What WestWorld Of Scottsdale Is
WestWorld of Scottsdale is a large, city-owned multi-use event facility in North Scottsdale, built around an extensive equestrian center alongside general-purpose arenas, exhibit halls, and outdoor grounds used for everything from horse shows to car auctions to general festivals and expos. It functions less like a single stadium and more like a fairground-scale campus, with multiple arenas, exhibit buildings, and outdoor lots that get reconfigured depending on which event is running. Its equestrian facilities in particular are considered among the more significant in the country, which is part of why the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show has run there for decades.
Barrett-Jackson: The Scottsdale Car Auction
Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction is one of the best-known classic and collector car auctions in the world, and WestWorld has hosted it for decades running, generally in January. Beyond the auction itself, the event typically includes vehicle displays, vendor areas, and other automotive-culture programming spread across WestWorld's grounds, drawing large crowds well beyond serious bidders. Because exact dates, ticket tiers, and daily schedules are set fresh each year and can shift, check Barrett-Jackson's official site directly before planning a trip around it rather than relying on a previous year's dates.
The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show
The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, generally held over roughly ten days each February, is described as the largest Arabian horse show in the world, drawing thousands of horses and a very large number of visitors to WestWorld each year. It functions as both a serious competition — spanning halter classes, western pleasure, dressage, and other disciplines — and a public event with a large shopping expo alongside the competition rings, so visitors without any equestrian background can still find plenty to look at beyond the horse classes themselves. As with Barrett-Jackson, confirm current dates and ticket details directly with the show's official site before planning around it.
Planning a Visit: Parking, Crowds and Timing
Both of WestWorld's marquee events draw large crowds, so it's worth building extra time into your schedule for parking and entry, especially on weekend days when attendance is typically at its highest. WestWorld sits well north of Old Town Scottsdale, so plan on driving rather than folding a WestWorld visit into a walkable Old Town day, and check whether your event offers reserved or preferred parking if you want to avoid a longer walk from an overflow lot. If you're visiting during January or February, that overlaps with Scottsdale's broader winter high season, so book lodging and, if relevant, rental cars well in advance — see our best time to visit Scottsdale guide for how that season affects pricing and availability generally.
Other Events at WestWorld
Barrett-Jackson and the Arabian Horse Show are WestWorld's two highest-profile annual events, but the venue also hosts other equestrian competitions, general festivals, and expos throughout the year on a rotating calendar. If you're visiting Scottsdale outside January or February and are curious whether something is happening at WestWorld during your trip, checking the venue's own event calendar directly is the most reliable way to confirm, since the schedule is set independently for each year and changes.