The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA) is hosting the third annual Oro Valley Fall Artisan Market on Saturday, October 21 and Sunday, October 22 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (both days).
Welcoming the autumn weather, the festival will take place at the Oro Valley Marketplace, 12155 N. Oracle Rd.
This season’s event will have more than 125 artisans, food vendors, live music jams, and a variety of family-friendly fall activities. Back in 2020, the Oro Valley Fall Artisan Market became a new flagship of SAACA’s Oro Valley presence — a complement to their other signature festivals: the Oro Valley Spring Festival of the Arts and Oro Valley Festival of the Arts & Holiday Tree Lighting.
The big event will have seasonal activities suited for all ages.
Food Network star Matt Harper (he competed in “Halloween Wars” in 2019) will be showing his take on artistic pumpkin carving both days. Funny Foot Farms petting zoo will be there with a few furry friends, pumpkin painting will be hosted by Lucky Cat Social, and get your face painted by Petunia and Pals.
Plus, with Halloween right around the corner, more than 75 trick-or-treat stations will be present throughout the event.
Participating Food Vendors
- Cook’s Kettle Corn
- Gus’s Gyros and Lemonade
- Eatgypt
- Springtide Catering
- Great Faith World Church
- Mr. Ice Guy
- BarDown Fitness & Nutrition
Live Music Schedule
- 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday: Bluegrass Jam with the Desert Bluegrass Association
- 1 – 4 p.m. on Saturday: Dan Levenson’s Old Time String Jam
- 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Sunday: Traditional Irish Music Jam with Claire Zucker
- 1 – 4 p.m. on Sunday: Tucson Folk Festival Songwriter Circle with Ron Pandy
About the Oro Valley Marketplace
Oro Valley’s open-air shopping, dining, and entertainment destination is at the corner of Oracle and Tangerine Roads. Visit a variety of specialty shops and national brands, popular restaurants to suit every appetite, and Century Theatres Movie Theatre, all surrounded by mountain views.
On select evenings, you can experience live music at the Oro Valley Concert Series in collaboration with the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA), and on weekends for seasonal art festivals, car shows, and more.
For another look at what there is to eat and drink in Oro Valley, take a peek at our interactive guide.
The Oro Valley Marketplace is located at 12155 N. Oracle Rd. For more information, visit saaca.org.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
