Fall in Phoenix means the return of outdoor markets, festivals and community celebrations. From Oktoberfest and Halloween festivities to vintage markets and the Arizona State Fair, there's no shortage of reasons to get outside.
But there's one festival with a distinctly Arizona mission: Local First Arizona's Certified Local Fall Festival.
This isn't a festival that happens to feature local businesses. It's a festival built around them.
Every year, hundreds of Arizona-owned businesses, makers, food producers, artists and community organizations come together at Margaret T. Hance Park to celebrate the people and places that make our state unlike anywhere else.
And this year, we're celebrating something special: 20 years of keeping it local.
20 Years of Celebrating What Makes Arizona, Arizona
The Certified Local Fall Festival got its start in 2006 in the parking lot of Duck and Decanter, a beloved Phoenix business.
What began as a gathering of independent businesses and their communities has grown into one of Arizona's largest celebrations of local ownership. But the idea behind it hasn't changed.
Local First Arizona created the festival to connect people with the businesses that make their communities distinctive. Twenty years later, that purpose is as relevant as ever.
Walk through the festival today and you'll discover just how much Arizona's independent business community has to offer.
Enjoy bites from more than 50 local restaurants, food trucks and chefs
Sample sips from Arizona breweries, wineries and distilleries
Discover local makers and entrepreneurs, meet the people behind their businesses and reconnect with longtime favorites
It's a chance to experience Arizona's creativity, flavors and entrepreneurial spirit in one place — and meet the people who bring them to life.
More Than a Market
Shopping and eating local are certainly part of the fun. But the Certified Local Fall Festival isn't simply a collection of vendor booths.
It's a place to experience the creativity, connections and community spirit that make Arizona feel like home.
You can watch Arizona artist Jesse Perry bring a colorful, desert-inspired 24-foot mural to life, catch a skateboarding demonstration with Cowtown Skateboards or explore hands-on activities with the Children's Museum of Phoenix.
At the Localist Activity Zone, presented by Vantage West Credit Union, families can discover interactive experiences including musical chairs, bubble soccer, and kite making.
The festival also creates opportunities to discover entrepreneurs and businesses representing the many communities that make up Arizona. Explore curated marketplaces and pop-ups featuring Latino and Black-owned businesses, including those connected to Fuerza Local, Amor Collective and Archwood Exchange.
These aren't just things to see and do. They're opportunities to discover something new, meet the people making it happen and connect with the creativity that exists right here in our communities.
And when you get to know the people behind the businesses, choosing local becomes more than a shopping decision. It becomes personal.
A Festival With a Purpose
There's another important distinction between the Certified Local Fall Festival and many other community events: the festival itself is part of Local First Arizona's mission to build a stronger, more resilient local economy.
Locally owned businesses do more than sell products and services. They create jobs, invest in their neighborhoods, contribute to their communities and help give Arizona its distinctive character.
And the choices we make about where to spend our money help determine whether those businesses — and the communities they shape — continue to thrive.
That's why the festival is intentionally centered on locally owned businesses. Every purchase is an opportunity to invest directly in the people building Arizona's economy.
As a fundraiser for Local First Arizona, the event also helps advance the organization's year-round work to strengthen local businesses and communities across the state.
But you don't have to think about economic development while you're enjoying a taco, discovering a new favorite artist or dancing to live music.
That's part of what makes Fall Fest special. The simple act of showing up, having fun and choosing local contributes to something bigger.
Twenty years after its first gathering in a Phoenix parking lot, the Certified Local Fall Festival remains a celebration of an Arizona shaped by the people who call it home.
And that's something worth showing up for.
Join us for the 20th Annual Certified Local Fall Festival on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix. Admission is free.