8-11am | Free | All Ages
Mission Garden

Be part of history and the future! Join us at Mission Garden to plant agave in the traditional Hohokam style, inspired by ancient plantings on Tumamoc Hill. These agave plants will provide food for bat pollinators and may even become part of a future festival’s roasting pit.

No experience is needed, and families are encouraged to join! We’ll provide all tools and gloves—just bring your enthusiasm, long pants, and a hat for sun protection.

Ticketed | 21+ | Whistle Stop Depot

Tickets coming soon!

Experience an unforgettable evening celebrating mezcal, bacanora, and Sonoran heritage foods. Enjoy a multi-course dinner paired with craft cocktails from pop-up bars featuring leading regional brands. Chefs and mezcaleros come together to share the flavors, stories, and spirit of the desert.

Free | All Ages | Jácome Plaza

Celebrate the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Sonoran Desert at this bi-national event uniting Tucson and the State of Sonora. Enjoy live music, artisan vendors, and tastings of Sonoran spirits like bacanora and sotol paired with regional foods. Explore the shared heritage and creativity that connect our desert communities across the border.

8:00 am | All Ages | FREE

Explore the slopes of Tumamoc Hill on a guided hike, enjoying stunning Sonoran Desert views while discovering how agave has played a vital role in the region’s past and present.

This tour offers insights into the ecology, cultural history, and desert adaptations that have shaped this unique landscape.

Time TBD | Free | All Ages

Explore how agave connects soil, water, and climate resilience across the Sonoran Desert. This session brings together farmers, researchers, and conservationists to discuss sustainable cultivation, pollinator ecology, and the future of agave-based economies in a changing environment.

8 - 11 am | Free | All Ages | Mission Garden

Witness one of the festival’s most beloved traditions as we gather at Mission Garden to roast agave in the traditional Sonoran way. Learn from cultural practitioners and desert ecologists as they share the history, process, and significance of this centuries-old practice. Enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the pit as the agaves slowly cook, honoring the connections between people, plants, and place that continue to shape life in the desert.

Time TBD | Free | All Ages

Discover the cultural roots and creative expressions of agave through stories, art, and tradition. Hear from community leaders, historians, and makers who preserve and reinterpret agave’s role in food, ceremony, and identity across generations and borders.

The Howard Scott Gentry Award was established in 2017 by Dr. Gary Nabhan and the Agave Heritage Festival to recognize leaders in binational collaborative research on agave conservation and use.

6 - 10 pm | Ticketed | 21+ | Whistle Stop Depot

Tickets coming soon!

Experience Mexico’s premier craft spirits tasting, featuring mezcal, bacanora, rum, and more. Meet producers, explore regional flavors, and celebrate the stories that connect people, place, and tradition. Presented by the Agave Heritage Festival in partnership with Mezcalistas.

Time TBD | Free | All Ages

Celebrate the connections that agave inspires between communities, landscapes, and ideas. This conversation highlights cross-border collaboration and shared learning among producers, artists, and advocates shaping the future of the agave world together.

Ticketed | 21+ | Whistle Stop Depot

Tickets coming soon!

Close out the festival with a joyful celebration of desert flavors and community. The Agave Heritage Brunch brings together Tucson’s top chefs, mixologists, and mezcaleros for an inspired tasting experience that highlights regional ingredients, seasonal dishes, and agave spirits. Raise a glass to the people, plants, and traditions that sustain life in the Sonoran Desert.

Time TBD | Free

Join naturalist Robert Villa for a relaxed sunset hike created for bartenders, chefs, and spirits professionals. Step into the Sonoran Desert to experience agave beyond the bar and discover how the landscapes, plants, and stories of this region continue to shape its most iconic spirits.