Weekend guide: Here are the biggest events around metro Phoenix for Dec. 2-4

PHOENIX — Holiday light displays, The Nutcracker and the Phoenix Zoo Lights are just a few things to do this weekend in the Valley.

Here are some of the biggest events around the metro Phoenix area.

Phoenix

• Phoenix Suns vs. Houston Rockets
  • Day: Friday
  • Time: 6:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Footprint Center (201 E. Jefferson St.)

• 2nd Annual Winter Artisan Market
  • Day: Friday
  • Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Venue: Holland Center (34250 N. 60th St.)

• Candy Rush by World of Illumination
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Venue: Diablo Stadium (220 W. Alameda Drive)

• Holiday Pops
  • Day: Friday through Sunday
  • Time: 7:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Symphony Hall

• First Friday
  • Day: Friday
  • Time: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Venue: Downtown Phoenix

• CitySkate
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Patriot’s Park inside CityScape (11 W. Washington St.)

• Zoo Lights
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Phoenix Zoo

• 34th Annual Festival of Lights
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Venue: Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park (1324 s. Jesse Hayes Rd.)

• APS Electric Light Parade
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Venue: Uptown to Midtown Phoenix

• Zona Music Festival
  • Day: Saturday and Sunday
  • Time: 12:30 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.
  • Venue: Hance Park (67 W. Culver St.)

• Dinosaurs in the Desert
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Venue: Phoenix Zoo (455 N. Galvin Parkway)

• Philip C. Curtis and the Landscapes of Arizona
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Venue: Phoenix Art Museum

• Black Nativity – Black Theatre Troupe
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: Varies
  • Venue: Helen K Mason Performing Arts Center (1333 E. Washington St.)

• Modest Mouse: The Lonesome Crowded West Tour
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 8 p.m.
  • Venue: The Van Buren (401 W. Van Buren St.)

• Alice Cooper’s 20th Annual Christmas Pudding
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Venue: Celebrity Theatre

• Trans-Siberian Orchestra
  • Day: Sunday
  • Time: Varies
  • Venue: Footprint Center

Mesa

• Arizona Lights in the Night
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Thompson Event Center (1901 N. Alma School Rd.)

• Mesa Temple Christmas Lights and International Nativity Display
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Venue: Mesa Temple Visitors Center (101 S. LeSueur)

• Lights at the Farm
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Vertuccio Farms (4011 S. Power Rd.)

• Downtown Mesa Farmers Market
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Mesa Arts Center (1 E. Main St.)

• Pratt Brothers Christmas and Holiday Spectacular
  • Day: Each day
  • Times: Various
  • Venue: Bell Bank Park (6321 S. Ellsworth Rd.)

Glendale 

• Glendale Glitters
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Venue: Downtown Glendale and Murphy Park

• Skate Westgate
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: Varies
  • Venue: Westgate Entertainment District

• 8th Annual Dirt Expo
  • Day: Saturday and Sunday
  • Time: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Venue: State Farm Stadium (1 Cardinals Drive)

• Enchanted Safari by World of Illumination
  • Day: Eachd ay
  • Time: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Venue: Desert Diamond Casino and Entertainment (9431 W. Northern Ave.)

• Rockin’ Christmas by World of Illumination
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Venue: Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (4243 W. Pinnacle Peak Rd.)

• Under the Mistletoe
  • Day: Sunday
  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Venue: Desert Diamond Arena (9400 W. Maryland Ave.)

Scottsdale

• Christmas at the Princess
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: All day
  • Venue: Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (7575 E. Princess Drive)

• The Immersive Nutcracker
  • Day: Saturday and Sunday
  • Time: Starts at 10:30 a.m. each day
  • Venue: Lighthouse Artspace (4301 N. Scottsdale Rd.)

• World’s Largest Bounce Park
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: Varies
  • Venue: Salt River Fields (7330 93rd St.)

• Luminarias Holiday Market
  • Day: Friday
  • Time: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Venue: Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows

• Christmas in the Rainforest
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Venue: Butterfly Wonderland

• Winter Wonderland at OdySea Aquarium 
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: Varies
  • Venue: OdySea Aquarium (9500 E. Via de Ventura)

• Enchant
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Salt River Fields

• Sacred Spaces Exhibition
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Venue: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin (12621 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd.)

• Phillip K. Smith III: Mirrorworks 
  • Day: Friday and Saturday
  • Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Venue: Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art

• Emerson String Quartet
  • Day: Friday
  • Time: 8 p.m.
  • Venue: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

• ZZ Top: Raw Whiskey Tour
  • Day: Friday
  • Time: 8 p.m.
  • Venue: Talking Stick Resort

Tempe

• Tempe Festival of the Arts
  • Day: Friday through Sunday
  • Time: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Venue: downtown Tempe

• Driftwood Quintet
  • Day: Friday
  • Time: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Venue: Tempe History Museum

• Interactive Improv Comedy Show 
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • The Bridge Improv Theater (937 E. Broadway Rd.)

• Lucha Libre Worldwide 
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Venue: Mullet Arena (411 S. Packard Drive)

• Social Distortion – Balcony Section
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 6:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Marquee Theatre (730 N. Mill Ave.)

• Jeremy Piven
  • Day: Friday and Saturday
  • Time: Varies
  • Venue: Tempe Improv (930 E. University Dr.)

• Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
  • Day: Sunday
  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Venue: ASU Gammage

Apache Junction

• Annual holiday event and light parade
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Flatiron Park

Avondale 

• WinterFest
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Venue: Avondale Civic Center Complex (11465 W. Civic Center Drive)

Buckeye

• Cotton Fest
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Venue: Downtown Buckeye

Cave Creek

• Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
  • Venue: Cave Creek

Chandler

• Ballet Etudes presents “The Nutcracker”
  • Day: Friday through Sunday
  • Time: Varies
  • Venue: Chandler Center for the Arts (250 N. Arizona Ave.)

• Picturing Home: Dust Bowl migrants in Chandler 
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Venue: Chandler Museum (300 S. Chandler Village Drive)

Fountain Hills

• Christmas Market and Stroll in the Glow
  • Day: Friday
  • Time: 10 a.m.
  • Venue: 16858 E. Avenue of the Fountains, Suite 103

• Fountain Hills Farmers Market 
  • Day: Sunday
  • Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Venue: 16729 E. Avenue of the Fountains

Gilbert

• Santa Claus is coming to town 
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
  • Venue: Gilbert Community Center (130 N. Oak St.)

Goodyear

• Holidays on the Square
  • Day: Friday and Saturday
  • Time: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Venue: Goodyear Civic Square

Litchfield Park

• Holiday Nights in Lights 
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Venue: The Wigman (300 E. Wigman Blvd.)

Peoria

• Peoria Jolly Holiday Outdoor movie, PJ Party, Night Market 
  • Day: Saturday
  • Time: 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Centennial Plaza Park (9875 N. 85th Ave.)

Queen Creek

• Christmas at Schnepf Farms 
  • Day: Friday through Sunday
  • Time: Varies
  • Venue: Schnepf Farms

Surprise

• Desert Farm Lights 
  • Day: Each day
  • Time: 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Venue: 14629 W. Peoria Ave.

For more local events and entertainment news listen to KTAR News 92.3 FM weekdays at 5:45 a.m., 6:45 a.m. and 7:45 a.m.

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