From this Saturday through the first weekend of December, Old Town Cottonwood runs a different event almost every weekend. Most of them work the same way. Getting onto the street is free. A ticket gets you a glass, a bag or a tasting card and a route through the shops. Each event also has its own starting point, and they're spread across Old Town. If you know where each one starts and when Main Street closes, you can plan the evening.
Halloween Turns Two Traditions Into One Street
This year Halloween has a new name. The City of Cottonwood and the Cottonwood Old Town Association are combining their two Halloween events into Treat Street on Saturday, October 31, from 5 to 7 p.m. It joins the city's annual Trunk-or-Treat with the association's Main Street Trick-or-Treat. Families can trick-or-treat at participating Old Town businesses, and the trunk-or-treat part moves onto a section of Main Street that will be closed to traffic.
The closure runs longer than the event itself:
- 2 p.m.: Main Street closes to traffic.
- All day: no curbside parking on Main Street from Pima Street to Yavapai Street.
- 5 to 7 p.m.: Treat Street.
- By 8 p.m.: Main Street is expected to reopen.
The Old Town Jail parking lot stays open, and the city suggests using Cactus Street as a detour while Main is closed. If you're running errands Saturday afternoon, plan on Main being closed for six hours, from 2 to 8 p.m.
"This collaboration gives families and visitors an opportunity to enjoy Halloween throughout Old Town while supporting our local businesses and creating a safe, welcoming celebration for the entire community."
Jak Teel, the city's Community Services Director, said that in the City of Cottonwood announcement. The city says the closure will look similar to its annual Walkin' on Main event, which is two weeks later.
November 14: Free Entry, $20 for the Glass
Walkin' on Main turns 20 this year. It runs Saturday, November 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The City of Cottonwood and the Verde Valley Wine Consortium sponsor it, and the day honors veterans with a classic car show, wine tasting, dog adoptions and local vendors along the Old Town shops, tasting rooms and galleries.
The consortium's announcement says the event is free and that the only cost is a wine tasting ticket. Early-bird tickets bought online cost $20 for six tastings. At the door the price goes up to $25. Both include a commemorative glass. Every veteran gets two extra tasting tickets.
The tasting ticket covers pours from wineries across the Verde Valley:
- Alcantara Vineyards
- Arizona Stronghold Vineyards
- Caduceus Cellars/Four Eight Winery
- Da Vines Vineyard
- Laramita Cellars
- Oak Creek Vineyards
- Omphalos
- Page Springs Cellars
- Southwest Wine Center
Several of these wineries are in Page Springs or Cornville, so one Saturday on Main Street brings much of the valley's wine country into a few blocks. Paula Woolsey, the festival organizer, told the consortium that the event is "one of the city's most widely attended events."
The street starts filling up early. The car show page caps the show at 50 vehicles on Main Street in Old Town, and setup starts at 9 a.m. That's two hours before the festival opens. If you live in Old Town or drive Main early on a Saturday, expect the street to be busy before 11.
A Week Later, the Art Moves to Pima Street
The next big weekend leaves Main Street and moves to the side street. The Arizona Wine Country Artists Village runs November 20 to 22 at the Old Town Activity Park, 187 E. Pima Street. It's free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The fair follows the same pattern as Walkin' on Main: free to enter, with paid activities inside. In this case you're buying art from the people who made it. Jerome artists John and Lauri Maeder of PBSW Events organize it, and the City of Cottonwood hosts it. Sedona.biz reported that the fair includes juried regional art with live demonstrations, a children's art tent, and a scavenger hunt with donated artist originals. Hunt entries go into a drawing for a $500 cash grand prize.
The series started in 2024 and runs four times a year. The November show is its final fall showcase. The park is a few steps from the tasting rooms and restaurants on Main. That makes the weekend before Thanksgiving an easy holiday shopping trip, and you won't need tickets for any of it.
The First December Weekend Splits by Age and Hour
December's chocolate events take up two days, and each one has its own starting point.
On Friday, December 4, the Old Town VIP Wine & Chocolate Pairing runs from 4 to 7 p.m. It's for ages 21 and up. Tickets cost $55, only 100 are sold, and pickup is at Old Town Square, 1044 N. Main Street, starting at 4 p.m.
On Saturday, December 5, the Old Town Chocolate Walk runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Tickets cost $35. You walk along decorated Main Street and stop at participating merchants, shops, tasting rooms and restaurants for handmade chocolates and holiday treats. Saturday's pickup isn't at Old Town Square. Tickets and bags are handed out at the Civic Center, also called the Cottonwood Community Club House, starting at 3 p.m. Tickets aren't mailed. Any ticket not picked up by 6 p.m. may be resold and can't be refunded.
The Old Town Tree Lighting starts at 5:30 p.m. that Saturday with Christmas music, followed by carolers and a walk under the holiday lights.
Date | Event | Where it starts | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sat., Oct. 31 | Treat Street | Main Street, Pima to Yavapai | Not listed | 5 to 7 p.m. |
Sat., Nov. 14 | Walkin' on Main | Old Town Main Street | Free entry; tasting $20 early, $25 at the door | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Nov. 20 to 22 | Artists Village | Old Town Activity Park, 187 E. Pima St. | Free | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday to 4 p.m. |
Fri., Dec. 4 | VIP Wine & Chocolate Pairing | Old Town Square, 1044 N. Main St. | $55, 21+, 100 tickets | 4 to 7 p.m. |
Sat., Dec. 5 | Chocolate Walk | Civic Center, Cottonwood Community Club House | $35 | 3 to 7 p.m.; tree lighting 5:30 p.m. |
Thu., Dec. 31 | New Year's Eve Celebration | 150 S. 6th St. | Check listing | Check listing |
The two December ticket windows don't overlap much, and the timing matters. If you have a Chocolate Walk ticket, pick it up at the Civic Center by 6 p.m. or someone else may get it. The tree lighting starts half an hour before that cutoff. Plan to pick up your bag, walk Main, and get back near the tree by 5:30.
The Year Closes Off Main Street
The season's last event isn't in Old Town at all. Visit Cottonwood's event calendar lists a City of Cottonwood New Year's Eve Celebration on December 31 at 150 S. 6th Street. The listing doesn't give hours or a price yet, so check the calendar closer to the date.
That makes Halloween the season's first big Main Street day. It's also a new kind of event for Old Town. Two organizations that ran separate Halloween nights now share one closed stretch of road, and the city has tied its closure plan to the one it already uses for Walkin' on Main. For anyone who lives near Main Street, that's the plan to expect on Old Town's biggest days: closed from mid-afternoon, open again by evening, and with Cactus Street as the detour.
At Real Prescott Property Group, we spend a lot of time in the Verde Valley, and we know which blocks of Old Town get busy and when. If a Cottonwood home near Main Street is on your list, we'll walk you through how a day like Walkin' on Main affects parking and traffic around that address. Request a Personalized Market Plan and we'll start with the streets that matter to you.
