The Peoria Sports Complex Books the Same Saturdays as Downtown This Holiday Season

At 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, the vendor tents for 2nd Saturdays open in Downtown Peoria and the live music starts. An hour later, the Arizona Fall League Championship is set to begin at the Peoria Sports Complex on 83rd Avenue. From mid-November until the first days of 2027, the complex that hosts the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres for spring training keeps booking events, and its two biggest Saturday nights land on the same dates as downtown's.

So the season runs on two calendars at two addresses. Here are the dates where they meet.

The ballpark's baseball season ends on a 2nd Saturday

The Peoria Javelinas are the Fall League club based at the Peoria Sports Complex. Their roster draws on prospects from the Cardinals, Mariners, Orioles, Padres and Reds. MLB's Arizona Fall League ticket page says the 2026 season ends Saturday, November 14, and that the postseason runs November 12 through 14 at Sloan Park and the Peoria Sports Complex. The complex's own event calendar puts both semifinals in Peoria on Friday the 13th, at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The championship follows Saturday night from 6 to 9.

A regular Fall League ticket is $14 for adults and $12 for seniors 60 and older or teens 11 to 17. Kids 10 and under get in free with an adult. MLB prices its "Jewel Event" games at $25 and $20. The stadium box office sells day-of-game tickets but only takes cashless payment.

That same Saturday, the complex also hosts the Sweet to the Soul Market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You could spend the whole day at the complex. Downtown, Peoria's 2nd Saturdays runs from 5 to 9 p.m. The city describes it as a free, family-friendly music and art festival with local art, live music, artisan vendors and hands-on activities. It takes over the historic district on the second Saturday of every month from October through April. November 14 is the only night of the year when the Fall League title game and a 2nd Saturday overlap.

Between the baseball and the holiday festivals

The complex keeps busy after the last out. On Thanksgiving morning, November 26, it hosts the Arizona Road Racers Thanksgiving Day Classic from 7:30 to 11 a.m. On Saturday, December 5, the 3rd Annual Whoville PJ Party runs there from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

On the morning of December 5, the city has its own event in north Peoria. Get Hooked: Family Fishing Day runs from 9 a.m. to noon at Paloma Community Park, 29799 N. Lake Pleasant Parkway. If your weekend usually includes a hike at Lake Pleasant, check one change first. Maricopa County Parks has closed the Pipeline Trailhead, along with its parking, restrooms and the sections of Pipeline Trail near North Park Road and Peninsula Boulevard, from November 10, 2026 through March 10, 2027. You can still reach the connecting trails from the Cottonwood and Wild Burro day-use areas.

North Peoria has new places to eat, too. WhatNow reported that Flower Child set November 17 as the opening date for its location at The Trailhead, 8226 W. Happy Valley Road. The Peoria Independent has covered Barley & Smoke, a speakeasy inside Peoria Artisan Brewery. It serves a changing, scratch-made menu and cocktails built around whiskey.

December 12 puts the city's two biggest holiday events on the same night

December 12 is the biggest overlap of the season. Downtown Peoria combines that month's 2nd Saturdays with the Peoria Holiday Festival. It runs from 5 to 9 p.m., admission is free, and all ages are welcome. The city promises "twinkling lights, festive sights, holiday cheer, and plenty of merry moments for the whole family."

Over at the Sports Complex, Candy Cane Lane runs from 4 to 10 p.m. Admission is $5, children 2 and under get in free, and parking is free. Its activity list is long:

• 150+ shopping vendors, food trucks and a bar
• Santa photos, princess photos and a photo booth
• Snow play, bubble play and bounce houses
• Dinosaur Land, a craft corner and cookie decorating
• Face painting, axe throwing and a caricature artist
• A toy drive

Some of those activities cost extra beyond the $5 admission.

Candy Cane Lane also runs on Friday, December 11, with the same 4-to-10 hours. That Friday makes the overlap easy to handle. Families who want to see both can do the vendors and Santa photos at the complex on Friday, then go downtown for the free festival on Saturday.

Downtown's holiday events continue the following week. The city's special events page lists a City Holiday Concert on Wednesday, December 16, with the Phoenix Brass Collective. The concert also marks the 20th anniversary of the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. The complex has one more December date on its calendar, A Day of Giving, on Sunday, December 20, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The complex's longest event runs into the new year

Downtown's holiday events end with the concert on December 16. The Sports Complex keeps going. On Monday, December 28, Aravaipa Running's Across the Years starts there. Aravaipa calls it the original fixed-time, multi-day running event celebrating the New Year. Runners pick a time limit, from a 6-hour race to a 6-day race, and cover as much ground as they can. There are also 48- and 72-hour races, fixed distances from a marathon up to 200 miles, and a Last Person Standing event that starts at noon on New Year's Eve.

The race uses the whole complex. The standard loop is about 1.42 miles, or 2.27 kilometers. It winds around the practice fields, passes the main stadium and runs through nearby parking areas. Runners complete as many laps as their race requires. Entry fees range from $100 to $675 at the early rate, depending on the race. Tax and Ultrasignup fees are extra. Aravaipa encourages family and friends to come out and support the runners. It also offers 10 guest bibs that let a guest join a runner for one lap of the course.

From the Fall League Championship on November 14 to the last lap of Across the Years, the Sports Complex hosts something for about seven weeks of the off-season.

Our team at Inspired Living Real Estate Collective follows Peoria's calendar closely, from Fall League nights on 83rd Avenue to 2nd Saturdays downtown. If you live near either one and want to know what your home is worth going into 2027, start with our Get Your Instant Home Valuation tool, and we'll walk you through the numbers in person.