Tlaquepaque has posted four dated events for the rest of 2026: Día de los Muertos on Sunday, November 1, the Tree Lighting on Friday, December 4, the Lighting of the Menorah on Sunday, December 6, and the Holiday Sweet Stroll on Saturday, December 19. All four fall between Thursday and Sunday. Those are the days Sedona Shuttle Connect runs, and Shuttle Connect is the city's on-demand service that has covered the Chapel neighborhood since last November.
If you live off Chapel Road, that changes how you get to the village this season. Tlaquepaque's free event shuttle boards in Uptown. The city's microtransit picks up from inside the Chapel neighborhood.
The Shuttle Tlaquepaque Advertises Starts in Uptown
On the Day of the Dead event page, Tlaquepaque says a free shuttle will run all day from Uptown Sedona. Guests park in the Uptown municipal lots and ride to the village's bus loading zone on SR 179. The village's parking page also sends shuttle riders to board at the Sedona Municipal Parking Lot.
From a house near the Chapel of the Holy Cross, using that shuttle means driving north on SR 179 past Tlaquepaque, parking in Uptown, and riding back south.
Shuttle Connect Already Reaches Your Street
On November 4, 2025, Sedona Shuttle announced that starting November 6, Shuttle Connect's service area would grow to include the Mystic Hills and Chapel neighborhoods and the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The announcement said Chapel-area residents would now have easy travel throughout Sedona. The current Shuttle Connect page, updated in July 2026, still lists that coverage and the same core terms.
- Days: Thursday through Sunday, with added days during peak periods and some holidays
- Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Fare: $2 per rider, or $1 for seniors 60 and over
- Booking: the TransLoc app, or Shuttle Connect Dispatch at 928-203-5152
According to the shuttle's FAQ, the $1 fare also applies to people with disabilities, veterans with ID, and Medicare and ACCCHS cardholders. Children 5 and under ride free with an adult. At standard fares, a round trip for two costs $8. At the reduced fare it costs $4. Either way, you don't have to look for a parking space.
There's one practical detail. The FAQ names Uptown, the Los Abrigados area and Hillside Shopping Center as places with designated pickup points, and it does not list Tlaquepaque as one. Instead, it says the TransLoc app will confirm whether your origin and destination are inside the service area. Enter the trip in the app a few days ahead so the answer is settled before festival day.
The Season, Lined Up Against the Shuttle Calendar
| Event | Date | Time | Location | Shuttle Connect running? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day of the Dead | Sunday, Nov. 1 | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Throughout Tlaquepaque | Yes, regular Sunday service |
| Tree Lighting | Friday, Dec. 4 | 5 to 6:30 p.m. | Tlaquepaque North | Yes, regular Friday service |
| Lighting of the Menorah | Sunday, Dec. 6 | 5 to 6:30 p.m. | Patio del Norte | Yes, regular Sunday service |
| Holiday Sweet Stroll | Saturday, Dec. 19 | 3 to 7 p.m. | Throughout Tlaquepaque | Yes, during daily holiday service |
Every listed event ends at least 90 minutes before Shuttle Connect's 8:30 p.m. cutoff. The two December lightings end at 6:30, which leaves two hours to stay for dinner in the village before the last ride home.
November 1 Is the Longest Day on the Calendar
Día de los Muertos runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the longest window of the four events. Tlaquepaque says the celebration honors Abe Miller's original vision for the village, which was to bring Mexican culture, music and celebration to Sedona along with the architecture. Expect large-scale altars and installations throughout the courtyards, traditional ofrendas, papel picado banners and handcrafted calaca figurines. This year the village has also published an altar map that guides visitors to interactive altars around the property.
The posted program names Ballet Folklorico De Colores, Eric Miller, Patrick Ki, Jaleo, Urban Electra, Sedona Dance Project, Mosaico Flamenco, Ritmo Latino Trio and Chris Dunnet Flamenco. The same page also lists Gaetano and Friends from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., after the festival's posted 5 p.m. close. Check with the village before planning around that set. If it does run, it still ends an hour before the shuttle's last window.
For a six-hour Sunday festival, booking a Shuttle Connect ride from Chapel Road means you can arrive and leave on your own schedule.
December Gets Three Evenings, and One of Them Is New
The two lightings on the first weekend of December are short. The Tree Lighting at Tlaquepaque North runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, December 4. Two days later, the Lighting of the Menorah at Patio del Norte keeps the same 5 to 6:30 p.m. window on Sunday, December 6. Both fall on regular Shuttle Connect days, so you can ride on Friday, ride again on Sunday, and never drive to the village that weekend.
The Holiday Sweet Stroll on Saturday, December 19, is the evening that has changed this year. Tlaquepaque describes luminaria-lined walkways and courtyards as new for 2026. At 5 p.m., guests are invited to help light the luminarias throughout the village. Galleries and shops stay open late with Christmas cookies, chocolate truffles, hot spiced cider, eggnog and hot chocolate. Santa visits, Dickens-era carolers stroll the patios, and children get free face painting and ornament painting. The 5 p.m. lighting arrives near dark in mid-December, which is when the candlelight shows best.
December 19 also falls inside the shuttle's daily holiday stretch, which runs December 17 through 24. Service stops on Christmas Day and resumes daily December 26 through 31. The FAQ doesn't list separate hours for those added days, so confirm the hours in the app before you count on a late ride midweek.
Thanksgiving Week Opens the Shopping Window
Between the November festival and the December lightings, the shuttle runs daily from November 19 through 29, except Thanksgiving Day on November 26. That makes a weekday gift-shopping trip from Chapel Road as easy as a weekend one.
The village also has a new shop for that trip. In a September 17 announcement, Tlaquepaque said Good Juju Boutique & Gallery has found a new home in the village. The post didn't give a suite number or opening date, so ask at the village before heading over specifically for it.
If You Drive Anyway, Watch the Overnight Window on SR 179
ADOT's pavement preservation project on SR 179 covers the stretch from the Red Rock Ranger Station to Chapel Road, which includes your turnoff. Work runs overnight from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday evenings through Friday mornings. During those hours traffic is held to one lane in alternating directions, with a 12-foot width restriction. ADOT's project page gives fall 2026 as the expected completion. The Big Park Council's October 12 community update still lists an estimated end date in November.
None of the four events runs past 7 p.m., so a direct trip home finishes before the overnight restrictions begin. A long dinner in the village after the Tree Lighting on December 4 could push a Friday-night drive home past 9 p.m. A late ride booked on Shuttle Connect, which runs until 8:30, gets you home before that happens.
If you're watching how the shuttle and the SR 179 work affect day-to-day life near the Chapel, and what that could mean for a future move or sale, Oak Creek Realty follows this corridor closely. Schedule a free consultation with Liz Adams to talk through what you're seeing on your street this season.
