Arizona man threatened with arrest for preaching at holiday festival files lawsuit

Arizona evangelist David Hoffman has sued Tucson, arguing that its rules for the Winterhaven Festival of Lights unlawfully restricted his religious speech. He says police threatened to arrest him for preaching and sharing gospel leaflets, making the case a dispute over how the city regulates expression at a public event.

Hoffman had attended the free festival for nearly ten years before officers removed him during its December 2025 event. The lawsuit, filed by First Liberty Institute, says a policy adopted the previous year barred religious, political and issue-based leafleting; officers directed Hoffman to a designated area outside the festival, which he said was poorly suited to conversation. The complaint also says vendors, performers and pedal pubs were allowed inside the event.