The city of Scottsdale is preparing for a busy holiday season with a series of community events, public meetings, and new initiatives.
Scottsdazzle, the city’s month-long holiday celebration, begins on Saturday, November 29. The kickoff event, the Jingle & Jazz Tree Lighting Spectacular, will start at 7 p.m. and features a jazz performance by The New Guard Big Band. Community leader Kira Peters will host the event, which also includes activities for children and dance performances. The evening concludes with the lighting of a 36-foot holiday tree.
Most city offices and facilities will be closed on November 27 and 28 in observance of Thanksgiving. Solid waste collection schedules will change during this period: Thursday pickups are moved to Friday and Friday pickups to Saturday. Residents are reminded to place their containers out by 5 a.m. or the night before to ensure service.
The Scottsdale Fire Department has started its annual toy drive earlier than usual this year. Donations of unwrapped toys and gift cards can be made at all fire stations and headquarters through December 22. The drive typically collects about 10,000 toys each year for more than 1,000 families. Items are distributed to local organizations including Vista Del Camino, HonorHealth, Family Promise, Fosters Alliance, and Harvest Compassion Center. Donors are especially encouraged to provide gifts suitable for children aged 7–12 and 13–18.
The Scottsdale City Council has amended its Zoning Ordinance to comply with Arizona’s Middle Housing law (HB2721). This legislation requires cities to allow duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes on certain single-family residential lots within one mile of Old Town or in new developments over ten acres. Previous restrictions in Scottsdale limited multi-unit housing on these lots; however, under the new law such housing must be permitted if areas have full city services. The law also prevents cities from imposing restrictions like height limits below two stories or excessive parking requirements.
The Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market will relocate from its longtime location at First Street and Brown Avenue to the City Hall surface lot at 75th Street and Bennie Gonzales Way beginning with the 2026–27 season. This move follows approval by the City Council on November 17 to accommodate an expansion project at the current parking structure. Officials said the relocation aims to support vendors while minimizing disruption for visitors.
Plans for an expanded international headquarters campus for Axon Enterprise Inc., have advanced after a narrow City Council vote approving a Memorandum of Understanding with the company. The agreement allows Axon to develop new office space, manufacturing facilities, commercial areas, a hotel, and multi-family housing—reducing residential units from an initial proposal of 1,882 units down to 1,200 units. Axon is also tasked with infrastructure improvements including road upgrades and utility enhancements as well as building public amenities like a dog park and pedestrian/bike loop around the site. As part of the deal, Axon will provide five years of free access to Real-Time Crime Center technology for public safety purposes.
Public meetings scheduled for December include regular City Council sessions on December 1 and December 2.
Holiday Lights at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park runs nightly from November 28 through December 30 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., featuring light displays and train rides aboard the Paradise & Pacific Railroad.
Other ongoing events include weekly Scottsdale ArtWalks showcasing local galleries every Thursday evening; performances at Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts; events hosted by McDowell Sonoran Conservancy; activities at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West; and programming through Scottsdale Sister Cities.
A recent episode of Veterans AZ features Arizona residents Mike Fallon and Jim Unsworth discussing their experiences as Marines during the Vietnam War atop Hill 119.
This week’s highlighted job opening is Civil Engineer—a role responsible for guiding development projects across departments within Scottsdale’s growth framework.
Scottsdale Police participated in Special Olympics Arizona’s Over the Edge fundraiser by rappelling down a downtown Phoenix building alongside other supporters.
Scottsdale Fire personnel recently mentored students from East Valley Institute of Technology Fire Science Academy at Coronado High School with hands-on firefighting skills training.
For more information or assistance regarding city services—including reporting maintenance issues or accessing traffic updates—residents can contact the City Call Center at (480)312-3111 or use online resources provided by Scottsdale EZ.
