Fall is festival season in Tucson, and it all gets started this weekend with the annual Greek Festival beginning Thursday, Sept. 22.
For the next five weekends, Tucson will be the center of the festival universe, with several music festivals, food events and the ever popular brewtastic Great Tucson Beer Festival. A couple of weekends are double and triple booked with events, so your planning might get a bit tricky.
Itβs Greek to me
What: 40th annual Tucson Greek Festival.
When: 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22; 3 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25.
Where: St. Demitrios Greek Orthodox Church, 1145 E. Fort Lowell Road.
Hereβs why you want to be there: The food, silly. Gyro salads and sandwiches, Greek fries, souvlaki and irresistible spanakopita. And when you have had your fill of authentic Greek eats, check out the live entertainment: Greek music and dance, featuring St. Demitriosβs Pan-Athenian Dance Groups. Thereβs also live music, Greek vendors and games for the kiddos.
Admission: $3 for adults, free for kids 12 and younger. Active duty military and first responders (fire and police) are free with ID.
Details: tucsongreekfest.com
Show your pride, Tucson
What: 39th annual Tucson Pride Festival.
When and where: 7 p.m. Sept. 30 (Pride on Parade along North Fourth Avenue beginning at East Second Street) and noon to sunset Oct. 1 (Pride in the Park at Reid Park, East 22nd Street and South Country Club Road).
Hereβs why you want to be there: Itβs a chance to show support for Tucsonβs LGBT community with the Tucson Lesbian and Gay Alliance, one of the oldest LGBT pride organizations in the United States. The festival, which kicks off with the hourlong parade downtown, celebrates Tucson and Arizonaβs lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities and their allies. The daylong festival in the park Oct. 1 includes live entertainment with hosts Lucinda Holliday and Tempest DuJour and a lineup of Tucson and national artists. Thereβs also food trucks, beer, wine and cocktails. Itβs a family-friendly event with vendors and a jumping castle for the kiddos.
Admission: It’s $10 online at tucsonpride.org or $12 at the gate. Discounts available for students, senior and military, and kids 12 and younger are free. The parade is free.
Details: tucsonpride.org
Grab a brew for a good cause
What: 30th Annual Great Tucson Beer Festival.
When: 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 1.
Where: Kino Sports North Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way.
Hereβs why you want to be there: Hello? Itβs beer. Do you need any other reason to hang out for an evening sampling quirky and quaint beers like Wyderβs Prickly Pineapple cider from the Vermont Cider Company or the frisky-sounding Space Dust IPA from Seattleβs Elysian Brewing? Toss in a handful of Tucson breweries β 1912 Brewery Company, Sentinel Peak Brewing, Nimbus Brewing Company, Barrio Brewing Company and Old Bisbee Brewing Company β and you are sure to find a craft brew to fall in love with. And thereβs this feel-good-pat-yourself-on-the-back reason to go: Proceeds benefit Sun Sounds of Arizona, an organization that provides folks who canβt read print because of a disability audio access to information. Thatβs pretty cool.
Admission: $45 in advance at azbeer.com, $90 for VIP. It’s $50, $100 for VIP at the gate. This is a 21-and-older event.
Details: azbeer.com
Rock, roll and two-step
What: Oro Valley Music Festival.
When: Oct. 1 and 2.
Where: Golf Club at Vistoso, 955 W. Vistoso Highlands Drive, Oro Valley.
Hereβs why you want to be there: The two-day festival has a split musical personality. Day 1 is devoted to country with Nashville stars Billy Currington, David Nail, Chris Janson, Dan + Shay, Cassadee Pope and Brett Young. Day 2 is pop and rock with Daughtry, Phillip Phillips, Colbie Caillat, Simple Plan, Ben Rector and Howie Day. This is the second time the golf course in Oro Valley has hosted the event, which is sponsored by IHeartRadio stations 97.1FM The Bull (country) and My 92.9 (pop/rock). Itβs the first time we get to see Janson in Tucson, although he was on the lineup at Country Thunder in Florence last April, and itβs an encore of sorts for Caillat, who brought her βThe Girls Night Out, Boys Can Come, Tooβ tour with Christina Perri to the AVA at Casino del Sol in August 2015.
Admission: Single day tickets are $59 for Day 1, $45 for Day 2 or $85 for a two-day pass at orovalleymusicfestival.com/tickets
Details: orovalleymusicfestival.com
Tucson eat yourself
What: 2016 Tucson Meet Yourself A Folklife Festival.
When: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 7 and 8, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 9.
Where: At El Presidio Park, Jacome Plaza (Joel D. Valdez Main Library) and Church Street downtown.
Hereβs why you want to be there: This is the annual festival where Tucson shows off its cultural diversity through folk arts, both visual and performance. But letβs be honest: We go here for the eats. This is also a festival that showcases our diverse culinary arts, from American barbecue to Mexican and Native American tacos and Jamaican jerk and Asian stir-frys. This yearβs festival has a special UNESCO City of Gastronomy Kitchen Stadium celebrating Tucsonβs designation last December as a World City of Gastronomy by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization β the first American city to earn the designation. Thereβs also live music and dance and arts demonstrations through all three days.
Admission: Free; food prices vary by vendor.
Details: tucsonmeetyourself.org
Veterans who rock for veterans
What: 29th Annual NamJam.
When: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 8.
Where: Reid Parkβs Demeester Outdoor Performance Center, South Country Club Road and East 22nd Street.
Hereβs why you want to be there: This is Tucsonβs way to give a big hug and thanks to our vets, from those who served in wars of long ago (think World War II, Vietnam) to those serving in Afghanistan and other hot spots around the world today. Bands and other artists perform throughout the day and vendors are on site to provide valuable resources to vets and their families. Thereβs also military displays, food and drink vendors and a chance for vets to reconnect with other vets.
Admission: Free.
Details: namjamtucson.org
Take a road trip β for wine
What: Willcox Wine Country Festival.
When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 15 and 16.
Where: Downtown Willcox, at the historic Railroad Park.
Hereβs why you want to be there: Willcox is celebrating its new designation as an American Viticulture Area, which is kind of a big deal and certainly a point of pride for wineries in Willcox. The designation tells the wine world that what they do in Willcox is pretty special, which those of us who have imbibed Willcox wines already knew. The festival gives you a chance to have a whole bunch of those wineries lined up side by side, pouring samples and selling some of their best vintages. Think of it as a survey of the regionβs wines without having to drive all over the region. Sixteen wineries with a few coming from outside Willcox will participate including Bodega Pierce, Kief Joshua Vineyards, Golden Rule Vineyards, Sierra Bonita Vineyards and Page Springs Cellars.
Admission: Free, but if you want to taste, tickets and glasses are $20 to $25 at the event.
Details: willcoxwines.com
I got the blues β festival
What: 32nd annual Arizona Blues Heritage Festival.
When: 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 16.
Where: Reid Parkβs DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, East 22nd Street and North Country Club Road.
Hereβs why you want to be there: The Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation is bringing in one of the biggest names in Americana rock: Los Lobos. The East Los Angeles Grammy-winning band is a Tucson favorite, and this will be the first time in years that weβve seen them play an outdoor concert here. Expect to hear Louis Perez, Steve Berlin, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano draw from their extensive influences, everything from R&B and traditional Spanish and Tex-Mex to soulful blues, American roots rock and good old-fashioned American rock βnβ roll when they go on stage at 3:45 p.m. Also on the lineup: Missy Andersen Band, Heather Hardy and the Lil Mama Band, The Garcia Brothers and Tom Walbank & Friends. Greylyn Zurita will sing the National Anthem and the Amphi High School Funky Panthers under the guidance of Russ Granillo will kick things off.
Admission: $10 in advance at azblues.org, $12 at the gate.
Details: azblues.org
All dressed down for the ball
What: 2016 KFMA Fall Ball Music Festival.
When: Noon to 10 p.m. Oct. 16.
Where: Pima County Fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road.
Hereβs why you want to be there: Two stages with six big-name acts on the main stage, four smaller up-and-coming local and national bands on the side stage. This yearβs headliners are Weezer and Panic at the Disco, which brought their co-bill tour to Phoenix in August. Also on the mainstage lineup: The Struts, Iration, Holy White Hounds and Beware of Darkness. The secondary stage lineup: Night Riots, Bleeker, Lethal Injection and Black Bottom Lighters.
Admission: $40 in advance at Tucson area Pizza Hut restaurants or online at ticketfly.com
Details: kfma.com
Twilight in the desert
What: Dusk Music Festival.
When: 2 to 11 p.m. Oct. 22.
Where: Rillito Downs, 4502 N. First Ave.
Hereβs why you want to be there: A group of University of Arizona grads are putting on this cross-genre music festival that features Tucson and national bands. They are anticipating between 7,000 and 10,000 people will show up to see the popular indie duo Matt and Kim from Brooklyn, electronica/rapper R L Grime, Kanye Westβs former tour DJ and consigliore A-Trak and Tucsonβs own Calexico launch what the organizers hope will become a bigger annual event beginning next year. Also on the lineup: Luna Aura, DJ Mustard, Danny Brown, brother and sister psychedelic rock and reggae duo Wilde Belle and Emmy nominated singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno.
Admission: Starting at $39 through ticketfly.com
Details: duskmusicfestival.com
