The summer is almost finished, but the fun Downtown is just starting.  The Phoenix Symphony kicks off the season with their famous Pops series this weekend, based on the hit musical The Music Man.  Let the Symphony regale you with  “76 Trombones” and music that will have you dancing in your seat. 

The Hard Rock Café and Psyko Steve bring you The Hypo Twins this Friday night.  This local trio best describes their sound as disco party scum rock, and while that may sound like it’s out on the fringe, it sounded fun and funky to me when I heard it, so I may be their newest fan.

NFL officially starts its season Thursday and while we may not have the stadium, we do have the party.  Thursday Coach & Willie’s is hosting a kickoff party for the Vikings/Saints game and on Sunday they open early with a phenomenal hangover menu to recoat your tummy and keep the party going.  The Rose and Crown Pub is hosting a Pigskin Pig-Out complete with corn bag, horseshoes, and the piece de résistance – a roast pig!

This is just a sampling of What’s Happening in Downtown Phoenix. Get the whole kit and kaboodle here.

If you’re heading Downtown for First Friday, you’ll find some juicy new attractions this week. And by juicy, I mean melt-in-your-mouth burger sliders and pot roast with gravy, just to name a few of the dishes at Bliss, a brand-new eatery.

But first, for any newbies who don’t know about First Friday, I’ll keep it short and sweet: First Friday is the country’s largest, self-guided art walk. This event takes place every month in Downtown Phoenix from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the pleasures range from live music, food and performance artists to more than 100 art galleries.

Roosevelt Row restaurants are always open for business, so be sure to check out Bliss and its companion bar ReBar, which just opened at Roosevelt and Fourth Streets.

Clarification: Roosevelt Row, the district, WILL be participating in First Friday. Roosevelt Row CDC, the nonprofit, will not be hosting an area for artist vending. Galleries, restaurants, venues will continue to have art exhibitions, live music, performance, dinner specials etc.  We regret the confusion.  –Ed.

American Comfort Food, Updated

Bliss is co-owned by Mark Howard, who also owns Fez, one of the most popular restaurants in central Phoenix (oh, Fez, if only you delivered those sweet potato fries). The menu for Bliss features a new angle on American comfort foods, from pot roast and pork chops to mac and cheese with chicken and bacon.  After 10 p.m., Bliss offers $5 nibbles including mini beef tacos and burger sliders.

Target Free First Fridays

Thanks to Target, the Children’s Museum of Phoenix is open and free of charge during First Friday. A tribute to imagination, this interactive museum has one kid-friendly exhibit after another, from the Noodle Forest to the Texture Café, where kids use fabrics to create entire meals. The astonishing 3-story Climber, made from odd and found materials, provides kids with a one-of-a-kind experience.

Adult’s Night Out

This adults-only event returns this Friday to the Arizona Science Center with a free lecture from an actual CSI-type scientist. Kim Kobojek, forensic scientist, will give you the skinny on Hollywood vs. reality when it comes to crime labs. The lecture starts at 7 p.m., but for the regular admission fee, you can stick around and see an IMAX film or a Dorrance Planetarium presentation at 8:15 p.m. (the topic is “Black Holes”).

The Downtown Phoenix Partnership is turning 20 and we’re taking the party to the streets to share the momentous occasion with our most important constituents: you!

Join us outside the Downtown Ambassador Information Center on Adams Street between Central and 1st Avenue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a lunchtime celebration of 20 Years of Progress in Downtown Phoenix.

We’ll be joined by Mayor Phil Gordon, the Hooters Girls, Steven Strange and the Strange Family Circus, music from Proper Trash, plus food and refreshments from many of Downtown’s most beloved restaurants.

Continue to visit the Downtown Blog for updates on this and other 20 Years of Progress events happening all fall in Downtown Phoenix!

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Join the Downtown Phoenix Partnership and Arizona Center Tuesday, Nov. 16 as we celebrate Arizona Center’s 20th Anniversary.  The party will begin on the grotto at 5 p.m. and will feature live music, audience entertainment with magicians and caracaturists, plus yummy appetizers from many of Arizona Center’s great restaurants like 1130 The Restaurant and Sam’s Cafe. 

Arizona Center has been an important part of the Downtown culture for two decades–from the state-of-the-art AMC 24 and retail shops to the beautiful grounds that have been a welcoming landmark for residents and visitors alike–so we hope you’ll come toast this special anniversary.

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It was once written that when there was no more room, the dead would walk the Earth. Or if maybe it’s just some medical experiment gone awry. Regardless, the Zombies are coming.

On Friday, Oct. 29, undead revelers are invited to line up at Heritage Square at 5:30 p.m. dressed as their favorite zombies for the Second Annual Zombie Walk.

The Downtown Ambassadors and Arizona Ghostbusters invite you to attend this FREE, family friendly celebration which begins at 6:30 p.m. and will circle back to the park in time for the All Hallows Eve Festival running 5-11 p.m. The All Hallows Eve Festival will feature candle-lit tours of Rosson House, pumpkin carving and decorating, children’s costume contests, face painting, palm readers, cake walk, jump house, silent horror films, gift basket raffle, carnival games, live music, food vendors, fresh brains** and a cornucopia of spooky peeps.

If that’s not enough to satisfy your ghoulish cravings, the The Rose & Crown will host a Monster Mash with beer garden operating from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Admission to the Monster Mash is free and DJ LaRue will be on hand to provide the soundtrack. There will also be a costume contest with prizes and a movie (we suggest something by Sam Raimi).

If you’re into Halloween make plans to attend these wickedly fun events in Downtown Phoenix.

And if you want to see just how much the Ambassadors like Zombies, check out these great photos on Facebook and Flickr.

** No, not really.

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Join 800 or so of your new best friends on a tour through Downtown Phoenix’s emerging bar scene during the 4th Annual Downtown Phoenix Pub Crawl, happening Saturday, Oct. 23.

After wooing a record-750-plus crawlers to our Spring Fling Pub Crawl in May we broke another record this fall by signing 19 (!!) pubs, clubs, lounges, restaurants and bars to participate, including brand new CityScape hot spot Lucky Strike Lanes.

If you’re unfamiliar with how a Downtown Pub Crawl works, here’s the Cliff Notes version: Buy an advanced ticket online for $12 or pay $15 the night of the Crawl. Check-in and wristband distribution will take place beginning around 8 p.m. directly outside the Downtown Ambassador Information Center on Adams Street between Central and 1st Ave. Then, at 9 p.m., crawlers will jump onto trolleys and be whisked away to the select saloons, each one offering drink/food specials exclusive to Downtown Pub Crawlers.  The list of establishments we assembled for this year’s Crawl is truly fantastical and includes chill pubs like Seamus McCaffrey’s, Rose & Crown, Turf and Carly’s, swankier lounges like Hanny’s, Icon and Bentley’s, plus several places you can dance like nobody’s watching including District American Kitchen, Ghost Lounge and BarSmith.

The party will press on until bar close (if you’re good), at which point everyone is invited back to Steve’s Greenhouse Grill for an after-hours breakfast/dance party/recovery featuring a DJ spinning the hits from midnight to 3 a.m. Steve’s did a great job hosting the late-night breakfast this past spring. If you don’t believe me, watch the video footage.

Need a safe place to crash? Our good friends over at Hotel San Carlos are offering Crawlers a discounted room rate of $89+tax. That’s a screaming deal if there ever was one.

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PAPA’s home.

Fringe art is all the rage in Downtown Phoenix and there’s no better showcase for our central city’s talented and proud fringe art community than the Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts, or PAPA if you please, now in its fifth year.

This year’s PAPA festival is going down Saturday, Nov. 13 in the Roosevelt arts district and promises a fun-filled day of snake-charming, puppeteering, face-painting, stilt-walking, performace art, music, dancing and probably the most uniquely awesome family-friendly extravaganza the Valley has to offer. The day culminates with a community parade through the streets of Downtown Phoenix. The public is encouraged to enter their own floats in the parade and registration forms and rules can be downloaded here. 

You can bet the Strange Family Circus, led by the Dr. Rev. Steven Strange, will be in attendance. Here’s a quick look at the itinerary:

5 p.m. Pre-parade excitement, including live music on the PAPA stage, street performances, costume and float displays, parade competition registration and various kid’s attractions

6 p.m. The Parade of the Arts (community march through Downtown)

• 8 p.m. PAPA Main Stage headline performance
• 9 p.m. Parade Awards Ceremony

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Summer may be winding down, but Downtown Phoenix is only getting hotter.  Three nights a week you can laugh yourself in stitches over Ashley Pirouznia’s lineup of local talent;  Mondays at Sonoma Casual Dining, followed by  Fridays and Saturdays at Ghost Lounge.  Whether you want to see Phoenix veterans of comedy or the latest “fresh meat” (prime heckling material), there is a laugh for every taste.  All shows start at 8:30 p.m. and there’s no cover!

Speaking of talent, David Gray and Ray Lamontagne perform at the Dodge on Wednesday night.  Both known for their acoustic style and raspy voices,  this show will easily slide you over hump day on into the weekend.  On Friday, talent will be abound with the First Friday of the month.  Check out the fun at Arizona Latino Arts and Culture Center, Children’s Museum of Phoenix, the Arizona Science Center with Adult’s Night Out, ASU University Center’s gallery “The Vault”, Heritage Square, AE England Building in Civic Space and much more.  The Valley Youth Theater has extended “Grease” due to its popularity.  With famous alumni like Chelsea Staub (Disney Channel), Jordin Sparks (American Idol) and Emma Stone (Zombieland) you may easily be able to say, “I saw them when…”.

The D’backs take the field again this week against the Padres and the Astros.  College football starts this week too.  Coach and Willie’s kicks-off the season with great specials on Thursday night and again Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. (in time for the East Coast kickoffs).

If none of this floats your boat, you can always hit the lanes at Lucky Strike.  They have great happy hour specials and this amazingly entertaining lunch special – a sandwich and a game for $5.50!  You can get a turkey sandwich while you bowl a turkey.  Ha!

Download This Week’s What’s Happening for a Complete Guide to Downtown Events

Explore our vibrant urban core while experiencing the best of Downtown’s expanding wine scene by participating in the Urban Wine Walk Saturday, Sept. 25.

The Urban Wine Walk is a FREE** event that encourages adventurous participants*** to try new or familiar restaurants located along the METRO light rail in Downtown Phoenix, Camelback Corridor and Tempe. Each restaurant will offer three wine samples and a snack all at special pricing reserved exclusively for Urban Wine Walkers.

To take part in the Urban Wine Walk, simply print out the official map and wine list and jump on the light rail between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sept. 25. And when you visit great restaurants like Kincaid’s, 1130 The Restaurant, ICON Lounge, Steve’s Greenhouse Grill and Phoenix Public Market, not to mention new addition Brick Pizzeria and Wine Bar, just let your server know you’re on the Urban Wine Walk to take full advantage of exclusive wine and food deals. 

Other participating restaurants include Caffe Boa, Ghost Lounge, Hula’s Modern Tiki, Maizie’s Cafe, My Big Fat Greek Restaurant and Ra Sushi.

Stay tuned to the Downtown Blog for updates on this great event and we look forward to seeing you on Sept. 25! 

** Participants will need to purchase a METRO day pass

*** Must be 21

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