Sedona Plein Air Festival: Watching and Taking Part

October 8, 2026

A rocky landscape in Sedona, Arizona. (Brandon Russell · Unsplash License · Edited)

At the Sedona Plein Air Festival, you can watch artists turn the red-rock landscape into paintings, from the first marks to decisions about colour and changing light. Plein air means painting outdoors, and Sedona Arts Center brings together artists working on location across Sedona and the Verde Valley.

Choose a live-painting session if you want to see the process, or the exhibition if you prefer finished works. Public demonstrations offer a closer look at artists’ methods, while the Community Paint Out lets you join in rather than simply watch. Those are different experiences, with different arrangements for taking part.

Dates and the official programme

Festival month: October
Duration: About a week, with some editions lasting nine calendar days
Free watching: Public paint-outs, artist demonstrations and Community Paint Out spectator attendance
Paid activities: Community painting participation and separately ticketed private-location events
Advance arrangements: Ticketed access booked ahead, community painters registered in advance

Sedona Arts Center organises the festival, where you can watch artists paint outdoors across Sedona and the Verde Valley. It publishes each edition’s official programme at SedonaPleinAirFestival.org, with session arrangements and locations. Choose the activity you most want to experience before arranging the rest of your stay. A demonstration gives you a focused encounter with an artist’s working method, whereas an outdoor paint-out, a session of painting on location, puts the landscape alongside the developing work.

Session dates and locations change between editions. If watching artists at work is your priority, choose a public paint-out or demonstration from the programme. For an event on private property, arrange the separate ticket rather than treating it as another public painting spot.

Paint-outs, demonstrations and awards

Moment	Festival position	Session window	Venue	Spectator access
Artist demonstrations	Early and mid-festival	1–3pm, mid-festival session	Sedona Arts Center, venues vary	Free
Community Paint Out	Closing day	9am–noon, check-in from 9am	Arts Center campus and lower lot	Free
Community awards and sale	After the closing paint-out	From 12:30pm	Sedona Arts Center	Public

Programme pattern. Demonstration arrangements vary between editions.

Public paint-outs let you watch a painting develop against its actual subject. Artists work outdoors across Sedona and the Verde Valley, responding to the red rocks and changes in light. You can pay attention to how they select a view, simplify its shapes and build colour, rather than treating the session only as a chance to see the finished image.

Public artist demonstrations recur at the festival, with festival artists explaining or showing their methods. Sedona Arts Center is a demonstration venue, though locations and session arrangements vary between editions. A demonstration suits you if you want to concentrate on how an artist works rather than move between outdoor painting spots.

The Community Paint Out brings participants to the Arts Center campus and lower lot for the closing session. Join it to paint your own response to the setting, or attend as a spectator to see different approaches side by side. Its awards and sale follow the painting session, giving the morning’s work a public conclusion.

The wider festival also has a recurring public awards gathering at Sedona Arts Center. This is distinct from the community awards: its format and timing vary between editions, and it celebrates the featured artists’ work. Choose the community awards to see the results of the closing paint-out, or the wider gathering for the featured artists’ paintings.

The Special Exhibition Gallery at Sedona Arts Center hosts an exhibition and sale of paintings by the featured artists. The exhibition can extend your encounter with the festival beyond its live-painting days. Viewing finished works together lets you compare subjects and treatments without trying to follow several outdoor sessions. The exhibition’s daily viewing hours are noon–5pm.

Name: Sedona Arts Center
Location: 15 Art Barn Rd, Sedona, AZ 86336 Maps
Site: sedonaartscenter.org
Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; Sun 12pm–5pm

Taking part, tickets and costs

The Community Paint Out welcomes all ages and skill levels. You do not need to be one of the featured festival artists to join it. For painting participation, budget roughly $10–$20 per person. This is a separate choice from attending as a spectator, so decide whether you want to make a painting or watch before arranging your visit.

For the community session, use the festival’s official programme to reach the sign-up form. Public demonstrations need no reservation. They are a straightforward option if you want to watch an artist work without committing to a painting activity or buying access to a private location.

Community participants may offer their work for sale, with a 25% commission applying to sales. Allow for that deduction when deciding what price to put on your painting. The sale gives you an opportunity to present what you have made, but you can also join the session for the experience of painting outdoors.

Staying nearby and arriving for sessions

Accommodation near Sedona Arts Center is convenient if your visit centres on demonstrations, the Community Paint Out or the exhibition. These activities bring you back to the same campus, whereas regional outdoor paint-outs may take you elsewhere. Choose your sessions before deciding whether staying close to the Arts Center matters more than another part of Sedona.

Free visitor parking is available on campus, in the courtyard between buildings and at the bottom of the hill beside the Art Barn. Leave time to park and get to your session rather than arriving as it begins.

For outdoor watching or painting, bring water and sun protection, wear comfortable footwear and take layers. Keep artists’ working areas clear, especially around easels and materials. Plan a meal break between sessions rather than during a demonstration. After the closing paint-out, the awards and sale follow soon afterwards, so leave room for lunch after that gathering if you want to stay for both.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: opening hours and services.