<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1vcotp_19K3OhnH00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1vcotp_19K3OhnH00" width="1000" height="667" ><figcaption>Chandler Chamber President/CEO Terri Kimble, standing at Rawhide Western Town said moving the Ostrich Festival there makes it easier for families to attend. (Spenser Lee/Staff Photographer)</figcaption></figure>The Ostrich Festival’s move out of Chandler to the Gila River Indian Community was primarily about one thing: Family.“It’s about bringing that back, the family,” said Terri Kimble, president and CEO of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the festival.“If you’re an elderly person, or even if you’ve got kids, are you going to put kids on a shuttle bus with the stroller and whatever? You’ve got a five-year-old who’s throwing a temper tantrum and you got to get them out of there. Are you going to wait for a shuttle?“It just makes sense.”The 2026 Ostrich Festival is moving to Rawhide Western Town &amp; Event Center because it was running out of room at Tumbleweed Park, and Kimble admits it was impacting attendance.The additions of four diamonds for baseball and softball, plus 18 pickleball courts and plans to expand even more meant folks could no longer park at Tumbleweed. And shuttle buses were not popular enough to keep it going in Chandler.“There was no place in Chandler that could accommodate it without those parking [restrictions] and having to bus people in,” Kimble said.The 2026 Ostrich Festival takes place March 13-15 and March 20-22 at Rawhide. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children, ages 5-12. There are some additional fees and taxes.Parking will be next to the festival, next to the event center behind the western town. The dirt parking lot in the front of Rawhide is reserved for vendors.Kimble said it does not appear the move will hurt Chandler financially. “I will tell you all of our hotel rooms, we’ve already booked them all,” she said.Moving to Rawhide means the Chamber will have more space to expand the festival. Kimble said they will start doing that this year.There will be new bird shows, cowboy roping and related Western-style activities, a gun show in the rodeo arena, a new group for the BMX stunt show, trampoline/wall show by former U.S. Olympic team jumpers and a fairy garden for kids.The carnival rides will be in the grassy area to the west of the Event Center. There will also be a mini parade every night down Rawhide’s main street. That’s scheduled for between 5 and 6:30 p.m. all six nights of the festival and should last about 15 minutes.The old favorites are also returning. The ostrich-viewing area is being expanded. The VIP area will be just south of the Steakhouse. Further south, on the western edge of the property will be the stage for the headline performers. This year’s schedule:* March 13: Kansas* March 14: Ravyn Lenae* March 15: Jo Dee Messina* March 20: Vanilla Ice* March 21: The Commodores* March 22: Baby BashThere will also be smaller stages throughout the festival with local performers.Kimble said Rawhide’s Steakhouse will be closed during the festival this year because it is undergoing renovations. However, she expects it to be open at future festivals.They also have no events planned inside the Event Center this year, but said that will be an option for future expansion.Kimble said the move to Rawhide is being done with the thought they’d be coming back often.“We were limited on where we could go,” she said. “When we made this decision to come here, it was a long-term decision. “We’re really excited.”The festival began in 1989 as a way to celebrate Chandler’s heritage and give the community a fun event before the hot summer months arrive. It was originally staged at Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, named after the founder of the city and an ostrich farmer.The Ostrich Festival moved to Tumbleweed Park in 2003.Kimble said she hopes the moves will convince families to once again come to the Ostrich Festival, and they are doing what they can to encourage that by keeping it affordable.“We’ve kept prices the same,” Kimble said. “If they buy the tickets in advance, all the prices are the same, and even though we have a new venue, that was really important to us.”</div></body>

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The Ostrich Festival’s move out of Chandler to the Gila River Indian Community was primarily about one thing: Family. “It’s about bringing that back, the family,” said Terri Kimble, president and CEO of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the festival. “If you’re an elderly...

Rawhide move aims to make Ostrich Fest better

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The Ostrich Festival’s move out of Chandler to the Gila River Indian Community was primarily about one thing: Family. “It’s about bringing that back, the f

Rawhide move aims to make Ostrich Fest better

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