Giant horse slide and fire sculptures light up Scottsdale canal
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Waterfront under construction for Canal Convergence. Photo: Courtesy of Maya Mokofisi
Expect cranes and construction by the Scottsdale Waterfront this week as the city gets ready for its spectacular annual art and lights festival, Nov. 6–15.
Driving the news: The Canal Convergence festival marks its 15th edition and Scottsdale's 75th anniversary with the theme "Western Nature."
The big picture: Tour the 11 installations — which stretch between Scottsdale Road and Goldwater Boulevard along the Arizona Canal — or attend the workshops and performances.
- Pro tip: Start at Marshall Way roundabout and grab maps at the information booth, Canal Convergence director Jennifer Gill tells Axios.
- She says to keep your eyes peeled for participating artists, who sometimes walk the event wearing artist badges and will talk about their work.
Here's a guide to Canal Convergence 2026.
Start with the art
- 🐴 Try an unusual slide: Climb inside the glowing horse "Dream Rider," scale its neck and zip down its mane.
- 🐺 Make the desert answer: Call into one of "Desert Choir's" microphones. Your voice creates trails of light and summons Southwestern animal calls across three screens suspended above the canal.
- 🃏 Wager something weird: Trade a paper clip, feather or other trinket in the cash-free blackjack game "The Way the West Was Sold," run by Old West snake oil salesmen.
- ✨ Bend the light: Move or make noise beneath the Marshall Way Bridge to alter Shaoyu Su's "Another Slice of Reality: An Evolving Nature," which blends visitor movements with Scottsdale-area environmental data.
- 🔥 Wake the fire horse: Push a button to make the 9-foot "Prairie Fire" shoot a controlled burst of flame. Nearby, "Western Fire Garden" stages shows nightly at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30pm.
Pick your soundtrack
- 💃 Learn to line dance: Follow instructor Steve Conrad through line dances and the Arizona two-step during a free lesson Nov. 11.
- 🎺 Salute local veterans: A Nov. 10 tribute is followed by two sets from the U.S. Navy Band Commodores Jazz Orchestra.
- 👗 See the West reimagined: ASU fashion students debut technology-infused Western looks during "Wearable Wilds" on Nov. 12.
- 🎸 Catch the weekend headliners: Latin pop violinist QVLN performs at 8:45pm Nov. 13, and indie rock band Nodaway takes the stage at 8:45pm Nov. 14.
Make something yourself
- 🪲 Paint with cactus bugs: Learn to turn cochineal insects into pigment, paint a sunset on plantable seed paper and add a short poem. Nov. 9 at 6:15 p.m.; $25.
- 🧿 Bead a flower vine: Learn sacred-geometry beading with the mother-daughter artists behind Maxica Colectivo. Nov. 10 at 6:15 p.m.; $25.
- 👖 Play Western dress-up: Try on reclaimed denim, handwoven textiles and custom hats inside the "Working West" space. Nov. 6–15; free.
If you go: Free admission, 6–10pm Fridays and Saturdays and 6–9pm Sundays through Thursdays.
- Free parking at Old Town's public garages.