We visited the Scottsdale Waterfront to see the annual Canal Convergence. Admission is free and it was teaming with people. There is an immersive light show at hourly times. The show is played to music. There are also several other light displays throughout the canal. It is a site to behold. The show will continue through November 16. Free lot parking in the Scottsdale Waterfront parking lot or street parking as well. read more

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We had a good time, it wasn't a super busy Sunday night affair which was nice. However tents for activities made for long lines that blocked sidewalks making it more challenging to move around the crowds. The show was fun as always! read more

Canal Convergence - Festivals Near Me - Scottsdale, Arizona

Really cool different art exhibits. Loved the fire show. Not too much to see (spent around 30 minutes) but would definetly recommend stopping by if you are in the area. read more

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I go to the Canal Convergence every year, often several times over the 10 days. I really enjoy this free, nighttime art event. The light based art is always impressive and memorable. There is live music and interactive booths to create your own art under the direction of the staff. This is a family friendly event with activities and art that will engage all ages. Admittedly, 2024 seemed to have less art pieces and more dead space between the art than in years past. Even if it's not 'art' I would hope that they would fill in these dark sections between art installations with interesting, color, LED light balls or other purchased lights along the path. read more

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This is an annual amAZing public family friendly event held along the Scottsdale canal. There are options to do private seating events with food & drinks, but you can still get the full experience for free! This year in 2024, we arrived to the area looking for parking on Saturday around 6:20PM and it was a mayhem of cars, parking lots were full, valet was full, and absolutely no street parking. I ended up having to park 0.5 miles away, so definitely plan accordingly with carpooling or using ride share. Once we got to the area, despite the crowds, we were still able to find a nice area to watch the 8PM drone light show and the synchronized music fire performance. This year's canal art featured "Fireflection" by Walter Productions: A fire-shooting flotilla featuring mirrored geometric forms with flame heads and LEDs! There were also educational workshops, live music, food vendors and art installations throughout the canal walkway. I love how they raise awareness of environmental issues and their messages of sustainability! I can't wait for next year's Canal Convergence event! read more

Though I've lived in Arizona for a few years now, this is the first year I made it out to Canal Convergence! The theme this year was "The Power of Play." The event is at the Scottsdale Waterfront, and is free (including the parking). There are a few different exhibits, and all are interactive in some way. The lines were long for most of them, so we didn't do much interacting, but it was still fun and beautiful to watch others interact and see the results of their interaction. There were also interactive activities (like painting dumpsters!), though most were geared towards children. We went on Saturday night for the last weekend, and it was just absolutely packed. Finding parking took quite a while, as did navigating the parking garage (we parked at Scottsdale Fashion Square). It does have a nice community feel to it, though, which I love. I'll probably come back next year, but on a weekday instead! read more

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Ever since my 1st attendance to the Canal Convergence I have been a fast fan! The Canal Convergence is a free event that runs about a weeklong in the late fall and spring time. It has art, lights, live music, exhibits teaching you about your environment and community. This year's floatus event was Mario themed, which was cool, but to be honest I always love watching the floatus show that light up and interact with the music with flames and lights. Also this year there was a lot of interactive art all around. This is a great way to spend an hour or 2 with family or friends walking along the canal and checking out the artwork! Looking forward to seeing it in the spring. read more

2022 is noted to be "10 years water, art, and light" on the Scottsdale Waterfront. This event was fun. We rode over on our scooter and didn't have to find parking but there seemed to be parking garages and street parking. The area is used to high traffic and cars. The lights were cool, definitely not the biggest or most impressive light/art I've seen, but that in no way diminishes this beautiful show, and may I remind y'all it's FREE. The places where I've seen incredible sculptures and lights/lasers were large scale music & art festivals which aren't cheap. So, the canal convergence feels like a nod to that and was reminiscent of some great past times. We enjoyed a beer and walked around. The best way to review this event is simply to post the pictures. It's an annual event, this year was my first time attending. Again, it's free to walk around and take in the sights and it's located in a fantastic area near old town Scottsdale. We managed to check it out on its final night 11/13. It was pretty busy! Next year we will go midweek :) read more

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This is such a beautiful event, especially the piece that somehow picks up on the energy in your body and transforms it into art in front of you. That was so cool. I highly recommend this walk whenever it's in town to see all the amazing exhibits, great alone or with a date! read more

I came across this event via a Meetup group. I saw that it was a free event and involved music, fire, colors, lights, and art. I usually don't go out much but this event peaked my interest a lot. We went on Tuesday and tonight for the last night of the event. I love how this event was along the canal and how in AZ we can be in tank tops and shorts during mid November. Everything was perfect for this night. We loved the interactive AR activities, the art displays, and of course the fire show. The songs playing during the shows were fun and upbeat. I even Shazam's one for later to memorialize the night with friends and my partner. I highly recommend this event for all ages. It is a great date night activity too. I'll definitely be back next year for sure. read more

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#900 - I'm ending 2019 with my 900th review! Water + Art + Light A group of us came here during the last weekend of the "Water Serpent" light festival by Walter Productions. It was a sight to behold! Canal Convergence is a free, interactive, light, art festival held at the Scottsdale Canal. There were plenty to do and lots to see. There was a tent selling fresh beignets, vendors enticing people to buy their artistic goods, and there were various informative displays to learn from. The cost? None! Entrance was all free. The Water Serpent show we caught had Queen's, "Bohemian Rhapsody," playing but the song differs every show which plays at the top of the hour. It's a short walk around the Scottsdale Canal and you can easily spend an hour just poking around and taking photos for the Instagram. I look forward to seeing more art and light festivals here! read more

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It was free, the light and fire displays were unique. We came on the final Sunday night and got VERY lucky in finding a quick, convenient parking spot. I can see how parking would be very difficult and discouraging though. The event was mobbed - shoulder to shoulder. Lines for everything were super long. Everything our kids thought was cool (the light-up swings, food trucks) had lines that were way too long to justify standing in considering it was a school night and we were on a limited timeline. Probably a one and done for us. read more

Canal Convergence is a light festival that takes place along the Arizona Canal between Goldwater Blvd and Scottsdale Rd. Around this 0.7 miles of this portion of the canal is a lights festival, this year it was from November 8th to the 17th. It's a free event, and there's plenty of parking around the canal. I've been here twice, in 2017 and in 2019. Both times there were light art interactives as well as bigger pieces and a show! A light art interactive this year was "Waterlight Graffiti" by Antonin Fourneau, which was a giant black board that when you touch, lights up and you can draw, the light then slowly disappears after a couple of minutes. Another light interactive was called, "Light Orchestra" which had large strobe lights on the ground and when you moved on the platform near them, they moved. The main show this year was "Water Serpent" by Walter Productions which performed a fire show to music. It was spectactular. In 2017 "Les Luminéoles" by Porté par le Vent which were illuminated fishes dancing in the sky to music was the main show. This year the live music stage which also gives announcements throughout the night is on the South side of the Soleri Bridge. Food vendors were there as well. If you would like a map or want to know the times and locations of the light exhibits and shows, go to the info booth! This year the info booth was on the North roundabout of the canal near Olive & Ivy. Usually we hit the info booth first then make a trip around the canal to see everything. There's also a breakdown of all their events on each day on their website. It's a great event which is nice for families or for a date night. Also, if you want a tour ($5) you can go to CanalConvergence.com to RSVP for one. There's usually a sunset tour at the beginning of every evening they're open. And they sell out fast! read more

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This is a fascinating and intriguing display of art meets technology where existing artwork is immersed with your very own artistic interactivity in a creative use of imagination in controlling the overall essence and experience of the complete art experience from the comfort of your smart phone. This is a fun, entertaining and extraordinary fruition of light, art and technology to be experienced. A must see and experience event for everyone. My pictures do not do this Scottsdale night event justice. Just go, enjoy it - plus all the surrounding goodies in, on and around the Canal and Old Town Scottsdale of restos, clubs, shops and more. read more

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We had a fun stroll through the Scottsdale Waterfront with the pups at the newest art installations for Canal Convergence. Parking was easy and we found a spot in the neighboring garage. I enjoyed seeing all the different public art, which included a giant crochet/lace-like ribbon flowing above the canal, a mirrored crystal and an interactive vertical zoetrope art installation where you sit inside, pull a lever and look at the images as if it were a film reel. We went in the afternoon so there weren't a lot of performances but they did have a few workshops for the kiddos. Off to one side there were some booths with food and drink, a seating area with tables and chairs, and a stage where a trio were singing some folksy songs. The pups and humans both had a great time. One of these years we'll have to go at nighttime to see the installations all lit up! Details: -November 9-18, 2018 -Held at the Scottsdale Waterfront -Free admission -Free parking in the nearby garages Hours: 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. Friday - Saturday (November 9 - 10 and 16 - 17, 2018) 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday (November 11 and 18, 2018) 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. Monday (Veterans Day, November 12, 2018) 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (November 13 - 15, 2018) read more

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The exhibits this year were not very creative. Past years have been much better. The screens were so wrinkled...couldn't they have fixed that. I went with friends and we all agreed that prior years were better. I hope they improve it next year! read more

Colors and bright lights often grab the attention of young children. As we become adults, that still hasn't changed, because here we are, being drawn to Scottsdale to check these fun art exhibits out. We've gone to check out Canal Convergence several times. It's always interesting to see what new ways the artists find to keep audiences entertained. A lot of the art exhibits are interactive! One of the exhibits was a giant tornado sculpture made out of water bottles. Another one was a zoetrope type contraption. You had to get inside and pull and arm bar lever towards you over and over to get the zoetrope cartoon to work. It looked like a light up yoga wheel from the outside. There was also a tunnel that played mythical sounds as you walked through it that was also lighted. On one of the bridges, there were LED lighted cubes that you could stack and climb. Kiddos were all over them. It'd be fun to have them as a home accessory if you had a modern motif. My husband was disappointed that the lattice white lace ribbon over the canal did not light up like everything else, but you could tell that it had so much detail and thought put into it. It was a beautiful piece. The inflatable LED giant flower was a trip. It seemed like it opened and closed. Next to the water bottle tornado and the lighted tunnel, it was one of the biggest art pieces there. Walter productions created metal lotus sculptures that were colorful and sitting on the water. For some reason, that Friday evening, the first night of the Convergence exhibit, they were not blowing torch flames out of the center. From others' photos and videos subsequent evenings, the torches emanating from the center of the lotuses were quite a sight to see so I'm sorry we missed that! We had fun exploring and look forward to seeing what future Canal Convergences bring! read more

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I love Canal Convergence (Scottsdazzle too) and was thrilled I got to go this year! Even got in on the VIP Lounge Closing Bash! It's always such unique art and experiences. Very colorful which is my favorite part! Floom was a pretty cool fire show this year, was happy to catch it the first day I went! read more

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My husband and I always try to check out the new art displays at the Waterfront. The huge crocheted lace that was displayed is beautiful and all the work that had to go into making it is amazing. Definitely worth checking out this cool beautiful weekend. read more

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This is a series of free, public art installations in Scottsdale. It has varied over the years. Some years there are some cool, thought provoking pieces. Some years it's pretty generic. I'd still recommend checking it out as the price is right. Park a few blocks away at fashion square for free parking. read more

100% recommend!! If you are in Scottsdale and the Canal Convergence is going on...go see it!! It was very interesting to see these interactive light displays. read more

I originally saw this event on Instagram and the fomo had me dying to visit!!! It was so beautiful! The lights and little art show exhibits were all so neat. I wish I could have captured more photos of it all but it really is a sight seeing type of event you have to witness with your own eyes. The best part was that it is a FREE event. There are some vendors like food trucks and SRP had a table set up as well. When we went, we were lucky to see some live performances. I even saw a gentleman filming a music video there by one of the exhibits. I really love that Canal Convergence was a Zero Waste event! The fact that we can create art that is digital and does not have a footprint is a feat in and of itself. There were all kinds of bins marked for compost, recycling, and landfill. There was a free water station where you could fill up your water bottles or drink from a fountain. SRP had a light feature of a tree with gallons of water to represent how much water the average person in AZ uses for basic tasks like dishes and showering. More than just something to do, it is a statement about our world and climate change and all these little things that can bring us together and make us more aware of the world. I recommend anyone visit Canal Convergence! It is fun for the whole family. There are great photo opportunities. It was a bit chilly so bring jackets. I can't wait to see what next years' Canal Convergence looks like! read more

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Wow, this surpassed our expectations! My students decorated a recycle bin, so in true busy mom and teacher style, I scraped in on the last day to check it out among the other art installations with my family. We spent about two hours walking around and interacting with the amazing art. On the top of each hour, they have a fire show to music that came right out of the 11 lotus flowers in the middle of the canal. It's really times like this that we're reminded why we forgive the 6 straight months of horrid temperatures. It was a perfect night on the canal with lots of hands-on activities for big and small. We are looking forward to next year! read more

This was a fun little art festival in Old Town! This was my first year attending and I had a blast walking around and checking out the different types of art showcased here. I went at night and thought it was the perfect timing since everything was lit up already. There was music and other forms of entertainment for families, children, and even adults. It's also near lots of restaurants and little shops, so there's a lot to do. Parking was difficult to find, but for a free event, I had a great time. Will definitely check it out again next year! read more

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Way too many people. You can't even enjoy the art pieces. The light show to music was fun but just one song.

Canal Convergence was a unique and beautiful experience! The location was packed and there were so many people out to see this spectacle. The location was perfect for this event. The art was all so meaningful yet very fun and inviting. The waterway had a fire show in one of the art installations- definitely one of the coolest things I've ever seen! This event occurs once a year, so I would highly recommend checking this out next year! read more

Canal Convergence - Festivals Near Me - Scottsdale, Arizona

So the hubby and I plus the puppy went to take a peek at the show! We went around 5:30 pm to catch the sunset happening and enjoyed seeing the lights in the daytime. However, the real show starts on the hour. The light up snake twists and the lights move in harmony. The fire comes out of the snake at times as well. It was a cute but short show. Only lasted four minutes to the song "can't touch this". We enjoyed walking the whole canal after the fact. Spent about an hour there tops. Great for families to walk around with or for a casual date night. We also enjoyed learning about tips to help with water conservation. read more

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This is one of my favorite art events of the year. Scottsdale Public Art presents this and they always do such an amazing job. The Canal Convergence is an annual series of interactive art events at the Scottsdale Waterfront. These displays are in and around the Scottsdale canal. In addition to art installations, there is live music and dance, workshops, artist talks, food, bike rides and poetry. The great thing is that this event is free and goes for about a week. The highlight for 2018 were the glowing aluminum lotus sculptures that floated on the surface of the water. Floatus shoots controlled flames in the air and is choreographed to music. Another highlight was Iceberg. It is 14 illuminated metallic arches that form a tunnel and create sound and light as you walk through it. One of the things I loved were the many mechatronic butterflies that were hanging in the trees on the pathway. They produced colors similar to a kaleidoscope as the wings opened and closed. There were many more highlights to look at like the Infinity Crystal and the Sound Sculpture that were pretty amazing. The weather is always perfect for this event and it was nice to see a good crowd come out to appreciate some good art while walking the canal. read more

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Do you like art? A free date night? Perfect weather? Then definitely check out he Canal Convergence. Every year the canal is transformed with fun art installations all throughout it's boardwalk. Whether you show up during the day or at night, there is something for everyone. The highlights of 2018: - The floatus show: Water lilys in the canal that shot fire into the air in harmony with music (multiple shows a night) - The Crochet Banner - The transformation wheels They run multiple shows throughout the day. Activities for adults and children to keep you occupied and best part it is all free. Lots of free parking so you can go check it out for yourself. Be warned that it does tend to get crowded at night especially opening weekend and closing weekend. Also if you aren't a huge fan of art, this might not be interesting to you. read more

Nice distraction for sure, l was expecting more reading about it. It was at a perfect location, easy parking, a free event for all especially for families with young kids. The art exhibits are very colorful and huge, sure to provoke "awe and wow"! read more

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Things were a bit more lively at the convergence festival this year. They had giant balloons that change colors and a much better display of light in the water. I also noticed some illuminated see saw's and a dude painting below the bridge. With the colors changing on all art, it made for a much more visual experience in 2017. read more

Canal Convergence - Festivals Near Me - Scottsdale, Arizona

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Previous years I think I would have given canal convergence 3.5 or 4 stars. Neat, but crowded and difficult to find parking. Well this is one of the few benefits of COVID is they had to get creative (well even more creative) and spread it out and we loved it. We want them to keep this format post COVID! This is our third or fourth year checking out the installations. This years were by far the best since 4 years ago. We loved a few years ago these giant flying structures they had and haven't been quite as impressed since till this weekend. By spreading out the art installations over several blocks, they were much larger and more impressive and the most unique collection we have seen. They were all easy to find with the interactive map we picked up at the canal and we scanned the barcode and the directions on our phones took us right to the next once. There was a lot more room at each one to view it and we never felt crowded or like we couldn't properly social distance. Parking was a lot less chaotic and we were able to quickly find spots at each installation. Guess a good "pivot" had to finally come out of this years madness! They also offered several online art events to watch such as poetry reading. We caught a few and they were all really unique! Such amazing local artists online and then the installations represented artists well from all around the world! read more

Canal Convergence - Festivals Near Me - Scottsdale, Arizona

I write this review as a visitor to the area. My mother and I came across this event this evening while we were walking around Old Town. Folks who like looking at arty and crafty things to buy in booths will have their fill here. We enjoyed seeing the canal and the lights and all the people out. The local band who was playing sounded great--sort of like Arcade Fire. The light up circle area is great for both kids and adults. There are not food booths or a food truck, but there are so many nice places to enjoy a drink and a snack at the restaurants along both sides of the canal. I also enjoyed all of the public art. If one was looking for a place to be on Saturday night, this is a solid option. read more

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My wife and I spent a nice evening out along the canal district of Old Town Scottsdale to take in the Canal Convergence. The canal area is beautiful, calming and relaxing but the event itself needed a whole lot more. Seeing flames shot into area with piped in music of Neil Diamond's "America" was nice but I expected a whole lot more from Scottsdale. Maybe I went on an off night because the website had pictures of a lot more "wow". Knowing Scottsdale I would definitely give it another shot. read more

Canal Convergence - Festivals Near Me - Scottsdale, Arizona

In the past, this event has been great and I have mixed emotions about criticizing something that is free, but this year (2020), it comes nowhere near to what has been done in the past. There are very few exhibits on the canal itself which is where we explored and none are as near as impressive as ones from the past. They spread it out throughout old town Scottsdale because of COVID but that defeats the ability to have a nice stroll along the waterfront and see the exhibits. Now you have to go fight Scottsdale traffic and parking or have a hefty hike. So sad, but for the canal version, I had to give it one star. read more

Always enjoyable to be outdoors and support the arts but very disappointed in the decline of quality from 2018 installations. Not only far fewer offerings, but the creativity and ingenuity didn't approach 2018's innovative works. We encourage Scottsdale to continue this free public event but with an eye toward 2018 standards. read more