Downtown’s no stranger to festivals rubbing elbows.
For the second year in a row, the Certified Local Fall Festival is sharing a date with the Grand Avenue Festival and the Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts, which have taken to splitting Grand Avenue’s diagonal asphalt for their offbeat celebrations. Last year, music fest Los Dias de la Crescent fell on the same day as Roosevelt Row’s Pie Social.
This time around, local music fanatics will able to pre-game their stomachs for Crescent Ballroom’s one-day, 21+ festival with another Roosevelt Row favorite, just with a little less sugar and a little more spice.
With the fourth annual Chile Pepper Festival kicking off at 4 p.m. and the first Los Dias performance not taking the stage until 7 p.m., the events practically beg to be split. And while Los Dias de la Crescent’s move from Civic Space Park to outside Crescent Ballroom’s Second Avenue home takes it farther away from the Chile Pepper Festival’s Phoenix Public Market locale, they’re just a mere 10 minutes apart. You may be able to hear Los Dias’ tunes at the Chile Pepper Festival, and maybe even smell the jalapeno poppers from Crescent Ballroom. Why not just treat yo’self to both?
Here’s our schedule for an ideal day of downtown festival hopping:
4 p.m.: Get to the Chile Pepper Festival early to grab plenty of food tickets ($2 each, or in bundles starting at 12 for $20) and drink tokens (one for $5 or five for $20). There’s 16 participating chef teams, brews from Deschutes Brewery and margs from 3 Amigos Tequila. It’s going to be a long day — fill up now.
Also catch Flamenco Por La Vida right at 4 p.m., their first of three performances across both festivals that day. If you’re not quite ready to break out the dancing shoes, these pros have you covered.
4:45 p.m.: If you’re not on the list for the Ghost Pepper Talent Show — which will bring up live entertainment for the Chile Pepper Festival all day — you can still participate! Also held at 4:45, 7:45 and 9:00 p.m., the Ghost Pepper Games will offer little challenges deviously designed by Lawn Gnome Publishing owner Aaron Hopkins-Johnson and PEP Rally co-host Hattie Jean Hayes.
5-8 p.m.: You’ve got tasting tickets and drink tokens to splurge, but there are plenty of other ways to fan the flames of your love for chile peppers. We recommend:
At this point in the night, you’ve got some groovy options before Los Dias de la Crescent’s most energetic acts hit the stage. Here are your choices:
10:00 p.m.: Easily the best-named band in Phoenix, nevermind one of downtown’s best punky outfits, Playboy Manbaby is performing fresh off their Phoenix New Times Best of Phoenix “Best Live Act” win. We happen to agree with the New Times here: You’ll have a great time, and secure a spot close to the stage for the main act of the night (drumroll…).
11:15 p.m.: Even if it weren’t partially a result of necessity due to having no recordings out (right now!), Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra is one of Phoenix’s must-see live acts. More than a dozen members strong, this band provides some of the most feel-good, but also socially conscious (per their afrobeat genre), jams in town.
12:15 a.m.: Your mission is nearly complete. I’m really proud of you (really, I swear). Cap off that perfect Saturday night downtown by heading back inside Crescent Ballroom to dance one last time to Sean Watson, who knows a thing or two after lighting up the venue for years as its resident Saturday night DJ.
Contact the reporter at ascovill@asu.edu
