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.

4-5:30pm | Free | All Ages
Tucson Botanical Garden

Celebrate Wendy Hodgson, this year’s Howard Scott Gentry Award recipient, with an engaging talk on the deep connections between agave, people, and place in the Sonoran Desert.

The evening weaves together history and science while looking ahead to the future of agave care and conservation.

Friday, April 10, 2026 at 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM | $55 plus taxes & fees

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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.

Friday, April 10, 2026 at 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | 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.

10 AM-1 PM | Free | All Ages

Discover agave’s role in regenerative agriculture, from soil health and water conservation to restoration and resilience in drylands. This session highlights agave as a climate-adaptive crop with ecological and cultural value in land and spirits.

We also celebrate through light bites of heritage foods, connecting regenerative practice to tangible, place-based experience.

12 PM-4 PM | Free | All Ages

Celebrates agave through heritage foodways and regional spirits shaped by land, culture, and care. This session explores bacanora, raicilla, and the traditions that carry flavor and meaning across generations.

The session features light bites of heritage foods alongside conversations on bacanora, raicilla, and culinary tradition.

Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM | $65 plus taxes & fees

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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.

9-12 | Free | All Ages
Whistle Stop Depot

Brings together farmers, growers, and practitioners to explore agave as an agricultural crop rooted in care, culture, and drylands practice.

Through conversation and practical insight, this session looks at what it means to tend agave responsibly across farms, landscapes, and communities.

3 PM-5 PM | Free | All Ages

Embrace how agave spirits are shaped by desert landscapes and the choices people make along the way. This session offers an accessible look at sustainable production through stories of land, craft, and the living desert.

Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 11:00 AM | $85 excluding taxes & fees

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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.