Navajo Nation Calendar of Events 2025

The 2025 Navajo Nation Fairs at a Glance

Fair Name	Primary Dates	Location	Key Features/Theme
Eastern Navajo Fair	July 24–27	Crownpoint, NM	Kicks off the major fair season with a regional focus.4
Central Navajo Agency Fair	August 11–17	Chinle, AZ	2025 Theme: “Honoring our Colorful Horses with the Empowerment of Dine Language, Culture, & Tradition”.5
77th Annual Navajo Nation Fair	September 2–7	Window Rock, AZ	The “Largest American Indian Fair,” featuring a major rodeo, powwow, and the Miss Navajo Nation pageant.4
112th Northern Navajo Fair	October 2–5	Shiprock, NM	The “Oldest and Most Traditional” fair, known for the Yei Bi Cheii ceremony and a new Fourth of July celebration.1
Western Navajo Fair	October 16–19	Tuba City, AZ	The “Grand Finale” of the fair season, known for its large scale and blend of traditional and modern entertainment.8

1.1 The 77th Annual Navajo Nation Fair (Window Rock, AZ)

• Dates & Location: September 2-7, 2025, at the Navajo Nation Fairgrounds in Window Rock, Arizona.⁴
• Description: As the “Largest American Indian Fair in North America,” the Navajo Nation Fair is the flagship event of the year. It serves as a comprehensive showcase of Diné life and culture, drawing visitors from across the globe. The fair is a microcosm of the Nation itself, a temporary city where all facets of the society converge. Its location in Window Rock, the capital, underscores its importance as a nexus of government, commerce, agriculture, and culture.⁴ The event features a professional PRCA rodeo, a vibrant powwow, traditional song and dance competitions, extensive agricultural and livestock exhibits, a sprawling Indian Market for artisans, and a large carnival midway for families.⁶
• Featured Events: A centerpiece of the fair is the prestigious Miss Navajo Nation Pageant, where contestants demonstrate fluency in Diné culture, language, and modern skills to become the Nation’s foremost goodwill ambassador.¹⁰ Other highlights include a large parade, competitive exhibits for everything from produce to traditional arts, and the carnival, which offers unlimited ride wristbands on specific days.⁶ The convergence of these elements makes the fair the most complete annual expression of Navajo identity.

1.2 The 112th Northern Navajo Fair (Shiprock, NM)

• Dates & Location: October 2-5, 2025, at the Northern Navajo Fairgrounds in Shiprock, New Mexico.¹
• Description: Known as the “Oldest and Most Traditional of the Navajo Fairs,” this event places a profound emphasis on cultural heritage.⁷ The Shiprock Fair is distinguished by the inclusion of the
  Yei Bi Cheii, a sacred and significant healing ceremony that is also a public event for observation. This, along with traditional song and dance competitions and a large parade, anchors the fair in deep tradition.³
• New Developments: The Northern Navajo Fair also exemplifies the dynamic fusion of tradition and modernity that characterizes contemporary Diné life. Organizers have recently launched an inaugural Fourth of July Celebration, a two-day festival featuring a powwow, gourd dancing, a 5K “Freedom Run,” and a fireworks display.¹² This blending of an American federal holiday with Diné cultural events showcases a community that honors its unique heritage while actively participating in broader American culture. Attending the events in Shiprock offers a unique opportunity to witness this cultural interplay, from the solemnity of ancient ceremony to the patriotic spectacle of a modern festival.

1.3 The Western Navajo Fair (Tuba City, AZ)

• Dates & Location: October 16-19, 2025, in Tuba City, Arizona.⁸
• Description: Often considered the “Grand Finale” of the fair season, the Western Navajo Fair is a massive celebration known for its high energy and broad appeal. The event list is extensive, demonstrating a deliberate effort to program for a wide demographic, particularly younger generations.⁸
• Event Variety: The fair features all the key elements of a major Navajo gathering, including a rodeo, powwow, parade, and cultural nights.⁸ What sets it apart is the explicit inclusion of contemporary entertainment like a “Main Stage Country Dance,” “Zumba Madness,” and even “Emo Nite” alongside the more traditional events.⁸ This programming strategy indicates a keen awareness of modern pop culture and creates a vibrant atmosphere that attracts youth and families. The Western Navajo Fair is an excellent place to observe how contemporary trends are integrated into a large-scale community celebration, making it one of the most dynamic events of the year.

1.4 Regional Celebrations: Eastern and Central Fairs

Beyond the three largest fairs, the regional fairs in Crownpoint and Chinle are vital expressions of local identity and community pride. These events offer a more intimate, community-focused experience.

• Eastern Navajo Fair: Taking place from July 24-27, 2025, in Crownpoint, New Mexico, this fair officially kicks off the main fair season.⁴ It serves as the primary summer gathering for the eastern region of the Navajo Nation.
• 39th Annual Central Navajo Agency Fair: Held from August 11-17, 2025, in Chinle, Arizona, this fair highlights the specific values and heritage of its region.⁵ The 2025 theme, “Honoring our Colorful Horses with the Empowerment of Dine Language, Culture, & Tradition,” points to a focused effort on cultural preservation centered on the importance of the horse and the Diné language.⁵ For visitors, these regional fairs provide a wonderful opportunity to experience the unique character and hospitality of different parts of the vast Navajo Nation.

Section 2: The Heartbeat of the People – Powwows, Rodeos, and Artisan Showcases

Throughout the year, a vibrant circuit of powwows, rodeos, and artisan markets keeps the cultural heart of the Nation beating. These events are both profound cultural expressions and significant economic drivers.

2.1 The Powwow Trail: A Guide to Celebration and Etiquette

A powwow is a social gathering where Native American people come together to sing, dance, socialize, and honor their cultures. It is a powerful, contemporary expression of Indigenous identity, open to all who wish to attend respectfully.

• Key Events:

• Northern Navajo 4th of July Gourd Dance & Pow Wow: Held July 4-5, 2025, in Shiprock, New Mexico, this has become a major event on the powwow trail. It features extensive gourd dance sessions in the afternoon, followed by a Grand Entry and intertribal dancing in the evening.¹³
• Gathering of Nations Pow Wow: While located off the Nation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this event (April 24-26, 2025) is the largest powwow in North America and is an essential stop for many Diné dancers, drum groups, and artisans. It also hosts the Miss Indian World pageant, the most prestigious cultural title for young Indigenous women.¹⁴
• Community Powwows: Smaller but equally important powwows occur throughout the year, such as the Dilcon Community School’s Back to School Powwow, which supports students and brings the community together.¹⁷
• Visitor Etiquette: To ensure a positive experience for everyone, visitors should observe a few key protocols. Always listen to the Master of Ceremonies (MC), who will announce events and provide instructions. Stand and remove hats during honor songs, such as the Grand Entry, flag songs, or veterans’ songs. Never touch a dancer’s regalia, as it is a deeply personal and often sacred part of their identity. Photography is usually permitted for personal use, but always ask for permission before taking a close-up photo of an individual, and be aware that some ceremonies may prohibit photography entirely.

2.2 In the Arena: A Guide to the 2025 Navajo Rodeo Schedule

Ranching and horsemanship have deep historical roots in Diné culture, and the modern rodeo is a thrilling and immensely popular evolution of these traditions. The Navajo Nation hosts both professional, high-stakes competitions and grassroots community events, reflecting rodeo’s dual role as a career path and a cornerstone of community life.

• Major PRCA Events: The Navajo Nation is a key part of the professional Turquoise Circuit. The premier event is the Navajo Nation PRCA Rodeo, held from May 30 to June 1, 2025, at the Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena in Window Rock.¹⁸ This event draws top cowboys and cowgirls from across the region.
• Fair Rodeos: All of the major fairs—Navajo Nation, Northern, Western, and Central—feature significant rodeo competitions as a main attraction, often with junior, open, and professional categories.³
• Community Rodeos: Throughout the year, local events like the Shonto Rodeo and Long’s Bull Fest in Tseyatoh provide opportunities for local riders and youth to compete and for communities to gather.¹⁷ These events offer a fantastic glimpse into the foundational role of rodeo in family and community life.

2.3 The Artisan’s Hand: A Guide to Arts, Crafts, and Markets

The artisan economy is a central pillar of both cultural preservation and economic self-sufficiency in the Navajo Nation. A sophisticated and multi-layered ecosystem exists to support Diné artists, providing platforms for education, direct sales, and elite competition.

• Educational & Recurring Events:

• Summer Weaving Series at Hubbell Trading Post: On various dates in July, August, and September, this National Historic Site in Ganado hosts weaving demonstrations, offering a chance to see a master craft practiced in a historic setting.⁴
• Crownpoint Rug Auction: This world-renowned monthly auction is a major marketplace for Navajo weavers. Visitors should watch for specific 2025 dates to be announced.²¹
• Major Markets and Festivals:

• Heritage Festival of Arts & Culture: Held June 27-29, 2025, at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, this is a major juried art market featuring top artists from the Navajo and other Colorado Plateau tribes.²²
• Santa Fe Indian Market: From August 16-17, 2025, this is the largest and most prestigious juried Native arts market in the United States. Navajo artists are consistently a dominant presence, showcasing the highest caliber of jewelry, weaving, pottery, and contemporary art.²⁴
• Community and Enterprise Initiatives:

Native Art Market: This Native-owned initiative operates a year-round indoor gallery in Scottsdale and a seasonal outdoor market in Phoenix, providing safe and reliable spaces for Native artists to sell their work directly to the public.²⁶

Miss Navajo Arts and Crafts Enterprise (NACE) Pageant: This inaugural pageant, held in July 2025, represents a focused effort by the tribe’s own enterprise to promote and celebrate its artisans, creating a cultural ambassador for Diné arts.²⁵