Spring Events Near Eastmark in 2022
The weather continues to be wonderful around the state, and it is the perfect time to take advantage of the numerous events around the East Valley, many of which are back for the first time since the pandemic. Check out this list below of fun Spring events coming up near Eastmark over the next few months.
An annual spring staple in Arizona is the Renaissance Festival, and it’s back open this year for its 34th year. The festival opened in February and is currently running through April. At the Renaissance Festival, you will travel back to 16th century Europe with a 16-stage theater, an arts and crafts fair, jousting tournament, feasts, and other period-piece events for the whole family! Each weekend features a special theme like Wizards and Wonder, Celtic Celebration, Theater Weekend, and Fairytale. Tickets can be purchased online; guests 13+ are $29.00, children ages 5-12 are $19.00, and parking is free. The festival is open Saturdays and Sundays running through April 3 from 10am to 6pm, rain or shine. The final weekend of April 2 and 3 also features free entry for children ages 5-12. The festival is located just East of Apache Junction in Gold Canyon on Highway 60.
Another longstanding Spring tradition is the annual Chandler Chamber Ostrich Festival, which is returning for its 32nd year and promises to be bigger and better than ever. The event will take place over two consecutive weekends, March 11 through 13 and March 17 through 20 at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler. In addition to family friendly fun like classic fair rides and food, it also features an homage to Chandler’s history of ostrich ranching with ostrich races and a big slate of musical performances. Each night has a headline performer, including Uncle Kracker, The Band Perry, Walker Hayes, and Flo Rida performing across the first weekend, and an 80’s cover band Spazmatics, The Beach Boys, Nelly, The Four Tops, and The Temptations across the second weekend. Tickets can be purchased online per day, with guests 13+ ranging from $15-$20, children 5-12 ranging from $10-$15, or a Family Pack option with 2 adult and 2 children admission plus 2 unlimited ride wristbands for $125 (available at Bashas’ and Food City locations). Children 5 and under are free and ride tickets are $1 each or a ride wristband can be found at the grocery locations above too. Parking passes are also available online for $10.
In Queen Creek, a special event called Roots N’ Boots is taking place March 17 through March 20 at the Queen Creek Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre. This family friendly event will have PCRA Rodeo performances, a carnival, live entertainment, pony rides, a petting zoo, and other vendors. The PRCA Rodeo performances include all 7 rodeo events on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, plus a special bull riding event on Thursday night. Other highlights of the weekend include a free youth dance on Thursday, a Rodeo Dance on Friday and Saturday night (tickets may be purchased onsite and the dances are family and kid friendly), special clinics, equine meet and greets, a pancake breakfast and cowboy church service on Sunday morning, and cowboy mounted shooting on Sunday afternoon. General admission tickets are on sale for $15, or box seats can be purchased from $25. Children 12 and under are $7 and active military are $10. Parking is also available for $5-$10. Check out their website for full event details and various other pricing options.
The same weekend, there will be a craft and art fair in Gilbert. The Made with Love Spring Fling Street Fair will take place at the SanTan Village mall between the Grimaldi’s and Thirsty Lion restaurants. The market will run from March 18 through March 20 from 10am to 5pm Friday and Saturday and 10am to 3pm on Sunday. This event is free to the public and is a great place to find local and handmade goods.
The Phoenix Zoo is also hosting another edition of its Roars and Pours event on two dates coming up this Spring. The first event is on Thursday, March 17 and second event is Thursday, May 19 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. Roars and Pours is geared towards guests 21+ who want to sip and stroll throughout the zoo’s Africa Trail, Equine Center, Inner Tropics (excluding Monkey Village), and Lakeside Loop. There will be a variety of menu items for purchase for good and $5 beer and wine. There will also be yard games like beer pong, corn hole, connect four, tic tac toe, ladder toss and ring toss, plus $4 camel rides and safari cruiser, plus chicken poop bingo. Tickets are only $10 per person and can be bought in advance online.
For those who may have ties to the Windy City, the Mesa Convention Center is hosting Chicago Fest West, a celebration of Chicago on Saturday, March 19 from 2:00pm to 9:30pm. The event will include live music stages featuring blues bands and 80’s cover bands, plus Chicago themed food vendors, a beer garden, kid zone, a classic car show, sports memorabilia sales, and a cornhole tournament. Tickets can be purchased online; general admission is $12 and several VIP ticket options are available online as well. Children, military, police, and fire personnel are free.
Another event that is returning this year is the KNIX BBQ and Beer Festival. The BBQ fest will take place in Chandler on Saturday, March 26 from 12:00pm to 10:00pm at Tumbleweed Park. There will be live music from Lee Brice, Parker McCollum, and Kameron Marlowe and over 20 BBQ pit masters, beer gardens, spirits, novelty food items, and a kid zone. There is also a VIP area that includes catered BBQ, private bars, a shaded area and great access to the music stage, and restroom trailers. Tickets can be bought online for a discounted rate of $20 for general admission ($35 at the gate day of the event) or $225 for the VIP experience. Children 12 years and under are free with a paying adult. Tickets are for admission only and do not include food or beverages and parking is $10.
The Town of Gilbert is looking to highlight their wonderful parks this Spring with a series of events. First, the free Concerts in the Park series continues this year, with two different locations of concerts. At the Water Tower Plaza in downtown Gilbert on Thursdays from 11:30am to 1:30pm various artists are scheduled to perform on March 17, March 24, and March 31. Then at Gilbert Regional Park on Thursday evenings from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, different musical groups will be performing on April 7, April 14, April 21, April 28, and May 5. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs to enjoy the music and other vendors at the parks. The full lineup of musicians is available online.
Additionally, on select Friday evenings throughout the Spring, the Town will be putting on Gilbert Family Nights at Gilbert Regional Park. These events are also free and are a one-of-a-kind way to take in the cool Spring evenings. Again, it is encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets, and food trucks will also be on site for the evening. On Friday, April 1 at 7:30pm the Gilbert Cinemas will be featuring Shrek. Friday, April 22 will be showing Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway at 7:30pm, and May 6 will include Encanto at 7:30pm.
On April 1 and 2 in Chandler, the annual Chandler Jazz Festival will showcase local jazz talent with 15 hours of live performances across the weekend, to include blues, smooth jazz, and fusion rhythm. This family friendly event will combine lively music with delicious food and drinks. The jazz festival will be at the Dr. AJ Chandler Park from 5:00pm to 10:30pm on both Friday and Saturday night. There will also be an after-hours jam session at West Alley BBQ in Downtown Chandler on Friday and Saturday at 10:30pm. It is free to attend.
A unique event in Downtown Mesa is the CycloMesa Bicycle Festival on Saturday, April 2 from 9am to 2pm. This free festival is designed to inspire cycling for all age. There will be a BMX stunt show, kids’ zone, bicycle safety demonstrations, live entertainment, food trucks, and bicycle-related vendors. Bring your bike and check out the morning of fun!
On April 9 at Freestone Park in Gilbert, the KAPOW! Superhero Adventure Run will take place. It is a family friendly obstacle race that starts at 8am and runs until noon. Runners sign up for a starting time that begins every 15 minutes, which allows for participants to safely distance between obstacles. Children 8 years old and under must run with a registered adult. Once the race is finished, visit Gotham City where vendor booths, games, and more activities await. Register to attend online, registration ranges from $20-$30 per person, and no day-of registration will be taken.
Queen Creek and Mesa will both also be hosting special Spring specific events. In Queen Creek, Spring Into Queen Creek will be held on March 26 from 9am to 1pm at the Mansel Carter Oasis Park. This is the signature Spring event to celebrate Queen Creek families and is complete with live entertainment and an egg hunt. The Rodeo Egg Roundup egg hunt takes place starting at 9:30am and is run in varying age brackets through 12:30pm. There will also be a Fast and Furriest Animal Race with chick races, tortoise races, and bunny races. Guests who correctly pick the fastest animal of the bunch will receive one raffle ticket. Other fun activities include Billy goat bingo, a kids play zone, and vendor booths. In Mesa, the Celebrate Mesa Spring 2022 event will be held on April 9 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at Pioneer Park. This free festival will have live entertainment, a free bounce house and kid’s games area, food trucks, and carnival rides ($5 wristband for unlimited rides). Characters from the movie Encanto will also be available for meet and greets.
The City of Chandler will also be hosting an Easter celebration this Spring. The Chandler Family Easter Celebration will be held on April 16 at Snedigar Sportplex from 9am to 12pm. This free event will have an easter egg hunt for kids 9 years old and under – find the Golden Karrot to win a special prize! There will also be an inflatable bounce house, carnival games, and food vendors, plus a free coloring contest, with participants 9 and under able to download the coloring sheet online and submit their entry by April 4 to win a prize.
A popular music festival, Country Thunder, will take place in the Spring once more in Florence on Thursday, April 7 through Sunday, April 10. The festival is known for its camping options over the course of the long weekend, however those options currently sold out for 2022. Tickets are still available to attend each day of the whole event or for single day performances. Several notable performers like Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line and Chase Rice will be in town. Ticket packages and single event general admission tickets can be purchased online and range from $150-$245. Be sure to bring a chair or blanket for the general admission lawn-style seating, and children 10 and under are welcome to the concert for free in the general admission area with the purchase of an adult ticket.
Finally, the 7th Annual Sangria, Craft Beer, and Food Truck Festival will be held on Saturday, April 23 from 4pm to 10pm at Riverview Park in Mesa. It’s $40 for all-inclusive drink tickets that include unlimited tastings of sangria, craft beer, and Mexican lagers. The cost increases to $45 at the door and they also offer $10 general admission tickets for those not drinking, children 18 and under are free. The event is pet friendly and will feature over 20 food truck vendors and live entertainment.
It is the perfect time to get out and enjoy one of the upcoming festivals around Eastmark!