"It is the first event out of winter." That was how festival co-founder Matt McFee explained the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival's long hold on March, in a December 2024 profile in The Loam Wolf. The same article said the festival dates "don't look to change anytime soon."
Nine months later, the dates changed. The 2026 festival runs Friday, Nov. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 8, at Posse Grounds Park, 525 Posse Ground Rd. For West Sedona, that is more than a calendar shift. The industry's calendar used to set the date for an event held at the park down the street. Now Sedona's own trails set it, and this year's schedule shows the difference.
Why March Held for Ten Years
The first festival took place the first weekend of March 2015. It drew about 800 people and around 40 vendors, all packed into Tlaquepaque. "Tlaquepaque didn't want us back, and we didn't want to go back," McFee told The Loam Wolf. The City of Sedona then found the event a home at Posse Grounds. By the time of that 2024 profile, the festival had grown to roughly 6,000 attendees and 90 bike brands.
The March date served the businesses behind that growth. In the same profile, McFee said vendors start the year with new budgets, and a March festival let companies announce products weeks before Sea Otter, the big spring industry event. A later date, he said, would clash with other commitments. His company, Hermosa Tours, runs the festival shuttles, and its vans would already be booked for trips elsewhere. Staff and volunteers would have other plans too.
The cost was weather. The profile recalled the 2023 "Snow-dona" festival. Even so, the festival kept to March: Sedona Monthly listed the 2024 edition for March 8 to 10 at Posse Grounds, and the 2025 edition ran March 14 to 16.
The Reversal
On Sept. 4, 2025, the festival announced its move to fall in a press release published on Pinkbike. Festival Director Mike Raney, who also owns Thunder Mountain Bikes, the festival's official shop, gave the reason in two sentences.
"We've been spinning on this idea for a while. Now we're finally dropping in. The trails are dialled in November, and the weather is what everyone is looking for."
The release talks about trail and weather conditions, not vendor budgets or product launches. That means there was no spring festival in 2026, and the gap between editions is close to 20 months. The festival's site lists the November 2026 dates and no 2027 dates yet. The announcement calls November a change for 2026 and does not say the new date is permanent.
The City Scheduled October Work on the Bike Park
The move also changed the city's calendar. On Sept. 16, 2026, the City of Sedona invited volunteers to eight October trail sessions at Posse Grounds Bike Park. Crews would work on every bike trail and feature in the park to get them ready for the festival. The jobs included clearing rocks and debris, adding topsoil to features, trimming vegetation, clearing drainages and fixing ruts, and the city said no trail-building experience was needed.
The schedule gives the bike park on the festival grounds its tune-up in the weeks just before the crowds arrive. Under a March date, that work would have fallen in late winter.
What a November Date Adds to the Program
The 2026 schedule still has demos, clinics and pro-led rides, but some of it only makes sense in November.
On Friday at 10 a.m., the Expeditionary Veterans Association leads a Veterans Honor Ride. The festival calls it "a special Veterans Day tribute": an intermediate, no-drop ride open to veterans, active-duty military and civilian supporters. A March festival could not have tied in Veterans Day. At 2 p.m. the same day, riders can meet at the Forest Service booth for "Ride with a Ranger," an intermediate ride of 1.5 to 2 hours near the venue.
The evenings stretch beyond the expo. A 6 p.m. Friday night ride with Outbound Lighting, REEB and i9 starts from the REEB booth, with lights provided. Freehub PRESENTS, a program of mountain bike films, shows at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, with tickets through the Sedona International Film Festival.
The guided rides run on trails many West Sedona riders already know. The routes include Jordan and Javelina, Tea Cup, Brewer and Hogs, Andante and Chimney Rock, and Adobe Jack, plus a Shimano shuttle-assisted ride through Carroll Canyon on Saturday. Sunday's women's group ride offers several route options in the Soldier Pass network. The "Ride with a Local" outings leave from the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition booth. Arturo Saldano leads a Friday morning loop on Jordan and Javelina, and Dan Giroux leads an advanced afternoon ride on Brewer and Hogs.
The Weekend From the Park's Edge
Most of what affects nearby streets comes down to timing and parking. Here is the daily rhythm from the official schedule:
| Time | Friday & Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. | Gates open | Gates open |
| 10 a.m. | First trail shuttle | First trail shuttle |
| 1 p.m. | Beer garden opens | Beer garden opens |
| 2 p.m. | Last trail shuttle departs | Last trail shuttle departs |
| 5 p.m. | Last return shuttle | 4:30 p.m. last return |
| Close | 7 p.m., expo closes and cars must be off the parking fields | 6 p.m., festival wraps |
The festival calls parking "very limited" and asks people to ride in. It offers a free bike valet where your bike is kept secure during the day. On-site parking is first-come and costs $10, but the festival's parking page says the fee is waived for cars with two or more people or a festival pass, and the profits go to local trail groups. There's no camping and no overnight parking for vans or RVs at the venue.
Passes cover demo bikes and shuttles. New this year is a one-day pass that covers shuttles only, without demos. Kids need a pass only if they'll use demos or shuttles. A child who brings their own bike and rides at or near the venue doesn't need one. On Sunday, the Shred the Red youth clinic is for ages 7 to 12, with advanced-beginner and intermediate groups.
The main stage runs all three days:
- Friday: Santa Pachita, 1 to 3 p.m.; Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
- Saturday: The Originals and Futurist
- Sunday: Invincible Grins and Local Honey
The festival's food-truck lineup includes Blackhawk Coffee, The Funky Pita, Tot BoX, Montana Bar-BQ, Pizzicletta Wood Fired Kitchen, 3's in the Trees, The Cheeky Kiwi Ice Cream Company, Dellepiane Sedona and Chloee's Concert Cravings.
Some of the money from the weekend stays local, according to the festival's philanthropy page. Part of the beer garden proceeds goes to the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition. The Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund provides the free maps and trail advice that come with entry. Raffle proceeds support Wheel Fun, which runs free school mountain bike clubs across Arizona.
Posse Grounds has one more big fall morning on the calendar. The 17th annual Sedona Turkey Trot 5K starts and finishes at the park on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Much of West Sedona's public calendar happens at Posse Grounds, from the Red Dirt concerts to Fest of Fall and now a November bike festival. Life near the park follows that calendar. If you'd like to know how the streets around Posse Grounds and the trailheads above it fit into daily life, Katrin Themlitz is glad to share what she knows. Let's Connect.
