This weekend marks 10 years of the annual Grand Avenue Festival, a weekend filled culture, arts and music put on annually by Grand Avenue Arts and Preservation.
This year the festival will take place all day on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. After hours will be held from 8 p.m to 10 p.m. Neighborhood businesses and galleries will have art shows, activities and entertainment. A full festival guide can be found here.
Here is a sneak peek of some fun and exciting events to check out this weekend:
“Under the Vintage Roof” Tours!
Led by guides from Phoenix Rising Tours and the Arizona Preservation Foundation, these tours start at the National Guard Armory and stop at places like the Four Square Church and the Shaughnessy complex – which includes the Bikini Lounge.
Tours are hourly from noon to 2 p.m.
Fashion and Design!
The “Untrashed Recycled Fashion Show and Trashy Hat Promenade” starts at 2:30 p.m. at the Unexpected Gallery located at 734 W. Polk Street. In this show, designers are challenged by using only recycled materials to create their looks. After the show, it will then progress to ThirdSpace at 1028 Grand Avenue at 3:30 p.m. for judging and prizes.
“Decades of Decadence” is another fashion show and will take place at 8 p.m. at the Unexpected Gallery This will be the first ‘After Hours’ event of the night. To celebrate 10 years of the Grand Avenue Festival, this fashion show brings in local artists and designers and tasks them with the challenge of designing an outfit with the representation of the Ottoman Empire.
Food!
There will be a multitude of food trucks at the festival, both along the street and at the Desert Sun Plaza. If you are looking for more of a sit-down experience, hit up one of the many restaurants around the area, such as Grand Avenue Pizza Company, El Charro Hipster Cafe, Novel Ice Cream, Irma’s Kitchen and Cha Cha’s Tea Lounge.
Spray-Painting Robot!
Check out the Community Mural Painting Project at the Unexpected Gallery to help paint a mural, and witness a robot spray-paint his own!
Scavenger Hunt!
Get your hunting gear from the closet: your scavenger hunting gear that is. Grab a “Grand Avenue Sticker Challenge” passbook and collect artistic stickers from various businesses around the area. Passbooks will be found at the GAP Info Table in front of the Bragg’s building, located at 1301 Grand Ave.
Other Attractions!
JamTram – A shuttle that offers transportation between different festival destinations, with music and LED lights run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“Friendly Flower” Garden – Attendees can make flowers and leave them for the garden. Located at the corner of Roosevelt, Grand Ave., and 15th Ave.
Exhibits!
Visit all kinds of artistic and creative exhibits throughout the festival, such as Lisa Marie Jacobs’ textile works at TransAm Cafe, Mark Allred’s guitar-making and repairing workshop, and Luster Kaboom’s hand-painted selfie stands.
“Hanging Gardens and Woven Fences” – Keep an eye out for the different pieces of art around the festival created from recycled materials.
Contact the reporter at alfuente@asu.edu.
