Tempe Arts Festival

The Tempe Festival of the Arts is held twice a year in the Mill Avenue District and has a long tradition of bringing amazing art work for people to enjoy. The next Tempe Arts Festival is March 30 – April 1,2012 and it will be followed the Fall Festival that will be held November 30–December 2, 2012. Yes, Tempe celebrates it’s arts and culture via these festivals on a semi-annual basis and yes, they are FREE to attend. Each year, tens of thousands of people flock to Mill Avenue to enjoy the festivals and each year, they are given many reasons to return.

The Tempe Arts Festival features hundreds of booths and exhibits, live music performances along with a Festival Jazz Stage, street performers, vendors and so much more. Ranked as one of the top arts festivals in the nation, our residents enjoy a truly spectacular weekend of art, entertainment and culinary delights. Looking for a little something to go with your great art and entertainment? The Tempe Arts Festival has got you covered with beer and wine tastings, as well. Yep, new to the festival in Tempe is “The Art of Beer” which will feature some great local brewers. While the festival is free, the beer and wine is not. Seriously? You thought it was included, didn’t you. Sorry. For just $10.00 you get 5 samples of beer from our friends at Dave’s Electric Brewpub, Four Peaks Brewery or Sleepy Dog Brewery. Of course, the longer tradition of the AZ Wine Festival as part of the Tempe Arts Festival has been a favorite for years. The best in Arizona wines are a great fit to complement the ambiance of a fine arts festival environment such as the one we have in Tempe. The cost for the wine tastings is $12.00 for six samples. “Visit the Arizona Wine Festival for tastings and sales by the glass, bottle, or case. And, enjoy The Art of Beer featuring local microbrewery sampling and sales.” – Tempe Festival of the Arts As an added bonus to the great food and wine featured at the festival, you are on Mill Avenue which means you are surrounded by hundreds of other choices during the day. It’s like food, art and fun overload!

What: Three day arts festival

When: 10am – dusk Friday – Sunday

Where: Mill Avenue

Cost: FREE to attend. Crafts, food, spirits etc are extra

Not to be outdone, the kids have a ton of fun, as well. The Tempe Festival of the Arts is also a family friendly event and features a “Kids Innovation Station” where your precious little tykes can participate in children’s interactive entertainment and education fun such as painting, hat making and much more. Want to spoil them even more? Tell the kids they get to ride the train to the Arts Festival! It works like a charm for me. Speaking of riding the train, it’s probably the easiest and most convenient way to get to the Tempe Festival of the Arts. If you don’t already live in the Mill Avenue District, just head to one of the FREE Park and Ride lots and hop on the train heading to Mill Avenue and Third Street. A light rail pass can be purchased at any train station. Kids 5 and under ride for free, discounts are available for youth and seniors. For most of us, it’s just $3.50 for an all day light rail pass which gives you unlimited use for the day.

View Phoenix Valley METRO Light Rail in a larger map

If you are not taking the light rail to the Tempe Arts Festival, be sure to check out the Mill Avenue parking information on their site. Enjoy the Tempe Festival of the Arts. It is truly one of the best arts festivals in the country and it is fun for all types of people. After December, the next festival is March 30-April 1st, 2012 from 10am to Dusk on Mill Avenue. For updates, you can follow the Tempe Festival on Twitter. If you are really cool, you will visit RailLife on Twitter, as well. :)