Fiddle contests and old-time music in Arizona
Fiddle contests and old-time music in Arizona, each compiled from its own sources: dates, divisions, and where the jams happen. No ratings; every entry carries its status.
Point at a dot to see the place.Tap a dot to see the place. Road map of Arizona.
- Ajo Oldtime Fiddle ContestAjo · Old time fiddlers contestAn old-time fiddle contest held each February at the clubhouse of Ajo's community golf course, a former Air Force officers' club, with jamming from Thursday to Sunday.
- Arizona State Fiddle ContestPayson · State fiddle contestArizona's state fiddle championship, held in Payson since the 1960s, where in 2026 the top two fiddlers settled the title on the county fair's evening concert stage.
- Bluegrass on the BeachLake Havasu CityA bluegrass festival on the Lake Havasu State Park shoreline in Arizona, held the first weekend of March, where campers arrive Monday and jam all week before three days of concerts.
- Desert Bluegrass FestivalMarana · Bluegrass festivalA three-day spring bluegrass festival on a town soccer field in Marana, Arizona, where Friday is free and pickers draw names from a bucket to form bands.
- FFOTM Wednesday open jamFlagstaff · Open jamAn open bluegrass jam held every Wednesday at noon in Flagstaff, Arizona, in Wheeler Park in summer and beside the Flagstaff Mall fireplace in winter.
- Glendale Folk & Heritage FestivalGlendale · Folk and heritage festivalA free two-day folk festival at Sahuaro Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, where musicians play from the porches of an old fruit ranch and workshops teach spoons and saw.
- Matheson Music FestivalSafford · Music festivalA February festival of bluegrass, old-time and Americana at the Graham County Fairgrounds in Safford, Arizona, where the camping rules set no quiet hours for acoustic music.
- Phoenix Old Time Music Society jamsGlendale · Old-time traditional music jamsGathering around the Valley for over 20 years, playing a mix of traditional fiddle tunes, Appalachian Mountain music, Canadian, Irish & Scottish tunes (jigs, polkas, reels, waltzes, hornpipes) and more.
- Pickin' in the Pines Bluegrass FestivalFlagstaff · Bluegrass festivalA three-day September bluegrass festival at Fort Tuthill's Pepsi Amphitheater south of Flagstaff, Arizona, where campers jam in the ponderosas and a Friday caller runs a free square dance.
- Prescott Bluegrass FestivalPrescott · Bluegrass festivalA free two-day bluegrass festival on the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza in Prescott, Arizona, begun as a fiddle contest for a local fiddler and free since 1996.
- Salome FiddlefestSalome · Multi-day old-time fiddle festivalA multi-day old-time fiddle festival held at the Salome Lions Club, with RV parking, meals, and open jamming for fiddlers and friends.
- Southern Arizona Old Time Fiddlers weekly jamTucson · Old-time fiddle jamWeekly jams every Tuesday at 2:00 PM Mission View RV Park
- Tucson Fiddle ContestTucson · Fiddle contestAnnual public fiddle contest with age divisions, free admission, cash prizes.
- Verde Valley Old Time Fiddlers jamCottonwood · Old-time fiddle jamArizona Old Time Fiddlers chapter meeting with weekly jams.
- Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival and ContestWickenburg · Bluegrass festivalA three-day bluegrass festival and string contest held each November in Wickenburg's rodeo arena, started in 1980 by a western swing performer known in town as Buck Wayne.
- Yuma Silver Spur Fiddle ContestYuma · Old time fiddlers contestSponsored and hosted by the Yuma Silver Spur Rodeo; now in its 49th year, a weekend of competition, dancing, and community bringing together fiddlers of all ages and abilities from across Arizona and the Southwest.
Old-Time Music in all eleven states; next door in California.