AVONDALE, AZ — Billy Moore Days, Avondale’s annual tradition, is back this year with four days of fun and new excitement!
“New this year, we've changed the shape of our festival, we're going to have some bigger-name headliners that we'll be bringing in to try, and just make it a more enjoyable event,” said Mark Foote, recreation manager for the city of Avondale, in an interview with ABC15. “We'll also have a couple of different sponsorship opportunities at the parade. We're going to be doing a sponsorship for a local charity that does a lot of work with the homeless and unhoused community, and mayors from across the West Valley will be participating in that activity right before the parade. At the festival, they'll be doing an event for a cornhole tournament for another nonprofit that's local here in Avondale, the Mercy House. And so, we're excited to be able to support those things and try and raise some funds for some really amazing local nonprofits here on the west side and here in Avondale.”
A key highlight of Billy Moore Days is its annual parade.
“We have lots of community organizations and nonprofits that participate, as well as a lot of city departments that create floats and parade fun, and we have candy and all sorts of things that will go down this area,” said Foote. “It’s really just a great opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate Avondale and the West Valley.”
New this year is the ‘Monster Smash Ball.’
“So, we have a bunch of softball teams that will be playing out at our Festival Fields Park, where the carnival and the festival are. So, in the morning, they'll be doing softball, and then in the evening, [the community can] come out and enjoy the festival and the carnival and all the activities there,” said Foote.
Know before you go
- Festival dates: October 16–19
- Monster Smash Softball takes place on October 18 at 8 a.m.
- Billy Moore Days Parade takes place on October 18 at 9 a.m.
- You can check the entertainment schedule here.
- Here's what you need to know about the significance of the festival's name. “Billy Moore was one of the founders who really developed the area of Avondale, Good Year, Laveen, and Tolleson. And so, this is really a celebration of yesteryear, some of the Western way of life […] it's our opportunity to celebrate the culture that used to exist here in the West Valley,” said Foote.
- Event venue: Festival Fields Park [101 E Lower Buckeye Rd] in Avondale
