October 2026 Events Across the North Valley
October is when Phoenix finally lets you outside again, and the calendar fills up fast. I pulled together what’s actually happening around my corner of the North Valley this month so you don’t have to hunt through ten different websites. Here are the October 2026 events I’d put on the calendar, area by area.
Dates and times come from the official event pages, but things shift, so double-check before you load the kids in the car.
OCTOBER 2026
October at a Glance
Anthem
Anthem keeps it simple and local. Both of these are at Anthem Community Park (41703 N Gavilan Peak Pkwy).
- Go Green Fall Recycling Event, Saturday, Oct 10, 8–11 AM. Recycling and e-waste drop-off. Good excuse to finally deal with the box of old cords in the garage. This one is for Anthem residents only, so bring proof of residency and get there before 10:45.
- Anthem’s Market in the Park, Sundays Oct 11 and Oct 25, 9 AM–2 PM. Vendors, food, the usual Sunday-morning wander.
Anthem is one of my favorite spots to spend a weekend, and if you’re curious what living there is really like, I wrote a whole breakdown on Anthem.
Cave Creek
Taste of Cave Creek, Oct 14–15, 5–9 PM, Stagecoach Village (7100 E Cave Creek Rd). Admission is $15 and kids 12 and under are free. Samples run about $5 to $7 each, so bring a little extra. There are 25-plus restaurants, a beer garden and live music. Go hungry. Seriously.
Scottsdale
Scottsdale Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct 17, 5–9 PM, Scottsdale Civic Center. This one’s free. Live band and DJ, food trucks, a cocktail garden, plus trick-or-treating, carnival games and crafts for the kids. It works for a date night or a family night, which doesn’t happen often.
North Scottsdale
OktoberWest, Saturday, Oct 24, 6–10 PM, Westin Kierland Resort. Live country music (Selena Brills and Chauncey Jones are on the lineup). Tickets are through Eventbrite, so grab them ahead of time rather than hoping for the door.
North Phoenix (Desert Ridge)
Desert Ridge Marketplace has a lot going on this month.
- Makers Hive Market, Saturday, Oct 3, 11 AM–4 PM at The District.
- District Patch City pumpkin patch, Oct 11–25 on the AMC Lawn, with a superhero theme. Weekdays 4–8 PM, though hours vary a bit by day.
- Heroes vs Villains Candy Crawl, Friday, Oct 23, 6–8 PM.
Glendale
- Front Porch Festival, Saturday, Oct 10, 10 AM–4 PM, Historic Downtown Glendale. This is the 32nd annual one, so it’s been a Glendale tradition for a long time.
- Sunday Brunch Art Crawl, Sunday, Oct 25, 9 AM–4 PM.
Carefree
Carefree Farmers Market, every Friday, 9 AM–1 PM at Carefree Sundial Gardens (1 Sundial Circle). It’s the easiest one on the list because it happens all month.
Thinking about moving to the area, or just starting to look around? I’m happy to show you around any of these neighborhoods. You can reach out here or browse more local posts on Living in Phoenix.
Sources: Anthem Community Council, Carefree Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce, Scottsdale Arts, Eventbrite (OktoberWest), Historic Downtown Glendale.