The Sedona Mountain Bike Festival has always been a spring event. In 2024 it filled Posse Grounds Park on March 8 to 10. In 2025 it ran March 13 to 16. This year it will be held November 6 to 8, 2026, at the same park, 525 Posse Ground Rd. The new date makes the festival the last big event of a busy fall at the park. October at Posse Grounds has become the run-up to it, and some of that prep work is being done by neighbors with shovels.
Why the Festival Moved
The festival announced the change in a press release published on Pinkbike on September 4, 2025. It said the event was "breaking tradition" and moving to fall. Festival Director Mike Raney gave the reason in one line: "The trails are dialled in November, and the weather is what everyone is looking for."
When tickets went on sale in May 2026, the festival called the move its "shift to prime fall riding conditions." Raney added, "We've already shifted gears into fall, and now we're making it easier for everyone to get in on the ride."
Some of the festival's own website hasn't caught up. The schedule page still shows the 2025 program and says to check back for 2026 updates. The homepage still calls it one of the first MTB events each spring. Search results and old bookmarks may still point to March. The November dates are the correct ones.
October Is When the Bike Park Gets Ready
In a spring year, the bike park was prepared over the winter, when there was little else going on at Posse Grounds. With a November festival, that work happens in October, and the City of Sedona is asking the community to help.
The city announced eight volunteer sessions at Posse Grounds Bike Park to get every trail and feature ready for the festival. The sessions run on four Wednesdays, each with a morning and an afternoon shift:
- Wednesday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 14, same two shifts
- Wednesday, Oct. 21, same two shifts
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, same two shifts
The tasks include removing rocks and debris, adding topsoil to features, trimming vegetation, shaping features, clearing drainages and removing ruts. You don't need any trail-building experience, and tools are provided. Volunteers meet at the Pump Track, sign a waiver and get a safety briefing. You bring your own gloves, eye protection, closed-toe shoes, water, and a helmet if you plan to ride. You're also welcome to bring a bike and test the trails you just worked on. Questions go to the city's Multi-Modal Coordinator, Phil Yates, at [email protected].
The city's announcement says the park is being prepared "before it is experienced by riders from all over the world." Under the old March dates, nobody in town would have been shaping those berms in October.
Oct. 17: Two City Events in the Middle of Prep Season
Halfway between the second and third work days, the city holds its own events at the same park. Fest of Fall runs Saturday, Oct. 17, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Posse Grounds Park. The city calls it its "newest family-focused community celebration."
The 2026 food truck list includes Roxie's Drive N' Diner, Vita's Filipino Kitchen, La Tapatia, Dellepiane, Cheeky Kiwi New Zealand Style Ice Cream, Samantha Daissy Sweets and Sedona Coffee Co. There's a pickleball tournament, a Game On Gaming Center, a free Glampershots photo booth, and a Kidz & Heroes Cornhole Tournament. That tournament pairs local kids with first responders, teachers, healthcare workers, veterans and volunteers, and the first bags fly at 11 a.m.
The stage schedule runs every hour:
- 12:00, Community Karaoke
- 1:00, Community Dance with Sara Woolsey
- 2:00, James Reid's juggling
- 3:00, Magical Michael Steele
- 4:00, Best of the Fest contest winners
The morning starts at the pool. Pumpkin Splash runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the city sends families on to Fest of Fall afterward to carve their pumpkins for the Best of the Fest contest.
The city is also using Fest of Fall to encourage people to leave the car at home. Anyone who arrives by bike or public transit gets a free Rider's Raffle ticket for a $70 gift bag from Natural Grocers. Sedona Shuttle Connect, the on-demand service, will pick up riders almost anywhere inside city limits for $2 each. That's a useful trial run for three weeks later, when parking at the same park gets much tighter.
The Sunday farmers market also changed its schedule this month. The Sedona Farmers Community Market switched to winter hours, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting today, Oct. 4. It's still in the Wells Fargo lot at 2201 W. State Route 89A. September 27 was the last early market, which ran 8 a.m. to noon. On Sunday, Nov. 8, the market's winter hours will overlap with the last day of the bike festival up the road.
Festival Weekend, Seen From the Neighborhood
Visit Sedona lists festival hours as 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. across the three days. Here's what the festival has published so far about getting in and around:
| Topic | What's published for 2026 |
|---|---|
| Driving in | Drivers coming from Phoenix or Flagstaff are told to turn onto Soldiers Pass Road and follow event signs |
| On-site parking | $10 per vehicle, and the festival describes it as very limited |
| Parking fee exceptions | The parking page waives the fee for cars with at least two people or a festival pass. The FAQ doesn't mention exceptions |
| Getting there without a car | The festival encourages biking, walking, taxi, Uber and Sedona Shuttle Connect, and offers a free bike valet |
| New pass for 2026 | A $70 one-day shuttle-only pass, which doesn't include demo bikes |
| Other passes | $110 for one day and $224 for three days. At checkout, the three-day pass comes to $232.86 with an $8.86 fee |
Because the parking page and the FAQ disagree on when the $10 fee is waived, check the festival's parking page before you drive over.
The regular Sedona Shuttle runs year-round, Thursday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., so it's running all three festival days. Its Posse Grounds Park & Ride at 20 Carruth Drive serves the Soldier Pass trailhead. The Soldier Pass lot is closed whenever the shuttle is running and every night from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.
You need a festival pass to ride demo bikes or use the festival's trail shuttles. Demo bikes are first-come, first-served, and a typical demo ride lasts one to two hours. The festival's trail shuttles take riders one way to the trailhead and don't bring them back. The festival hasn't said whether you can walk the expo without a pass. Its 2026 pages only list prices for riding access.
What the Weekend Holds Beyond the Trails
The 2026 music lineup is already posted. Santa Pachita plays Friday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., followed by Ryan Chrys & The Rough Cuts from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Originals and The Last Train to Juarez play Saturday, and Invincible Grins and Local Honey close out Sunday. Food trucks include Blackhawk Coffee, The Funky Pita, Tot BoX, Pizzicletta Wood Fired Kitchen and Dellepiane Sedona. Dellepiane is also on the Fest of Fall list three weeks earlier.
For kids, Shred the Red is a clinic for ages 7 to 12 on Sunday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to noon. On Saturday at 4:30 p.m., Thunder Mountain Bikes and Arizona MTB Academy sponsor a Bunny Hop Competition.
The beer garden helps fund local trails. The festival says part of its proceeds go to the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition. The coalition calls the festival "the VVCC's largest fundraiser of the year." Its volunteers run beer token sales in shifts from noon to 7 p.m. each day, and a member named Pam is organizing "Ride with a Local" outings for visitors. The festival's exhibitor page lists Red Rock Trail Crew, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, the City of Sedona and the U.S. Forest Service among its partners.
One part of the weekend doesn't happen at the park at all. Freehub PRESENTS, an evening of mountain bike films, screens Friday, Nov. 6, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, 2030 W. State Route 89A. Tickets are $15. Beer sales that night also benefit the VVCC.
The following Sunday, Nov. 15, Sedona Symphony performs "Simple Gifts" at 3 p.m. at the Sedona Performing Arts Center, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road. That's a week after the festival grounds are packed up.
Our family has been selling homes in Sedona for a long time, and we follow how the calendar changes the feel of each neighborhood. If you own in West Sedona and wonder how a November festival might affect showing dates or the photos of your home, Cindy Chapman Group is happy to talk it through over coffee. Schedule your complimentary Sedona home consultation, and we'll plan around Posse Grounds' busiest weekends.