About this time every year for the last 43, Downtown Tucson has erupted with the aromas of fry bread, Thai sticks, Danish kringles β€” an edible feast of foods from around the world. Accompanying this is music: mariachi, bagpipes, gospel, steel drums β€” a symphonic feast from around the world. Oh, and there’s dance, storytelling, food demonstrations and much, much more.

It’s Tucson Meet Yourself, a microcosm of the world. And of our community.

This weekend, Oct. 7-9, it’s back again and ready to introduce us once again to who we are and what makes the Old Pueblo so special. Sure, there will be some of our favorites back to feed us, entertain us and entice us. But, like Tucson, the festival continually changes to bring us more and more of who we are.

Here are 10 reasons why we are itching to go:

  1. Last year, Tucson was named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. That has less to do with our food and more to do with our rich food heritage reaching back more than 4,000 years (we have the longest known history of continuous agriculture in the U.S.), our biodiversity, our programs to help families and neighborhoods grow their own food, and our farmers markets. The City of Gastronomy Exhibit β€” which will be in the Jacome Plaza at the Main Library β€” will have food demonstrations (and samplings), recipes, panel discussions and lectures.
  2. Jinju, South Korea, is famous for its festival of silk paper lanterns which are lit and floated down the Namgang River. Last year, Jinju gifted Tucson 25 of those lanterns. Sixteen of them will be on display while workshops on Korean crafts are led by members of Tucson’s Korean community.
  3. If you don’t know Dan Levenson, do yourself a favor and go hear him perform on the Presidio Stage from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Friday. If you do know his Old Time music, we figure you’ll be there. He plays the Appalachian fiddle and clawhammer banjo (β€œplays” is an inadequate word for the magic he pulls from the instruments), sings, tells stories and weaves a wondrous time for his audiences. He’s a Tucson resident now but travels the country performing.
  4. A TMY tradition: the Arizona Dance Hands. The band hasn’t missed a fest since 1974. Formed by Dean Armstrong back in ’48 and a favorite of the late singing cowboy Gene Autry, their western music smacks of authenticity. Dean Armstrong passed away in 2011; since then, his son Larry has led the band. You can hear it 6-7 p.m. Friday at the City Hall Stage.
  5. Gertie N the T.O. Boyz, a Tohnono O’Odham waila band, closes out the Church Street stage on Friday. Bet you won’t be able to sit still for this popular group, which plays at 9 p.m.
  6. There isn’t much as mesmerizing as capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that is more like athletic ballet. Capoeira Mandinga Tucson brings the art alive 2-3 p.m. Saturday on the Presidio Stage.
  7. Mesa’s Yellow Bird Indian Dancers have toured more than 20 countries over nearly 30 years. Catch them singing and dancing (and a world champion hoop dancer is among the troupe) from 7 to 8 p.m. Saturday on the Church Street Stage.
  8. Every year, the Seven Pipers Scottish Society wends its way through the Presidio playing bagpipes on the way to the stage. It happens at 7 p.m. Saturday and it’s electrifying.
  9. Tucson’s own Lalo Guerrero, called the Father of Chicano Music, would have been 100 this December. Los Nawdy Dawgs plays a tribute to his music, which is rich in storytelling, wit and the love of his heritage. This is a performance that’ll steep you in an essential part of our cultural history. It’s 9-10 p.m. Saturday on the City Hall stage.
  10. Gospel music is the glorious norm on TMY Sundays. It is rousing and moving and a don’t-miss event. Steven T. Wilhite has been performing the music for some 30 years, and 4-5 p.m. Sunday at the Church Street Stage he’ll be joining members of the Gospel Music Workshop.

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