Get to know one of the Sonoran Desert’s most stubborn dwellers, a plant so productive it’s earned its place in history. The humble agave, those speared “leaf” plants, is more than a spiky blue-green thing, it’s the foundation of two of the world’s best offerings: tequila and bacanora.
Celebrate the plant from Thursday, April 9 through Sunday, April 12, at the Agave Heritage Festival, a binational celebration rooted in the Sonoran Desert and dedicated to honoring and sustaining the cultural, ecological, and economic significance of agave.
The event takes place at locations all over downtown and beyond and promises more than fun. Through storytelling, education, and community-driven experiences, the festival ignites voices from Arizona and northern Mexico which recognize agave as a sacred plant.
Look for tastings, drink-mixing workshops and an art exhibit. There will also be plant sales, movie screenings and lectures and roundtables that focus on agave culture. Some activities are ticketed and others are free. There are even all-ages events.
However, fun is not the only objective. In fact, it’s down on the list of objectives. The festival aims to bring together growers, Indigenous knowledge holders, researchers, conservationists, artists, chefs and cultural leaders. They all work together to strengthen regional cooperation, protect biodiversity and support the livelihoods of those who steward agave landscapes.
Agave is a keystone of desert ecology and a foundation of cultural identity. From ecological restoration and bat-friendly agricultural practices to ancestral farming traditions and contemporary culinary innovation, the festival touches on science, art and heritage.
For information on all activities visit agaveheritagefestival.com.
Agave Heritage Festival schedule:
Thursday, April 9
Howard Scott Gentry Lecture
WHEN: 4 to 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Tucson Botanical Gardens, Alvernon Way
INFO: All ages
COST: Free
Mezcal Union Uno Social
WHEN: 6 to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Agave House, 943 E. University Drive
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $49.87 but free parking
Passport Desilados Cocktail Class
WHEN: 7 to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Tough Luck Club, 101 E. Pennington Stree
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $45
La Gritona Tequila Tasting
and Mariachi Experience
WHEN: 6 to 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Tap & Bottle North, 7254 N. Oracle Road
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $50
Tequila Ocho + Mezcal
Vago Guided Tasting
WHEN: 7 to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Bar Crisol, 196 W. Simpson Street
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $45
Friday, April 10
Field Notes
WHERE: Whistle Stop Depot, 127 W. Fifth
INFO: All ages
COST: Free but bring money for plant purchases
Resilient Desert and Food
Systems + Plant Sale
WHEN: 10 to 11 a.m.
Agave Tradition and Practices
in Living Landscapes
WHEN: 11 a.m. to noon
Spirit of the Sierras: Bacanora
Without Borders Roundtable
WHEN: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Open Roundtable Discussion
WHEN: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
‘Raicilla Smugglers’ Film
Screening with Q & A
WHEN: 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, April 10
The Plant Project: Chihuahua Desert Art Exhibition by Sandra Harper
WHEN: noon to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Tucson Gastropark, 1625 E. Broadway Boulevard
INFO: All ages
COST: Free
Bar Takeover: Bacanora Takeover
WHEN: 9 p.m.
WHERE: JoJo’s at Old Town Artisans, 76 W. Washington Street
INFO: Ages 21 and older
Small Batch Tasting and Bottle Sale
WHEN: 5 to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Bar Crisol, 196 W. Simpson Street
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $45
Don Fulano Agave Spirit Tasting
WHEN: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Barbata, 35 E. Toole Avenue
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $40
Origen Raíz Guided Tasting
WHEN: 6 to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Batch, 118 E. Congress Street
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $50
Spirit of Sonora at
the Tucson Folk Festival
WHEN: 6 to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Jácome Plaza, 101 N. Stone Avenue
INFO: All ages
COST: Free
Sonoran Desert Cocktail Workshop with Gary Nabhan and Don Fulano
WHEN: 6:45 to 7:45 p.m.
WHERE: Barbata, 35 E. Toole Avenue
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $50
Del Maguey Tasting
WHEN: 7 to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Unicorn Zebra, 82 S. Stone Avenue
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $50
Noche de Mezcal
WHEN: 7 to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Whistle Stop, 127 W. Fifth Street
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $65
Saturday, April 11
Field Notes: Tending
Agave in the Living Desert
WHERE: Whistle Stop Depot, 127 W. Fifth Street
INFO: All ages
COST: Free
Setting Up an Agave Farm
WHEN: 9 to 10 a.m.
Agave Cultivation and Tradition Across Mexico
WHEN: 10 to 11 a.m.
Regenerative Agriculture in Arid Landscapes
WHEN: 11 a.m. to noon
The Plant Project: Chihuahua Desert Art Exhibition by Sandra Harper
WHEN: noon to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Tucson Gastropark, 1625 E. Broadway Boulevard
INFO: All ages
COST: Free
The Amazing Agave at
Saguaro National Park
WHEN: 1:15 to 2 p.m.
WHERE: Saguaro National Park-West at the Red Hills Visitor Center, 2700 N. Kinney Road
INFO: All ages and ADA accessible
COST: Free
Agave Crafted by Landscapes
Roundtable Discussion
WHEN: 3 to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Whistle Stop Depot, 127 W. Fifth Street
INFO: All ages
COST: Free
“Future of Water,” UA Fine Arts Student Illustration and AR Exhibition
WHEN: 3 to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Tucson Gastropark, 1625 E. Broadway Boulevard
INFO: All ages
COST: Free
Agua del Sol Mezcal and Mariachi Tasting
WHERE: Westbound, 267 S. Avenida del Convento
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $50
Mezcales Campesinos: Historia del Destilado más complejo del Mundo.
Presented entirely in Spanish
WHEN: noon to 1 p.m.
Presented in Spanish with English subtitles
WHEN: 2 to 3 p.m.
“Hijas del Maguey” Film Screening + Q & A
WHEN: 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress Street
INFO: All ages
COST: Free
Nana’s Kitchen presents Cola Blanca & Lost Lore
WHEN: 4 to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Nana’s Kitchen, 8225 N. Courtney Page Way, Suite 129
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $95
Banhez Guided Tasting
WHEN: 5:30 to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Borderlands Brewing Sam Hughes, 2500 E. Sixth Street
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $50
Mexico in a Bottle Grand Tasting
WHEN: 7 to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Whistle Stop, 127 W. Fifth Street
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $65
Bar Takeover: La Gritona
WHEN: 10 p.m.
WHERE: The Lounge at Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street
Bar Takeover: Del Maguey
WHEN: 10 p.m.
WHERE: The Unicorn Zebra, 82 S. Stone Avenue
Borderlandia’s Sonora Route
Through Bacanora and Sahuaripa
WHEN: April 12 through 15
INFO: Ages 21 and older
COST: $1,095
Sunday, April 12
Agave Heritage Brunch
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
WHERE: The Whistle Stop, 127 W. Fifth Street
COST: $85 excluding taxes and fees
Blues, Brews, BBQ and
Bacanora Brunch Takeover
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: The Canyon Club, Loews
Ventana Canyon Resort,
7000 N. Resort Drive
INFO: Reservations encouraged
COST: $65
Borderlands Restoration
Network Plant Sale
WHEN: 8 to 11 a.m.
WHERE: Bar Crisol + Exo, 196 W. Simpson Street
INFO: All ages
COST: Free
Jaguares y Maguey: Sonora
Moonshine Co fundraiser for
La Tierra del Jaguar
WHEN: 6 to 11 p.m.
WHERE: Sonora Moonshine, 124 E. Broadway Road
Agave Beyond the Bar
WHEN: 6 to 7:30 p.m.
WHERE:Tumamoc Hill, Tumamoc Hill Road
INFO: Register here: bit.ly/4sVTdJ4
COST: Free