Here are the top upcoming events in Phoenix.

You won’t want to miss any of these concerts, festivals and other events in the weeks and months ahead in metro Phoenix. 

MORE EVENTS: Best kids events | Best things to do in Phoenix this week | Latest concert announcements

1/5: Pepe Aguilar

Aguilar is a compelling presence on stage: He’s a swaggering 6’5 figure who possesses a rascally sense of humor and a soulful voice that makes heartbreak sound captivating. He has won four Grammys and four Latin Grammys, making him perhaps the most famous member of a Mexican entertainment dynasty: His parents are beloved entertainers Flor Silvestre and the late Antonio Aguilar; meanwhile, his children, Leonardo and Angela, will join him onstage during this tour. 

Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5. Gila River Arena, Loop 101 and Glendale Avenue, Glendale. $30-$120. 800-745-3000, gilariverarena.com.

1/6: Glitter & Glow Balloon Festival

Head to Glendale for a festive and cheery way to start 2018. This event features 20-plus glowing hot air balloons, 1.6 million LED lights, music, food, rides and more.

Details: 4-10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6. 58th and Glendale Avenues, Glendale. glendaleaz.com/events.

1/6: Leslie Jones

Comedian and actress Leslie Jones is known for her recent appearance in Paul Feig’s remake of “Ghostbusters”— she co-starred along with Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig. Jones, who is also a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” has appeared in Chris Rock’s “Top Five.”

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6. Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Salt River Reservation. $65-$150. 480-850-7777, talkingstickresort.com.

1/7: Resolution Run

If you resolved to get more exercise in 2018, the Resolution Run is a great way to make good on that promise. The flat 5K run and walk goes through Papago Park near the Phoenix zoo, behind the Desert Botanical Garden and back through the park. All finishers receive a T-shirt and medal.

Details: 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 7. Ramadas 9 and 10, Papago Park, 625 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. $35 until Jan. 5; $40 after. fieldworksevents.com.

1/9: Markiplier’s You’re Welcome Tour

Mark Edward Fischbach, better known by his online personality name of Markiplier, is bringing his hilarious brand of humor to Phoenix during a stop on his You’re Welcome tour. The YouTube star, who has over 17 million subscribers and 6 billion total views, is well-known for his “Let’s Play” commentary videos as he enthusiastically works his way through survival horror and action video games like “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” Markiplier brings a unique cast of characters for his shows, including LordMinion777 and CrankGameplays.

Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9. Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. $38-$125. 602-379-2800, comericatheatre.com.

1/10: Marilyn Manson

The industrial rocker was supposed to play the Arizona State Fair in October but an onstage accident in New York City forced Manson to cancel.

I saw him the previous summer on the Slipknot tour, and Manson was in top form, from the time he made his first appearance as a silhouette behind the screen on “Angel With the Scabbed Wings” through the stilt-walking antics on “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and the bible-burning theatrics of “Antichrist Superstar,” as played out at the top of his towering podium.

This tour is in support of his acclaimed new album, “Heaven Upside Down.”

Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10. The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $59.99-$65. thevanburenphx.com.

1/11-13: Gilbert Gottfried

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried will perform his signature stand-up act during several shows in Tempe. Gottfried, who started doing stand-up in New York City at age 15, was a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” and has appeared in movies including “Beverly Hills Cop II” and “Look Who’s Talking Too” and also does voiceover work.

Details: Jan. 11-13. 8 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Tempe Improv, 930 E. University Drive. $22. 480-921-9877, tempeimprov.com.

1/12: Artrageous

Described as an “interactive art and music experience,” Artrageous is a unique performance that includes a number of types of art forms, all on one stage. Enjoy watching live art, dance, life-sized puppetry, music and maybe even get a chance to be part of the show.

Details: 8:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12. Wild Horse Pass & Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Gila River Reservation. $29-$69, $10 off for GRIC members with enrollment card. 800-946-4452, wingilariver.com.

1/12-14: Surprise Fine Art & Wine Festival

The Thunderbird Artists are celebrating the launch of their 2018 art festival season with this event in Surprise. Check out beautiful artwork while sampling domestic and imported wines as well as flavored rums. The featured artist is Colleen Everett, who works with ceramics to create sculptures. The festival also features plenty of food and live music.

Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Jan. 12-14. Surprise Recreation Campus, 15960 N. Bullard Ave. $3 admission, $10 for wine-tasting ticket with souvenir glass. thunderbirdartists.com.

1/13-15: ACE Comic Con Arizona

Chris Evans, star of the “Captain America” movie franchise and Tom Holland, star of “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Captain America: Civil War” will headline this three-day event in Glendale. Other guests will include actors Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie and Laura Harrier. Check the site for more guests, including WWE stars.

Details: Jan. 13-15. Noon Saturday; 10 a.m. Sunday; 11 a.m. Monday. Gila River Arena, Loop 101 and Glendale Ave., Glendale. $55 for a 1-day pass, $95 for 3-day pass. 623-772-3800, gilariverarena.com.

1/13-21: Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction

The 47th annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction returns to Scottsdale in January. The auction features plenty of amazing vehicles for sale plus “Behind the Hobby” symposiums and the chance to see the vehicles up close and shop in the Exhibitor Marketplace.

Details: Saturday, Jan. 13-Sunday, Jan. 21. WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road. Daily schedule and ticket prices vary, check website for details. barrett-jackson.com.

1/19: Katy Perry

This tour is in support of “Witness,” a chart-topping album that finds the Queen of Post-Madonna Pop reflecting on the changes in her own life and the world around her since 2013’s “Prism.” The platinum lead single, “Chained to the Rhythm” with Skip Marley, hit the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

WITNESS: The Tour follows Perry’s sold-out, 151-date Prismatic World Tour, which concluded in 2015 and was hailed by Rolling Stone as “a show to damage retinas and blow minds.”

The star made her Capitol Records debut with 2008’s “One of the Boys” after signing to the label in 2007. She cemented her status as a global superstar with the follow-up album, “Teenage Dream,” in 2010. “PRISM,” her 2013 album, debuted at No. 1 on iTunes in 100 countries and has sold more than 12.5 million adjusted albums worldwide. 

With the singles “Firework” and “Dark Horse” each surpassing the 10 million threshold, including song sales and streams, Perry is the first female artist to earn two RIAA digital single Diamond Awards. In her 10 years with Capitol, she’s racked up more than 18 billion streams alongside worldwide sales of more than 40 million adjusted albums and more than 125 million tracks. She is the most-followed person globally on Twitter.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19. Gila River Arena, Loop 101 and Glendale Avenue, Glendale. $45-$1,022. 800-745-3000, gilariverarena.com.

1/20: Big Boi

Big Boi, of course, rose to fame as a member of Outkast, the Atlanta-based hip-hop sensations whose 10-times-platinum “Speakboxxx/The Love Below” won Album of the Year and Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards.

The Daddy Fat Saxxx Tour brings Big Boi to Scottsdale (wth the Cool Kids) in support of “Boomiverse,” his latest solo album. Paste says “The album is far from the work of a legend resting on his laurels; instead, its inventive and genuinely fun sound makes a compelling case for why, 20 years after his debut, we should still be paying attention to Big Boi.”

Details: 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20. Maya Day & Nightclub, 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale. $15. 480-625-0528, mayaclubaz.com.

1/20: Rob Schneider

Comedian Rob Schneider is making a stop in Chandler during his “Please Join Me for an Evening of Lies” tour. During the show, Schneider will offer different perspectives on current events. Schneider is well-known for his time on “Saturday Night Live” in the early 1990s.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20. Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Gila River Reservation. $27-$63, $10 off for GRIC members with enrollment card. 800-946-4452, wingilariver.com.

1/26: St. Vincent

It’s apparently tempting to mistake her latest album, Masseduction,” for Annie Clark dipping a tentative toe in the mainstream, an impression based in large part to her working with Jack Antonoff of fun., who’s done the same for Taylor Swift and Lorde.

But there’s a reason nothing here has followed those two up the pop charts. “Masseduction” may have brought her pop smarts into sharper focus, but there’s no mistaking cuts as willfully eccentric as the title track or “Pills” as anyone’s idea of a mainstream breakthrough. Also, she’s an awe-inspiring lead guitarist and her catalog is full of classic songs that sound amazing live.

Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26. The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $42; $39 in advance. thevanburenphx.com.

1/27: Brad Paisley

One of country’s most consistent hit machines, Paisley scored his first of 18 chart-topping country hits, “He Didn’t Have to Be,” in 1999 and sent a record-breaking streak of 10 consecutive releases to the top from 2005 (“When I Get Where I’m Going,” a duet with Dolly Parton) to 2009 (“Then”).

His biggest hits include four double-platinum singles — “Whiskey Lullaby,” “She’s Everything,” “Then” and “Remind Me,” a duet with Carrie Underwood.

He’s here with Dustin Lynch, Chase Bryant and Lindsay Ell.

Details: 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27. Gila River Arena, Loop 101 and Glendale Avenue, Glendale. $25-$125. 800-745-3000, gilariverarena.com.

1/27: Tacolandia

Phoenix New Times and Dos Gringos present this fest, featuring tacos from 45 places. The event includes live entertainment and cash bars serving Mexican beers and margaritas.

Details: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27. Margaret T. Hance Park, 1134 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. $30 for general admission; $50 for VIP. tacolandiaphx.com. 

1/30-2/25: ‘Hamilton’

The countdown has begun: “Hamilton,” Broadway’s hip-hop smash about the Founding Fathers, will be coming to Tempe’s ASU Gammage on Jan. 30, 2018, for a four-week run.

Details: Tuesday through Sunday, January 30-February 25. ASU Gammage, Mill Avenue and Apache Boulevard, Tempe. Single show tickets not yet available. 480-965-3434, asugammage.com.

RELATED: ‘Hamilton’ tickets for ASU Gammage: #thosewentfast

2/1: Florida Georgia Line at the Birds Nest 

The duo’s 10-times-platinum breakthrough single, “Cruise,” topped Billboard’s country chart on the way to becoming the fastest-selling single by a country duo in digital history, inspiring a remix with rapping by Nelly.

Four subsequent singles topped the country charts while going multi-platinum – “Stay,” the Luke Bryan-assisted “This is How We Roll,” “Dirt” and last year’s “H.O.L.Y.,” the lead single from their latest album, “Dig Your Roots.” 

Details: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1. TPC Scottsdale, 17020 N. Hayden Road., Located directly across from the main tournament entrance at 82nd Street and Bell Road. 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com.

2/9: Fetty Wap

Was Fetty Wap the breakout hip-hop artist of 2015?

He was definitely in the running, thanks in large part to the sleeper hit that wouldn’t sleep until it made its way to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100, the quadruple-platinum “Trap Queen.”

Other Wap of note include the triple-platinum “679” and platinum “My Way,” both of which went Top 10. The rapper’s self-titled debut topped Billboard’s album chart and the BET Hip Hop Awards gave him the Who Blew Up Award.

Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9. Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $55-$85. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.

2/10-11: American Ninja Warrior Experience

If you have ever watched “America Ninja Warrior” on TV and thought “Yeah, I could do that!” now is your chance to prove it. The American Ninja Warrior Experience lets people of all ages and fitness levels experience the obstacles featured in the hit show. Spectators are also welcome to watch and cheer.

Details: Feb. 10-11. 8 a.m.-9:15 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. University of Phoenix Stadium, 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale. $30-$120; online registration is required to give the course a try. 800-745-3000, universityofphoenixstadium.com.

2/13: Lana Del Rey

Del Rey rose to fame on the strength of a self-directed viral video for a bittersweet ballad called “Video Games.” Posted in October 2011, that clip has been viewed more than 181 million times. Subsequent hits include “Summertime Sadness,” Young and Beautiful” and “West Coast.”

She topped Billboard’s album chart in mid-2017 with “Lust for Life,” inspiring the Line of Best Fit to rave, “Throughout this accomplished, assured new record, Lana manages to repeatedly freeze time and capture those fleeting cinematic moments that make us who we are, while reminding us of who we could be.”

Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13. Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. $34-$94. 602-745-3000, ticketmaster.com.

Ongoing:

11/14-1/14: Illumination Symphony of light

The massive display, new this year, is near Interstate 17 and Jomax Road in north Phoenix. Organizers say the display has 1.7 million lights synchronized to Christmas music along a 1-mile driving loop. Check out Holiday Boulevard, a park, play and eating area. It features bounce houses, food trucks, selfie stations and a 30-foot walk-through ornament.

Details: 6-10:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 6-11:30 p.m. Fridays-Sundays and holidays. 27701 N. Black Canyon Highway, Phoenix. Tickets start at 29.50 per vehicle (up to eight people) online and $35 per vehicle for tickets purchased on site. 602-567-3618, illuminationaz.com.

11/22-1/15: ZooLights

Mark your calendars for Nov. 22 — that is when the popular holiday-season ZooLights exhibit will return to the Phoenix Zoo. ZooLights features millions of lights, hundreds of light displays, Music-in-Motion displays by the lake, a lighted tree, carousel rides, and more.

Details: 5:30-10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22-Monday, Jan. 15, 2018. Tickets are available starting Oct. 1; check website for details. Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. 602-286-3800, phoenixzoo.org.

12/27-1/7: Zoppé Family Circus

The Zoppé Family Circus welcomes people of all ages into a 500-seat tent for a one-ring circus that honors the old world Italian tradition. The show stars Nino the clown and features a central story that includes acrobatic acts, equestrian shows, clowning and more. This show promises to be different than the one performed in Chandler last year.

Details: Wednesday, Dec. 27-Sunday, Jan. 7. Times vary by day, check website for details. Chandler Center for the Arts, West Lawn, 250 N. Arizona Ave. $15-$40. 480-782-2680, chandlercenter.org.

Randy Cordova, Kerry Lengel, Anthony Sandoval and Alison Stanton contributed to this article.

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