If you own a short-term rental in Northwest Arkansas, the difference between mediocre and exceptional annual revenue almost always comes down to how well you captured the big revenue events. The NWA calendar is unusually event-driven: a handful of weeks and weekends each year generate a disproportionate share of total gross revenue, and operators who don’t price for them—or don’t know they’re coming—leave tens of thousands of dollars on the table.
This guide walks through the full NWA revenue calendar month by month: the events that matter, when they happen, how much they move the needle, and how to think about pricing and minimum stays around them.
Last updated: April 2026. Event dates shift year-to-year; always verify against current-year schedules. Items flagged as “not yet announced” below were unconfirmed as of the last update.
2026 critical-dates quick reference
- OZ Stage Race (new 2026): May 21–24, 2026 — Bentonville, capped at 400 MTB stage-race participants
- Walmart Associates Week: first week of June 2026 (dates not yet officially announced; likely Friday, June 5)
- Crystal Bridges expansion grand opening: June 6–7, 2026
- Keith Haring in 3D (Crystal Bridges): opens June 6, 2026
- Bentonville Bike Fest (moved to June): June 8–14, 2026
- Bentonville Film Festival: June 15–21, 2026
- Razorback home football 2026: Sep 5 (North Alabama), Sep 19 (Georgia), Sep 26 (Tulsa), Oct 10 (Tennessee), Oct 31 (Missouri), Nov 14 (South Carolina), Nov 28 (LSU)
- Little Sugar MTB: October 11, 2026
- War Eagle Craft Fair: October 15–18, 2026
- Big Sugar Gravel: October 17, 2026
- Bikes Blues & BBQ 2026: not yet announced
- Walmart AMP 2026 season: May–September (full 25+ act schedule published at waltonartscenter.org)
The structure of the NWA calendar
Most STR markets have a simple summer/winter seasonal pattern. NWA has a more complex structure with two distinct peaks, two shoulder seasons, and a weekday/weekend split driven by Walmart corporate travel.
The two peaks:
- October — Razorback football home games plus peak fall tourism (cycling, outdoor events, Crystal Bridges programming, War Eagle Craft Fair, cooler weather). AirROI data for Bentonville shows October as the single highest-revenue month at roughly $258 ADR, 59% occupancy, and $4,762 average listing revenue.
- Early June — Walmart Associates Week + Bentonville Film Festival + Bentonville Bike Fest (moved to June for 2026) + early summer travel. June is the second-highest-revenue month at roughly $230 ADR, 58% occupancy, and $4,131 average listing revenue.
For context, Bentonville’s deepest trough month is January at roughly $176 ADR, 29% occupancy, and $1,882 average listing revenue — a ~2.5× spread between peak and trough on the same inventory (AirROI 2026 Bentonville market report).
The shoulder seasons:
- March–May (spring travel, early cycling season, pleasant weather)
- September–early November (early fall before and during football)
The troughs:
- Mid-January through February (deepest low)
- Late July through August (secondary low during school-out weeks and hottest weather)
The weekday/weekend split:
- Tuesday–Thursday: Walmart corporate travel dominates, especially in Bentonville. Strong weekday ADR is achievable year-round with the right positioning.
- Friday–Sunday: Leisure and event-driven, following the calendar above.
Understanding this structure is the foundation. Everything else is just filling in the specific events.
January: The deep trough
January is the slowest month of the year in NWA. Post-holiday travel fatigue, cold weather, and a lack of marquee events mean occupancy and ADR both drop significantly. The first two weeks are especially weak.
Revenue drivers: Limited. Some corporate travel returns mid-month as Walmart suppliers resume their meeting cadence.
Operator moves:
- Aggressive monthly discounts for 28+ day stays
- Drop minimum stays to one night to catch any weekday corporate travel
- Schedule deep cleans, maintenance, and listing refreshes during this window
- Consider this the window for personal use if needed
February: Still slow, but improving
February picks up slightly with the return of consistent corporate travel. Presidents’ Day weekend provides a small leisure bump. Valentine’s Day drives some couples-travel demand to scenic properties (Beaver Lake, Eureka Springs region).
Revenue drivers: Returning corporate travel, limited leisure.
Operator moves:
- Continue monthly-stay discounts
- Valentine’s weekend pricing bump for scenic/romantic properties
- Corporate amenity positioning for weekday travelers
March: Spring shoulder begins
The market inflects in March. Spring break travel begins, college basketball tournament energy fills Fayetteville, weather improves, and early cycling season brings outdoor-oriented visitors. ADR and occupancy both recover notably compared to February.
Revenue drivers: Spring break travel, cycling tourism begins, basketball tournaments, Crystal Bridges spring programming.
Operator moves:
- Normalize pricing to shoulder-season levels
- Two-night minimum stays for weekend bookings
- Refresh listing photos if you haven’t recently
April: Strong shoulder season
April is one of the best shoulder-season months in NWA. The weather is ideal, the dogwoods bloom in Eureka Springs and Beaver Lake, the Bentonville trail system sees peak cycling traffic, and leisure travel is strong without the heat or crowds of summer.
Revenue drivers: Cycling tourism, Crystal Bridges spring exhibitions, wedding season begins, general leisure travel.
Operator moves:
- Push ADR toward high-shoulder levels
- Three-night minimum stays for Easter weekend if it falls in April
- Verify outdoor amenities (grills, outdoor furniture, pool opening if applicable)
May: Pre-summer strength
May continues the strong shoulder pattern and begins to ramp toward summer. Memorial Day weekend is a significant revenue event, particularly for properties positioned for leisure travelers. Weekday corporate travel holds steady. New for 2026: the inaugural OZ Stage Race (May 21–24) brings a capped field of 400 MTB stage-race participants to Bentonville across three race days — the first major addition to NWA’s cycling event calendar in several years.
Revenue drivers: Memorial Day weekend, UA graduation, OZ Stage Race (new 2026), cycling events.
Operator moves:
- Aggressive Memorial Day weekend pricing (typically 3-night minimum)
- UA graduation weekend pricing in Fayetteville
- OZ Stage Race weekend (May 21–24, 2026): 4-night minimum, Bentonville-area pricing bump
- Begin final prep for Associates Week in June
June: The first major peak
June is one of the two highest-revenue months of the year for most NWA properties. In 2026, early June is especially stacked: Walmart Associates Week, the Bentonville Film Festival, Bentonville Bike Fest (newly moved to June), and the Crystal Bridges expansion grand opening all land inside a 2-week window. Early June is the single most important pricing decision of the year.
Walmart Associates Week
Walmart’s annual shareholder meeting and Associate Celebration brings approximately 13,000–15,000 attendees to Bud Walton Arena on the Friday of the event, with total week-long visitors to NWA estimated at roughly 20,000–25,000 (a 2015 Walmart-University of Arkansas housing contract referenced “approximately 25,000 people”). The 2025 edition ran June 4–6, and XNA airport set its all-time single-day passenger record — 6,443 passengers — on June 6, 2025, the first time the airport ever exceeded 6,000 passengers in a single day. 2026 dates have not been officially announced as of April 2026 but are expected in the first week of June (most likely Friday, June 5, 2026). 2026 is an even-numbered-store year, which historically means a larger supplier presence.
Nightly rates during this window run several times normal, occupancy hits 100% within weeks of dates being announced, and lead times stretch 9–12 months out.
Operator moves:
- Set Associates Week pricing 9–12 months in advance
- Minimum 5–7 night stays to capture the full event window
- Verify all amenities, cleaning, and photography well before the week starts
- Do NOT discount—demand is inelastic at this level
- Coordinate with cleaning crews early; turnover availability tightens rapidly
Bentonville Film Festival
Co-founded by Geena Davis, BFF runs in mid-June each year and drew 30,000+ attendees in 2025 (June 16–22). The 2026 festival is confirmed for June 15–21, running essentially on top of Walmart Associates Week and stacking demand from film-industry travelers, festival guests, and press.
Bentonville Bike Fest (moved to June for 2026)
Previously a May event, Bentonville Bike Fest has been moved to June 8–14, 2026. The 2025 edition drew 15,000 visitors from 47 states with an estimated $1.5 million economic impact. In 2026 it will stack directly onto the Associates Week / BFF window, creating an unusually concentrated demand cluster in the first two weeks of June.
Crystal Bridges expansion grand opening (June 6–7, 2026)
Crystal Bridges’ major expansion project is scheduled to hold its grand opening celebration the weekend of June 6–7, 2026, coinciding with the likely Associates Week window. The Keith Haring in 3D exhibition also opens June 6, 2026. America 250: Common Threads runs March 14–July 27, 2026. Expect art-tourism demand to spike across the entire month.
Revenue drivers (June overall): Associates Week, BFF, Bentonville Bike Fest, Crystal Bridges expansion opening, Keith Haring exhibition, America 250, strong weekday corporate travel. This is the most event-dense two weeks on the NWA calendar.
July: Mid-summer moderation
July is a strange month in NWA. The first ten days are strong (July 4 holiday travel, post-Associates-Week corporate tail), but the middle and end of the month soften noticeably as school-out leisure travelers head to beach destinations and corporate travel slows into summer lulls. The heat also suppresses outdoor-oriented visitors.
Revenue drivers: July 4 weekend, early-month corporate travel.
Operator moves:
- July 4 weekend pricing bump (usually a 3-night minimum)
- Mid-to-late July: shift toward leisure positioning, family amenities
- Maintain monthly-stay discounts for slow weeks
August: The secondary trough
August is the second-slowest month of the year in most NWA submarkets. Heat, school-out travel patterns directed toward beaches, and lower corporate travel volume all combine. Occupancy and ADR both soften notably.
Revenue drivers: Limited. Some back-to-school travel late in the month.
Operator moves:
- Aggressive shoulder/low-season pricing
- Monthly-stay positioning for traveling nurses, contractors, or remote workers
- Consider blocking for maintenance and personal use in the deepest mid-month days
September: Shoulder season resumes
September inflects upward as corporate travel resumes in full, the first Razorback football home games begin, weather improves, and fall leisure travel begins. The back half of the month is notably stronger than the front half.
Revenue drivers: First Razorback home games, returning corporate travel, fall leisure.
Operator moves:
- Razorback home-game pricing on relevant weekends
- Return to shoulder-season ADR
- Begin preparing for October peak
October: The highest-revenue month
October is the single highest-revenue month of the year in most NWA submarkets (AirROI Bentonville market data: ~$258 ADR, 59% occupancy, ~$4,762 average listing revenue). Razorback home football, peak cycling season (including Big Sugar Gravel in mid-October), War Eagle Craft Fair, peak fall leisure travel, Crystal Bridges fall programming, and near-perfect weather all combine.
Razorback home football weekends
Typically Saturdays in Fayetteville, with each home weekend running 2–3× normal nightly rates with near-100% occupancy and 2–3 night minimum stays. 2026 confirmed home schedule (announced December 11, 2025): North Alabama (Sep 5), Georgia (Sep 19), Tulsa (Sep 26), Tennessee (Oct 10), Missouri (Oct 31 — Battle Line Rivalry), South Carolina (Nov 14), and LSU (Nov 28 — Golden Boot, season finale). That’s seven home games under the SEC’s new 9-game conference schedule, with no War Memorial Stadium game. Ryan Silverfield is the new head coach after the 2025 coaching change. Georgia (Sep 19) will likely be the single highest-demand home game of the season; LSU on Thanksgiving weekend is the second. 2025 average home attendance was 69,762 (19th nationally).
Big Sugar Gravel
The Big Sugar Classic is a major gravel cycling event in Bentonville each October, produced by Lifetime. The 2025 edition ran October 10–19 (the main gravel race was shortened from 100 miles to 50 miles due to a tornado watch), drawing 2,800 gravel participants and 7,000+ total attendees across the full event week. A University of Oklahoma study placed Big Sugar’s economic impact at $12.4 million. 2026 is confirmed: Little Sugar MTB on October 11, 2026 and Big Sugar Gravel on October 17, 2026. Multi-night minimum stays and aggressive pricing across both weekends.
War Eagle Craft Fair (~200,000 visitors)
One of the oldest and largest craft fairs in the country, held annually in mid-October near Rogers/Hindsville. The 2025 fair ran October 16–19, and 2026 is confirmed for October 15–18 with roughly 300 booths and an estimated 200,000 visitors. The crowd skews regional day-trippers but creates meaningful overnight demand in Rogers, Bentonville, and Bella Vista properties.
Crystal Bridges fall exhibitions
Grandma Moses opens September 12, 2026 and runs through March 29, 2027. Expect fall and winter art-tourism bumps.
Revenue drivers (October overall): Razorback football, Big Sugar (Oct 11 + Oct 17), War Eagle Craft Fair (Oct 15–18), cycling tourism, Crystal Bridges, peak fall leisure, corporate travel at full volume.
Operator moves:
- Aggressive Razorback weekend pricing (set by August at latest)
- Big Sugar weekends (Oct 11 and Oct 17): 3-night minimums, aggressive pricing
- War Eagle Craft Fair weekend (Oct 15–18): weekend pricing bump for Rogers/Bentonville/Bella Vista
- Weekday corporate rates at annual high
- Avoid any personal blocking in October
November: Strong fall shoulder
The first half of November continues the October strength with remaining Razorback home games and general fall travel. The back half of the month softens as Thanksgiving approaches. Thanksgiving itself is a moderate holiday revenue event for properties that accommodate larger groups.
Revenue drivers: Late-season Razorback football, Thanksgiving travel.
Operator moves:
- Last Razorback games of the season: strong pricing
- Thanksgiving week: 3-night minimum, family-group positioning
- Begin holiday-decorations prep for December
December: Holiday-driven
December has a bimodal pattern. The first half is quiet as corporate travel slows before year-end. The second half picks up notably with holiday travel, family gatherings, and ski-alternative leisure. Christmas week through New Year’s is a meaningful revenue window for family-oriented properties.
Revenue drivers: Christmas week through New Year’s, holiday family travel, some late-year corporate wrap-up.
Operator moves:
- Aggressive holiday-week pricing
- 4–5 night minimum stays for Christmas week
- Holiday decorations and themed listing photography
- Monthly-stay positioning for early-month lull
The year-round drivers that don’t fit the calendar
Three demand drivers don’t belong to any single month but shape the calendar all year:
1. Walmart weekday corporate travel. From early September through mid-December and again from mid-January through June, Walmart supplier and corporate travel drives weekday occupancy in Bentonville and nearby submarkets. Visit Bentonville CEO Kalene Griffith has publicly stated that “about 2,000 rooms stay occupied Monday through Wednesday” in Bentonville, and a Motto by Hilton guest service supervisor described Bentonville hotels as “almost always fully booked Monday through Friday.” This is not event-driven—it’s a steady baseline of Tuesday-through-Thursday business stays that properly positioned properties capture consistently. Walmart’s new home-office campus reached full occupancy in January 2026 with 15,000 corporate associates on-site.
2. Walmart AMP concert season. The Walmart AMP in Rogers hosts 25+ major-artist concerts each summer and fall. The 2026 season includes Dave Matthews (May 13), Mumford & Sons (June 9), Lil Wayne (August 23), Lynyrd Skynyrd with Foreigner (August 29), and Billy Idol (September 19), among others. Concert nights drive concentrated demand in Rogers and Bentonville properties — track the schedule and price accordingly.
3. Crystal Bridges programming. Special exhibitions, concerts, and educational events drive art-tourism demand unpredictably across the year. The 2026 calendar is unusually loaded: the expansion grand opening (June 6–7), Keith Haring in 3D (opens June 6), America 250: Common Threads (March 14–July 27), and Grandma Moses (September 12, 2026–March 29, 2027).
See our Walmart effect guide for a full breakdown of how corporate travel specifically shapes Bentonville pricing.
A note on Bikes Blues & BBQ and Fayetteville events
Bikes Blues & BBQ celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025 (October 1–4), with the event citing roughly 400,000 attendees over the four days — though that figure is self-reported and has not been independently verified, so treat it as directional. 2026 dates have not been confirmed as of April 2026. When confirmed, the event drives significant Fayetteville-area demand for motorcycle travelers.
How to actually use this calendar
The calendar above is a map, not a pricing strategy. To actually turn it into revenue:
- Set peak-event pricing 9–12 months in advance. Associates Week, Razorback weekends, Big Sugar, and holiday weeks should all be priced well before the booking window opens.
- Use dynamic pricing software for the rest. PriceLabs, Wheelhouse, or Beyond will handle the day-to-day micro-adjustments, but the major events need manual overrides.
- Adjust minimum stays by season. Long minimums during peaks (3–7 nights), short minimums during troughs (1 night).
- Monitor events that weren’t on the map. New events emerge every year. A manager or owner who’s plugged into the local market will catch them early and price accordingly.
- Benchmark against comparable properties. AirDNA and your manager’s market data will show whether you’re capturing the event premium or leaving it on the table.
The bottom line
NWA revenue is event-driven, and the difference between capturing the events and missing them is the difference between an average year and an exceptional one. If you’re self-managing, put every event above on your calendar and set pricing far in advance. If you’re using a manager, ask them specifically how they handle each of these events—the answers will tell you whether they’re running a real operation.
For the full NWA market context, see the Northwest Arkansas STR owner’s guide. For Bentonville-specific corporate travel dynamics, see the Walmart effect guide. For a property-specific revenue projection that factors in event capture for your exact location, request a free income projection.
Weekender Management is a Bentonville-based short-term rental management company serving Northwest Arkansas, Branson, and Orlando. Get in touch to talk about your property.
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