With their events, Art State Arizona often tries to spotlight different artforms. Their annual Cruise, BBQ & Blues event brings together cars, music, visual artwork and food into one space.
The event, which started more than 15 years ago, will be held at Oro Valley Marketplace on Saturday, Feb. 7. It will have a car show with around 160 classic and modern cars, a barbecue competition, pop-up murals for photo ops, live blues music, vendors and children’s activities.
The event usually draws around 5,000 to 6,000 attendees.
This is a fundraiser for Art State Arizona. It helps to support their healthcare and veteran arts programs, creative aging initiatives and Catalyst Creative Collective art space in Tucson Mall.
Matt Rolland, Art State Arizona’s deputy director, said this is a comeback year for the event, which wasn’t held in 2025. In 2024, they experienced torrential rainfall.
Rolland said Art State Arizona seeks to offer events for people with different interests.
“A lot of what we try to do as an organization is create spaces for community to gather, to celebrate and just appreciate art together,” Rolland said.
Rolland said they had a BBQ competition pre-COVID, and they have decided to bring it back this year.
Around 12 teams of pitmasters, chefs, community groups and restaurants will make different types of barbecued foods, including regional, traditional, Korean BBQ and vegetarian or plant-based options.
Participants will offer items such as slow-smoked ribs; pulled pork; “BBQ sundaes” with baked beans, potato salad and slaw; brisket and pork-belly burnt ends; smoked jackfruit options; smoked pork belly and mint gochujang lamb shoulder with cucumber and nuoc cham; prickly pear ribs; smoked mole chicken; chile relleno sausages; birria brisket nachos and pulled pork mac and cheese.
“It’s whatever style barbecue they want to present. We do have a couple different styles represented. I think anyone that loves barbecues is going to be able to come and find something to love,” Rolland said.
Guests will be able to purchase small and larger plates.
The juried competition will be judged by both professionals and by attendees.
The top teams will receive first and second-place judges’ choice and people’s choice prizes.
Art State Arizona is partnering with Tucson Foodie for the BBQ competition.
As part of the car show, enthusiasts will bring out cars of different makes and models, made in 1929 to 2025.
Rolland said they sometimes get rarer cars such as Roadsters, Ford Coupes and Rolls-Royces.
Enthusiasts also bring kit cars, which were built from scratch. This year, one owner will showcase his 1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster kit car.
Rolland said that the car owners enjoy sharing details about their vehicles.
“I wasn’t a car person before I started helping run this event, and this event has helped me fall in love with classic cars because every car has a story. Every car owner has a very strong relationship with their car. It’s so much fun to talk to them about how they came to own these vehicles, the touches they put on them, the customizations that some of them have put in. That’s where you really see the artistry and personality come through… I think this is a good event to come out, meet the owners and restorers of these cars, see all the love that they put into them, all the special touches, the personality, the creativity and artistry,” Rolland said.
Car owners can win in 35 different award categories, including best paint, best engine, best presentation, best exterior, best interior, best in show and people’s choice.
The winners will be dedicated by local car experts, who are partnering with Art State Arizona to do the judging.
Rolland said often car owners dress up in theme. One year, an owner of an early ‘40s Lincoln Continental came out in a Zoot suit. He also decorated his car with a disco ball and put on mood lighting and themed music.
Another family comes out dressed in yellow, wearing yellow wigs, to match the color of their car. They also bring an RC car that matches their vehicle, which they drive around the event.
Rolland said many of the car owners will put out photo albums to show the work they have done on their vehicles.
For both the barbecue and car show competitions, the trophies are being made by John Benedict, a local sculptor.
“He makes custom trophies every year for the award winners…. He always uses car parts somewhere in his trophies,” Rolland said.
Live painters will be onsite painting images of the cars.
Vendors will display and sell car-themed merchandise, children’s books, artwork and craft items. Local nonprofits and businesses will also have booths.
For families, the event offers face painting, jumping castles and car-themed arts and crafts activities such as painting wooden cars.
Art State Arizona has also partnered with Power from the Past, which will host an antique tractor and engine experience at the show. They will offer rope making and cornhusking activities for families.
Throughout the day, attendees can listen to different styles of blues.
Garrett James and the Wanderers is a blues-rock group inspired by vinyl-era blues and cassette-era rock music. They recently won Alice Cooper’s Proof Is the Pudding competition.
Award-winning harmonica veteran Bob Corritore and guitarist/vocalist Jimi “Primetime” Smith have developed a longtime partnership that is rooted in traditional Chicago blues.
The Xcelerators powerhouse blues ensemble is made up of veteran musicians from around the country, who have more than 250 years of combined experience.
Cruise, BBQ & Blues
WHEN: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7
WHERE: Oro Valley Marketplace, 12155 N. Oracle Road, Oro Valley
COST: $5 at the door, free for kids 10 and under, $1 off for veterans, active military and first responders, free parking
INFO: artstateaz.org