PHOENIX — The weekend is here! Check out these fun events happening around the Valley on January 2-4.
Friday, January 2
NBA: Sacramento Kings vs. Phoenix Suns
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix
Cost: Tickets start around $60
The Phoenix Suns will host the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at Mortgage Matchup Center. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
When: Now - March 8
Where: The Phoenix Theatre Company
Cost: Tickets start at $60
Inspired by true events, the Tony Award-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet takes you inside the famed 1956 recording session at Sun Studio that brought together Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. Through electrifying performances of rock ‘n’ roll classics like “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Great Balls of Fire,” and “Folsom Prison Blues,” this jukebox musical captures the passion, energy, and camaraderie of four music legends at the moment their careers collided.
When: 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Where: The Heard Museum, Phoenix
Cost: Free admission
Kick off the new year with a free evening of community, movement, and creativity! In collaboration with ChezSpirit and Diverse Dance Arts, join Chezale Rodriguez (Taino) and Wade Antonio Colwell (Rarámuri) in FACING THE SUN TOGETHER, an interactive offering for participants of all ages and abilities to move, connect, and express their creativity.
First Friday at Phoenix Art Museum
When: 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Where: Phoenix Art Museum
Cost: Free admission
Experience the wide array of new exhibitions and installations across the museum for free on First Friday, January 2, 2026, from 5 – 8 p.m.
When: 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Where: Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix
Cost: Free admission
The Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix is happy to continue to support the arts and our local community on First Fridays with free admission/pay-as-you-wish admission each month. Just beside Roosevelt Row, in the heart of Downtown Phoenix, our natural oasis welcomes you to enjoy a tranquil stroll through our living art and transport yourself to Japan.
When: 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Where: Downtown Phoenix
Cost: Free event
First Friday is one of the nation's largest, self-guided art walks on the first Friday of every month from 6 to 10 p.m. Tour more than 70 galleries, venues and art-related spaces throughout the Roosevelt Row and Grand Avenue arts districts.
Saturday, January 3
When: 10 a.m.
Where: N Central Ave & Montebello Ave, Phoenix
Cost: Free event
The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade, a 1.5-mile march through Central Phoenix, will once again be nestled in the heart of Bowl Season. Held days after the Rate Bowl in downtown Phoenix, the Fiesta Bowl Parade will drum up excitement for the CFP Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on January 8, with its traditional pageantry that attendees have grown to love for more than 50 years.
NCAA MBB: University of Colorado vs. Arizona State
When: 3 p.m.
Where: Desert Financial Arena, Tempe
Cost: Tickets start around $15
Arizona State will face off against Colorado on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Desert Financial Arena.
Sunday, January 4
NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix
Cost: Tickets start around $60
The Phoenix Suns take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Mortgage Matchup Center.
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Desert Ridge Improv, Phoenix
Cost: Tickets start at $36.90
Comedian Jaime French will perform at the Desert Ridge Improv on Sunday at 6 p.m.
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Herberger Theater Center, Phoenix
Cost: $57.50-$82.50
Meet John Violinist. John is a genre-blending violinist recognized internationally for his soulful fusion of R&B, and hip-hop.
