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The best day to go to the Tucson Gem Show in 2027

2026-10-16

Sunday, Jan 31 and Monday, Feb 1, 2027 are the only days 19 of the 20 major venues are open at once. The best days for trade buyers, mineral collectors, seniors and families, plus opening-day and weekend facts, with sources.

Short answer: If you have one day and want the most shows open, go on Sunday, January 31 or Monday, February 1, 2027. On TucsonGemShow101's 2027 schedule, those are the only two days when 19 of its 20 dated major venues are open at once. The one missing is the TGMS Main Show, which doesn't open until Feb 11.

That matches TucsonGemShow101's own advice to go between the last week of January and the first week of February.

How many major shows are open each day

We took the 20 major venues with published 2027 dates on TucsonGemShow101's schedule (updated Oct 5, 2026) and counted how many are open each day. One more venue, MineraliA, is listed as "Jan 2027 (TBD)" and isn't counted. "Public" counts the 16 venues that aren't trade-only, including the ticketed and registration shows.

Day (2027) All major venues open (of 20) Public venues open (of 16) What changes
Wed, Jan 27 3 2 JOGS opens
Thu, Jan 28 10 8 Most tent shows open; G&LW opens
Fri, Jan 29 13 11 Mineral City, RMGM, Tucson Showplace open
Sat, Jan 30 17 14 GJX, Just Minerals, US Ethical Gem Fair, Colors of the Stone open
Sun, Jan 31 19 15 AGTA GemFair and the American Indian Arts Exposition open
Mon, Feb 1 19 15 Last day of Just Minerals and US Ethical Gem Fair
Tue, Feb 2 – Thu, Feb 4 17 13 GJX and AGTA close Thu, Feb 4
Fri, Feb 5 – Sat, Feb 6 15 13 G&LW and Colors of the Stone close Sat, Feb 6
Sun, Feb 7 13 12 JOGS closes
Mon, Feb 8 – Tue, Feb 9 12 11 Pueblo closes Tue, Feb 9
Wed, Feb 10 11 10
Thu, Feb 11 12 11 TGMS Main Show opens
Fri, Feb 12 – Sat, Feb 13 11 11 Mineral City, RMGM, Tucson Showplace close Sat
Sun, Feb 14 8 8 Main Show, 22nd Street, Kino, Rock Yard and others close
Mon, Feb 15 2 2 Last day: Mineral & Fossil Marketplace, American Indian Arts Exposition

The Rock Yard is open on its own from Jan 13, and Enter the Earth (wholesale) adds a second venue from Jan 26. Every date is in our 2027 dates page, with daily hours in the 2027 schedule.

The best day for you

  • Trade buyers: Sun, Jan 31 – Thu, Feb 4. These are the only days GJX (Jan 30 – Feb 4), AGTA GemFair (Jan 31 – Feb 4), G&LW (Jan 28 – Feb 6) and JOGS (Jan 27 – Feb 7) are all open. See what each requires in Is the Tucson gem show open to the public?
  • Mineral collectors who want the Main Show too: Thu, Feb 11 – Sat, Feb 13. The Main Show runs 10 am – 5 pm those days (TGMS). TucsonGemShow101 lists the 22nd Street Show, Kino, Starr Pass, Fossil & Mineral Alley, Mineral & Fossil Marketplace, Mineral City, RMGM, Tucson Showplace, The Rock Yard and the American Indian Arts Exposition as still open. Pueblo, JOGS, GJX, AGTA and G&LW have closed.
  • Seniors (62+) and military: Fri, Feb 12. TGMS makes it Military (active and retired) and Senior Day, with $2 off a Main Show ticket. TGMS also brings about 2,000 Arizona school students to the show that Friday morning, 9 am to noon.
  • Families: stick to the public shows. GJX admits no one under 14, and TucsonGemShow101 says JOGS doesn't either. At the Main Show, kids 14 and under are free with a paying adult. See bringing kids.
  • Pueblo fans: go by Tue, Feb 9, its last day. It closes earlier than most central shows.

Opening days: what the crowd reports say

  • 22nd Street Show: TucsonGemShow101 warns the lots can fill by noon on opening day, Thu, Jan 28.
  • Pueblo: the main lot is very crowded or full on the first day and most mornings, per TucsonGemShow101.
  • GJX: registration and parking get crowded on the first morning, Sat, Jan 30, per TucsonGemShow101.
  • JOGS: the registration counter and lots are busy on the first morning, Wed, Jan 27, per TucsonGemShow101.
  • Wholesale lines: TucsonGemShow101 says on-site registration lines on opening day can run over an hour, G&LW especially.

If you'd rather skip those lines, pre-register for wholesale shows online and avoid opening mornings.

Weekday or weekend?

What's on record:

  • Opening hours don't change for weekends. TucsonGemShow101's schedule lists one set of daily hours per venue, with shorter hours only on some closing days.
  • Downtown garages cost less on weekends. Park Tucson garages charge by the hour Monday – Friday, 8 am – 5 pm ($1.25 an hour at most garages, $1.00 at the City-State Garage), then flat evening and weekend rates of $3 – $7. Centro and Pennington Street garages charge a $5 flat rate on weekend days, and the City-State Garage charges $3 all day Saturday and Sunday. Street meters are free all day Sunday.
  • The Main Show has one weekend: Sat, Feb 13 (10 am – 5 pm) and Sun, Feb 14 (10 am – 4 pm).

We haven't found any published attendance figures by day, so we don't claim weekends are busier or quieter.

Closing days run short

Show Last day (2027) Last-day hours Source
GJX Thu, Feb 4 10 am – 4 pm, no buyers admitted after 3 pm GJX
AGTA GemFair Thu, Feb 4 GemHall 10 am – 4 pm; Grand Ballroom 9:30 am – 4 pm AGTA
G&LW Sat, Feb 6 10 am – 3 pm G&LW
JOGS Sun, Feb 7 10 am – 4 pm JOGS
RMGM Sat, Feb 13 Closes 4 pm TucsonGemShow101
TGMS Main Show Sun, Feb 14 10 am – 4 pm TGMS
Mineral & Fossil Marketplace Mon, Feb 15 Closes 4 pm TucsonGemShow101

Plan your days

Run a hotel, restaurant or shop that gem show visitors use? Get featured for 2027.

Quick answers

What is the best day to go to the Tucson gem show in 2027?

For the most shows open at once, Sunday, January 31 or Monday, February 1, 2027. On TucsonGemShow101's 2027 schedule, those are the only two days when 19 of its 20 dated major venues are open together. The one missing is the TGMS Main Show, which runs Feb 11 – 14.

What is the best day for wholesale buyers?

Sunday, January 31 through Thursday, February 4, 2027. Those are the only days GJX, AGTA GemFair, G&LW and JOGS are all open. GJX and AGTA close at 4 pm on Feb 4, and GJX admits no buyers after 3 pm that day.

Can I see the Main Show and the big tent shows on the same trip?

Yes, Thursday, Feb 11 to Saturday, Feb 13, 2027. The Main Show is open, and so are the 22nd Street Show, Kino, Mineral City, RMGM, Tucson Showplace, Fossil & Mineral Alley and other public venues. Pueblo, JOGS, GJX, AGTA and G&LW have closed by then.

Is there a senior or military day?

Yes. Friday, February 12, 2027 is Military (active and retired) and Senior (62+) Day at the TGMS Main Show, with $2 off the regular ticket.

Is opening day a good day to go?

It's the first chance to shop, but TucsonGemShow101 reports crowds on opening mornings: the 22nd Street lots can fill by noon on Jan 28, and registration and parking at GJX and JOGS are busy on their first mornings. Pre-register for wholesale shows and arrive early.

Sources