Saguaro cactus silhouetted on Camelback Mountain above Phoenix in January light

Do

PHOENIX

January is Phoenix at full strength. The snowbirds are in, the patios run all day, and the car world takes over Scottsdale for nine days at the end of the month. This is the January layer of our year-round ranking (things to do in Phoenix, the 25 best), cut down to what this one month does best, and what it stops doing halfway through.

Work backwards from the anchor. Barrett-Jackson runs January 23 to 31 at WestWorld in Scottsdale, nine days this year, and everything in the Valley prices around it. The weekend before belongs to runners: Rock ’n’ Roll Arizona puts a 5K on Saturday, January 16, and a half marathon and 10K on Sunday, based in Tempe. The same Saturday, the art season opens in earnest when Celebration of Fine Art raises its white tents in north Scottsdale for ten weeks. And the front of the month is a closing sale: Las Noches de las Luminarias gets only three January nights, January 1 to 3, and ZooLights switches off on January 15. Underneath all of it, the weather does the quiet work. NOAA’s 30 year normals for Sky Harbor put the average January high at 67.6° and the low at 46°, with less than an inch of rain. That is hiking weather, all day, no asterisk.

January at a glance

Weather: average high 67.6°, average low 46°, dry most days (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals). Short sleeves at noon, a real jacket after dark. Jan 1: First Day Hikes at Arizona state parks, including a guided hike at Picacho Peak at 10 a.m. Jan 1 to 3: final nights of Las Noches de las Luminarias, Desert Botanical Garden, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Through Jan 15: ZooLights, Phoenix Zoo, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., $35 general, $30 members. Jan 16 and 17: Rock ’n’ Roll Arizona, Tempe (5K Saturday, half marathon and 10K Sunday). Jan 16 to Mar 28: Celebration of Fine Art, Scottsdale, daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., $12 season pass. Thursdays: Scottsdale ArtWalk, Old Town, 7 to 9 p.m., free. Jan 21: Rock The Block concert opens Barrett-Jackson week at WestWorld. Jan 23 to 31: Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, WestWorld of Scottsdale; Family Day Sat Jan 23, kids 12 and under free. Jan 27: Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase opens, a day trip south. Hotels: peak season all month, tightest Jan 23 to 31. Book auction week by early December.

The headline events

Two weekends carry the month, and they could not be more different. One runs through Tempe in the morning. The other parks several thousand collector cars in north Scottsdale and keeps them there for nine days.

Collector Cars · Jan 23 to 31

Barrett-Jackson, WestWorld of Scottsdale

The main event, and it is bigger this year. The 2027 Scottsdale auction runs nine full days, Saturday, January 23 to Sunday, January 31, the longest run in its history, stretched across two weekends at WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road. Barrett-Jackson says it aims to put well over 2,000 collectible vehicles on the docket, with hundreds of exhibitors, thrill rides with professional drivers, and the Barrett-Jackson Cup custom car competition, whose winner is announced live on the block on Super Saturday, January 30. The week starts before the first car sells: the Rock The Block concert opens the schedule on Thursday, January 21, and the Opening Night Gala on Friday, January 22 is invitation only, so do not plan around it. Saturday, January 23 is Family Day: children 12 and under get in free, with STEM programming for young enthusiasts next to the bidding. Discounted tickets exist for students, seniors, military and first responders, and general admission pricing varies by day, so check barrett-jackson.com for the day you want rather than trusting a price you saw for a different one. Strategy: opening weekend for Family Day and the first block action, closing weekend for Super Saturday, and a midweek day if you mainly want to walk the exhibitor halls and get close to the cars without the weekend crush. Verdict: even if you never bid, this is the best car show in America with a gavel running through it. One full day is the right dose for most people.

Race Weekend · Jan 16 and 17

Rock ’n’ Roll Arizona, Tempe

The Valley’s big winter race weekend, built for people flying in from places where January running means ice. Saturday, January 16 is the 5K; Sunday, January 17 is the half marathon and the 10K. There is no full marathon distance anymore, the half is the headline. The races are centered in Tempe, with courses that tie together Tempe, Scottsdale and Phoenix, red rocks through Papago Park, live music along the route, and a finish festival atmosphere at Tempe Beach Park. Monday, January 18 is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, so out of town runners get a three day weekend out of it. Not racing? Spectate instead. Pick a spot on the course in the morning, then take the rest of the day while the runners nap. One warning for everyone else: expect road closures and a busy downtown Tempe and Papago area on Sunday morning, and go around, not through. Verdict: January racing in short sleeves is the entire pitch, and it delivers.

Art Season · Jan 16 to Mar 28

Celebration of Fine Art, north Scottsdale

On the same Saturday the races start, the big white tents go up at Hayden Road and Mayo Boulevard and 100 artists move into working studios for ten weeks. You watch pieces being made, talk with the people making them, and come back later in the season to see the same canvas finished. It runs daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the ticket is the best small deal of the winter: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and military, kids under 12 free, and the ticket is a season pass. Buy it once in January and it still works in March. Friday afternoons add hour long artist talks from 4 to 5 p.m. Verdict: the low cost repeat visit of the month. Pair a first pass with race weekend and a second with Barrett-Jackson week.

Free · Thursday Nights

Scottsdale ArtWalk, Old Town

Every Thursday night, more than 50 galleries in the Old Town Arts District along Main Street and Marshall Way open late, 7 to 9 p.m., and the whole thing is free. It has run since 1975, which makes it the country’s longest running art walk, and January is its natural season: cool evenings, the winter crowd in town, and dinner a short walk in any direction. January Thursdays fall on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th. About once a month the regular walk becomes a themed Gold Palette ArtWalk, 6:30 to 9 p.m., and a Western themed Gold Palette night has been the late January tradition tied to Western Week. The Gallery Association had not posted its January 2027 Gold Palette date when this guide was researched, so check scottsdalegalleries.com for the theme before you build a night around it. Verdict: the easiest good evening in Old Town, any Thursday you are here.

New Year · Jan 1

First Day Hikes, Arizona State Parks

Start the year on a trail instead of a couch. Arizona State Parks runs First Day Hikes statewide on January 1, and the confirmed 2027 outing nearest the Valley is at Picacho Peak State Park, down I-10 past Casa Grande, at 10 a.m. Pick your level honestly: the Calloway Trail is a guided 1 mile walk to an overlook, about 1.5 to 2 hours and open to all skill levels. The Hunter Trail goes to the summit, 3.2 miles round trip with 1,600 feet of climbing, steep switchbacks and cableways, 4 to 5 hours, no kids under 10 and no dogs, and the park requires at least 3 liters of water for it. The hikes are free with paid park entry and you register with the park first. The full statewide 2027 list had not been posted when this guide was researched, so check azstateparks.com in December for parks closer to Phoenix. Verdict: the right way to open the year, and the Hunter summit is a genuine climb, not a photo stop.

Last Call · Jan 1 to 15

The lights season, closing nights

Two of December’s headliners spill into January, briefly. Las Noches de las Luminarias at Desert Botanical Garden gets exactly three January nights, January 1, 2 and 3, 5 to 9:30 p.m., thousands of hand lit luminarias on the trails and live music along the paths, and then it is done until next winter. ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo runs longer, nightly 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. through Friday, January 15, five million lights over two miles of trail, $35 general and $30 for members. Members get one more gift: on Member Mondays, January 4 and 11, members can buy up to six tickets at $10 each. Go for the lights, not the animals, most animals are off view at night. Our Phoenix Christmas lights guide compares the full season, including Christmas at the Princess, which closes January 2. Verdict: if you missed December, January 1 to 3 is a small, quiet second chance. Take it.

[AFFILIATE: Barrett-Jackson week hotels in Scottsdale] · [AFFILIATE: hotels in Phoenix in January]

The desert, at its best

Phoenix skyline at sunset in winter light
January light on the Valley floor. The events change by weekend, the light does not.

The events sit on top of the real reason January works: this is the month the desert itself is the attraction, at the exact temperature it asks for.

Outdoors · All Month

Hiking season, peak form

At a 67 degree average high, the whole trail map is open at civilized hours. Start Camelback Mountain mid morning, take Piestewa Peak in the afternoon, and still have light for miles in South Mountain, the Phoenix Mountains Preserve or the McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale. January trailheads fill on weekends anyway, because everyone else has the same idea, so the big summits still reward an early start. The rules that do not change with the season: carry more water than feels reasonable, and watch the clock. Sunset lands around 5:40 p.m. all month, which makes January days shorter than March days even when they feel just as good. Verdict: if November is hiking season with no asterisk, January is hiking season at full strength.

Architecture · Winter Season

Taliesin West, in the season it was built for

Frank Lloyd Wright built Taliesin West as a winter camp, and January is its home month. The site is open daily through the winter block, the first self-guided audio tour starts at 10 a.m. and the last entrance is at 3:45 p.m. The tour runs 60 to 75 minutes through Wright’s living and working spaces, costs $44 for adults and $22 for ages 6 to 17, and through January 31, 2027 it also includes the Originals exhibition at no extra charge. Reservations are required and tickets are limited, so book ahead, especially on Barrett-Jackson weekends when north Scottsdale fills. Bring headphones for the app based tour, and a hat: as much of the tour is outside as in. Verdict: the one January sight that is better this month than any other.

Museums · Any Day

The MIM and the Heard, prime season hours

January crowds make the big museums earn their keep on weekdays. The Musical Instrument Museum is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission $24 for adults, $15 for teens and $10 for kids 4 to 12, and the museum itself says the average guest stays nearly four hours, so treat it as a half day, not a stop. The Heard Museum on Central Avenue runs daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is the essential Phoenix museum in any month. Put one of them on a Monday or Tuesday, when the weekend event crowds thin out, and keep the other in your pocket for the one cloudy morning January might hand you. Verdict: MIM for the wow, Heard for the meaning. Both beat a second resort day.

Garden · Daytime All Month

Desert Botanical Garden, without the lights

Once Luminarias ends on January 3, the Garden in Papago Park goes back to being a daytime place, and a good one: five trails through a living collection of desert plants, at the coolest, clearest time of year. Go on a weekday morning, walk it slowly, and use it as the reset day between event weekends. Check dbg.org for January hours and prices before you go, the Garden adjusts both by season. Verdict: the easiest yes on this page, again. Some picks repeat every month because they are right every month.

Day Trip · From Jan 27

Tucson Gem Showcase opens

On Wednesday, January 27, in the middle of Barrett-Jackson week, the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase opens 115 miles south and runs to February 14: dozens of gem, mineral, fossil and jewelry shows at more than 40 locations across Tucson, most of them free to wander. It is a genuine day trip from a Phoenix base, or a better overnight. Hours vary by show, so check the individual listings on Visit Tucson. Our Things to Do in Tucson hub is the plan once you are there, and the full gem show guide lands with our February Tucson page. Verdict: the collectors are serious. The people watching is world class and free.

Permit Season · All Month

Havasupai: January is decision month

You do not hike to Havasupai in January. You win the trip in January. Every visit needs a permit booked in advance at havasupaireservations.com, every booking is four days and three nights, permits cannot be resold or transferred, and the trip leader or a named alternate has to be there at check in with photo ID. The Tribe had not posted its 2027 sale dates when this guide was checked in early November, so anyone quoting you a 2027 sale date right now is guessing. Use the month properly instead: create your account, pick your dates and your backups, name your alternates, and watch the official site for the announcement. Our Havasupai Falls guide has the full playbook, and our Arizona in January guide covers the statewide version of this month, snow in Flagstaff included. Verdict: the most useful thing on this page costs nothing and takes twenty minutes.

A January weekend, planned

Take auction weekend, January 23 to 25, and run it like this. Saturday: Family Day at WestWorld. Kids 12 and under are free, the STEM programming runs next to prime time bidding, and you get the full Barrett-Jackson scene at its most welcoming. Go early, walk the exhibitor halls before the block gets loud, and stay through the afternoon sales. Sunday: Sleep in, hike late morning while it is warm, Camelback if you want the summit and the Preserve if you want miles, then use your Celebration of Fine Art season pass for a slow second look in north Scottsdale, twenty minutes from WestWorld. Monday: The Heard or the MIM in the morning, an Old Town wander in the afternoon, and home. The pieces sit within about 40 minutes of each other, and none of them needs a second trip across town.

Coming for race weekend instead, January 16 to 18? Race or spectate in Tempe on Saturday and Sunday morning, open the art tents on Saturday afternoon, and take a long holiday Monday hike while the runners are still asleep. One catch: ZooLights ends on the 15th, the night before the races start, so lights chasers need the earlier weekend, not this one. Two different Januaries, same weather. That is the month in a sentence.

The honest warnings

Barrett-Jackson week is a book-by deadline, not a suggestion. January 23 to 31 is one of the tightest hotel weeks of the year in Scottsdale, at peak rates. Book North Scottsdale by early December if that is where you want to sleep. Mesa and Tempe are the price relief, and the drive in is easy. There is no spring training in January. No Cactus League games, no ballpark afternoons. Games start February 19. January is when you book March, and when the WM Phoenix Open, February 8 to 14 at TPC Scottsdale, sells its best days and its Scottsdale hotel rooms. If February is your trip, January is your homework. Western Week is real, its 2027 dates are not posted yet. Scottsdale’s Western Week returns in late January into early February and builds to the Parada del Sol Parade on Saturday, February 6 and the Arizona Indian Festival at Scottsdale Civic Center on February 6 and 7. The city had not published the full 2027 Western Week schedule when this guide was researched, so plan around the parade, which is confirmed by its organizer, and check Old Town Scottsdale for the week’s full lineup before you fix a day to it. Mornings are genuinely cold. A 46 degree average low means a dawn trailhead in the 30s some days, and a patio dinner that starts pleasant ends in a jacket. Layers are not a style note here. And race Sunday closes roads. If you are not running on January 17, route around downtown Tempe and Papago Park in the morning instead of discovering the closures one barricade at a time.

Keep planning

[AFFILIATE: hotels in Phoenix in January]

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