivals. Every date below comes from the organizer's own page; check it again before you go, since times and parking can change.

Every month: markets and music on the third Thursday

Third Thursday is the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership's monthly evening market, with local artists, handmade goods, live music and pop-ups along the downtown streets, centered at 3 S. Arizona Ave. Admission is free, and each month has a theme:

• November 19: Girls Night Market, celebrating women-owned businesses, with a free charm bar and a dance class you can sign up for
• December 17: Holiday Market
• January 21: Refresh & Restart New Year's Market
• February 18: Arizona Western Market

The same evenings bring the city's Sonoran Sunset Series to Veterans Oasis Park, 4050 E. Chandler Heights Road: free early-evening concerts by local musicians on the lawn. Dean Nelson plays November 19, What's Left brings holiday tunes and current hits December 17, Radio Replay mixes pop, rock and funk January 21, and the Appalachian-style string band Pick & Holler plays February 18. Seating is first come, first served, so bring a blanket or lawn chair. Snacks in a small cooler are welcome; alcohol is not.

November: dogs, ballet and the start of the holidays

Woofstock takes over Tumbleweed Park, 2250 S. McQueen Road, on Saturday, November 21. The city's free dog festival has pet adoptions, a flyball team, an agility course, a police K9 demonstration, pet caricatures and vendors, and visitors vote on the top ten finalists in the Puparazzi photo contest.

Ballet Etudes marks the 40th anniversary of its Nutcracker at Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., the stage where the company first danced it. Performances are November 27, 28 and 29 and December 4, 5 and 6, with two shows on December 5. It is also a chance to see the arts center after its $3 million renovation, which brought new seats, refreshed interiors and stage upgrades before it reopened in October.

Two days after Thanksgiving, Saturday, November 28, is Small Business Saturday downtown, with live music in the afternoon and free holiday stockings and shopping guides on the Crust Lawn while they last. Later that afternoon, Prancer's Pajama Party kicks off Downtown Chandler Holiday Magic Featuring Sugarland, a free family party in Dr. A.J. Chandler Park West with reindeer games, crafts and hot chocolate. The Holiday Magic displays, from a giant walk-through gift box to oversized candy canes, stay up through January 3.

December: the Tumbleweed Tree and a Hollywood New Year's Eve

Chandler's best-known holiday tradition returns on Saturday, December 5, when the city lights the Tumbleweed Tree downtown and the Parade of Lights travels about three-quarters of a mile up Arizona Avenue from Frye Road to Erie Street. The evening is free, with music and visits at Santa's House, and the Chandler Fire Department collects new, unwrapped toys for its toy drive. The city strongly encourages carpooling and arriving early; its parking map lists the garages, and one lot is closed this year because of the park renovation.

On December 31, Hooray for Hollywood: A New Year's Eve Celebration fills the arts center's Steena Murray Mainstage with songs from classic films, from The Wizard of Oz to Grease, backed by a 10-piece orchestra. The champagne toast and balloon drop happen before midnight, so there is time to ring in the year elsewhere.

January and February: culture, harmony and sneaky science

The 32nd Chandler Multicultural Festival is Saturday, January 16, at the Stage Plaza in Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, 178 E. Commonwealth Ave. It is free and part of the city's Celebration of Unity honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with performers from around the world, global food, cultural crafts, face painting, bounce houses and a charm-collecting activity that ends with a free keychain.

South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo brings its Zulu harmonies to the arts center on Saturday, February 6. The group, founded by Joseph Shabalala, became known worldwide through Paul Simon's Graceland and has won multiple Grammy Awards.

The season ends with the 16th Chandler Innovation Fair on Saturday, February 20, back at the Stage Plaza. The city and Chandler Unified School District fill downtown with more than 160 hands-on exhibits from students, artists, local innovators and tech companies. It is free and a signature event of the Arizona SciTech Festival.

Before you go

Downtown is mid-renovation: the city expects the west side of Dr. A.J. Chandler Park to be finished before the holidays and the east side by early spring 2027, and parking along Arizona Avenue is limited in the meantime. For a meal before a daytime event, Downtown Chandler Café and Bakery at 40 S. San Marcos Pl. bakes its pastries and breads from scratch each morning and serves breakfast and lunch, and Mingle + Graze, a few doors down at 48 S. San Marcos Pl., makes cheese boards and pressed sandwiches. Both keep daytime hours, so plan evening dinners elsewhere downtown.