Scottsdale to celebrate Western history with weeklong series of activities, events
Jan 28, 2022, 4:05 AM | Updated: 7:06 am

(Facebook File Photo/Old Town Scottsdale)
(Facebook File Photo/Old Town Scottsdale)
PHOENIX — Scottsdale will celebrate the city’s rich Western history with a weeklong series of activities and events.
There are more than 15 activities for people to enjoy throughout Western Week, which runs from Saturday through Feb. 6, such as parades, Native American festivals, live music, tours, workshops, presentations and museum exhibitions.
The full list of events can be found online.
A majority of the signature attractions are held at the conclusion of the weeklong celebration, such as the 64th Annual Hashknife Pony Express Arrival that will bring with it more than 20,000 pieces of mail when it takes place Feb. 4 at the Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Music, line dancers, and Native American hoop dancers and royalty are also part of the event.
It is the oldest officially sanctioned Pony Express in the world, according to the official website.
The 68th annual Parada Del Sol Historic Parade and Trail’s End Festival follows on Feb. 5.
The parade starts at 10 a.m. and runs through noon with the route going from Drinkwater Boulevard along Scottsdale Road before finishing at Brown Avenue and Indian School Road.
The festival, which will be a Western-style block party featuring a kids zone, food trucks, merchandise vendors and multiple stages for live entertainment, follows the parade in the Old Town district and is held until 4 p.m.
People can also shop traditional arts and crafts while enjoying live entertainment and food at the Arizona Indian Festival in the Old Town district from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 5 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 6. The event serves as a celebration of the state’s 22 indigenous Indian communities.
The Arizona Native Edible Experience is another option to take part in on Feb. 5 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Western museum, where attendees have a chance to taste traditional and fusion foods prepared by Native American chefs.
In addition to the bigger events, people can also take advantage of free admission to the Western museum on Feb. 4 and 5.
The weeklong event debuted in 2017.