New Year, New Events: Food, Wine & Culture
January and February are the sweet spot in Arizona, when the desert feels effortless. The days are bright but gentle, the nights have just enough chill to make a firepit and a great cocktail feel like a plan, and the calendar starts filling itself in the best way.
Think of these two months as your seasonal reset, but with a social life. January brings the fresh start energy: art nights, festival weekends, and those chef and wine dinners that turn an ordinary weekday into something you’ll remember. February turns the volume up with patio season in full swing, bigger cultural weekends, tasting events worth dressing up for, and the kind of buzz that makes Scottsdale and downtown Phoenix feel like they’re hosting one long, gorgeous gathering.
Use this events list like a menu. Pick one dress-up night, one slow afternoon, and one weekend you actually leave the house for. Then repeat.
January
Wine/chef dinners & collabs
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Chateau Montelena Wine Dinner — The Wigwam (Jan 13)
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Adobe Road Winery 5-Course Wine Dinner — Luna by Giada at Caesars Republic (Jan 15)
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Festivin 2026 wine weekend programming — Wrigley Mansion (Jan 15–18)
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Festivin Grand Tasting — Wrigley Mansion (Jan 18)
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SOMM BRAWL Quarter Final 2 — The Mick Brasserie (Jan 19)
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J. Lohr Wine Dinner — The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa (Jan 23)
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Sunday Supper prix fixe (ongoing) — Wrigley Mansion (Sundays)
Tastings & beverage festivals
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Copper State Beer Festival — Riverview Park, Mesa (Jan 17)
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AZ Soup Festival (Exceptional Vibe) — The Duce, Phoenix (Jan 18)
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Arizona Wine Festival at Heritage Square — Phoenix (Jan 24–25)
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A Taste of AZ Food & Drink Festival — Salt River Fields, Scottsdale (Jan 31)
Signature culinary experiences (chef-driven/seasonal)
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SAVOR Heritage Foods Festival — Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tucson (Jan 24)
February
Wine/chef dinners & collabs
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SOMM BRAWL Quarter Final 4 — The Mick Brasserie, Scottsdale (Feb 2)
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Outstanding in the Field at Steadfast Farm — Mesa (Feb 3)
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Melka Valentine’s Wine Dinner — The Velvet Fox, Scottsdale (Feb 12)
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Arizona Valentine’s Winemakers Dinner — Mamma Lucy’s Italian Restaurant, Scottsdale (Feb 13)
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Stags’ Leap Wine Dinner (5-course) — Chart House, Scottsdale (Feb 26)
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WE11NESS Retreat wine dinners — Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, Scottsdale (Feb 27–28)
Tastings & beverage festivals
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Arizona Beer Week (statewide) (Feb 12–22)
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Arizona Strong Beer Festival — Salt River Fields, Scottsdale (Feb 14)
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First Press Fine Wine Festival — Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix (Feb 21)
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Arizona Cocktail Weekend — Downtown Phoenix + pop-ups (Feb 27–Mar 2)
Signature culinary experiences (chef-driven/seasonal)
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Devour Culinary Classic — Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix (Feb 21–22)
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Innings Festival — Tempe Beach Park and Arts Park, Tempe (Feb 20–22)
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Arizona Matsuri (Festival of Japan) — Steele Indian School Park, Phoenix (Feb 21–22)
Around
the
Globe
January
Global wine/chef dinners & collabs
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Artisans of Wine & Food (Boca Raton, Florida) (Jan 15–18)
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Napa Truffle Festival (Napa Valley, California) (Jan 16–19)
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Madrid Fusión (Madrid, Spain) (Jan 26–28)
Global culture trips worth planning around
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Sundance Film Festival (Park City + Salt Lake City, Utah) (Jan 22–Feb 1)
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Singapore Art Week (Singapore) (Jan 22–31)
February
Global wine/chef dinners & collabs
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Marlborough Wine & Food Festival (Marlborough, New Zealand) (Feb 14)
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South Beach Wine & Food Festival (Miami, Florida) (Feb 19–22)
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Slow Wine Fair (Bologna, Italy) (Feb 23–25)
Global tastings & beverage festivals
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International White Wine Festival (Anderson Valley, California) (Feb 14–15)
Global culture trips worth planning around
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Venice Carnival (Venice, Italy) (Jan 31–Feb 17)
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Québec Winter Carnival (Québec City, Canada) (Feb 6–15)
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Rio Carnival (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (Feb 13–21)