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Your Guide to the 6th Annual Grand Avenue Festival in Phoenix
Lynn Trimble
Lynn Trimble | November 6, 2014 | 8:00am
With this year's dizzying array of activities, we figured you could use a little help making your game plan for this year's Grand Avenue Festival, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, November 8.
The festival folks have partnered with the 9th annual Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts (PAPA), so you'll find this year's shindig is jam-packed with arts, eats and other feats presented by Valley artists, performers, and small business types.
Overachievers can print their own festival guide ahead of time, then curl up with a highlighter to mark all their "must-do" moments. The rest of us can snag a festival guide at the main information table located at Oasis on Grand, in front of Bragg's Pie Factory, or at La Melgosa at 1023 Grand Avenue.
See also: Phoenix New Times' Calendar of Events
They'll have maps for all sorts of self-guided tours, too, so you can check out artist-decorated planters, historical homes, artist studios, and a quirky art installation dubbed "hanging gardens and woven fences" at your own pace.
We're told they'll even have schedules for more than 50 bands playing at various venues throughout the day.
Still, it's a lot to take in. So here's a rundown of what to expect when and where:
Grand Avenue Craft Fair Grand Ave. and McKinley 11 a.m. to 5: 30 p.m. More than 40 vendors with arts and crafts wares
Historic Building Tours Meet at the festival info booth outside Bragg's Pie Factory 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Scavenger Hunt Get clue cards at CHill Space STudio, 1818 Grand Ave. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tour of Artist-Decorated Planters Meet at the festival info booth outside Bragg's Pie Factory 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Mosaic Projects Arizona Mosaico, 1023 Grand Ave. Noon to 5 p.m. Festival-goers can help make mosaic art.
Mural Painting 1015 Grand Ave. between La Melgosa and Grand Avenue Garage Throughout the day
Untrashed Recycled Rubbish Fashion Show The intersection of Grand Ave., Roosevelt St., and 15th Ave. Starts at 4 p.m. Judging and prizes at 4:30 p.m. on the PAPA stage Festival goers can participate by coming in recycled fashion or making a little something to wear at the Oasis on Grand courtyard or the PAPA lot
Retro Vintage - Yesterday Today Fashion Show Gallery Marsiglia 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Relax and watch rather than rocking your own fashion vibe.
PAPA Parade The PAPA lot (Intersection of Grand Ave., Roosevelt St., and 15th Ave.) Starts at 6 p.m. Judging and prizes around 7:30 p.m. Register at 5 p.m. if you want to be eligible for prizes. Only non-motorized floats are allowed. Think bikes, skateboards, and wagons. Taiko drummers Fushicho Daiko and stiltwalkers Sky Kisses will lead this year's procession.
PAPA organizers describe this year's "Grand PAPA" theme as follows: "From forefathers and ancestral roots to steampunkers and hippies, participants are invited to dress and build floats in honor of family, figures from history or as homage to the Phoenix of yesteryear." They'll be awarding prizes designed by local artists for best float, group, bike, costume, and "cute" (typically the pets and kiddos).
More than 40 art venues and small businesses are participating in this year's festival. They're all listed in the nifty festival guide, but we've got a sampling of art exhibits to get you started:
Bird's Studio 703 N. 15th Ave. Noelle Martinez shows her "Back in the Daze" exhibit exploring Afrocentric music of the 1990s.
Creation Station at La Melgosa 1023 Grand Ave. Showing artwork by local artists including Jeff Slim, Jeremy Arviso, James Montoya, TNK Liew, and Que. Look for Dia de los Muertos inspired works.
Bragg's Pie Factory Check out "WEARizona," a showcase of Southwest historic and contemporary fashion curated by Marshall Shore.
Oasis on Grand Look for Jeff Klein's work in the lobby gallery, and works by various artists in "Nurturing the Landscape" presented by the ArtFarm Collective.
Tilt 2 Community Gallery 915 W. Filmore St. Showing "Disappearance," an exhibit of wet-plate tintype photograms by S. Gale Stevens depicting bee colony collapse disorder.
Additional art studios participating in the self-guided tour include:
- The Lodge Art Studio - Lady Luck Tattoo Phoenix, 301 Grand Ave. - CHill SPace STudio | CHill Original, 1818 Grand Ave. - Bill Dambrova's Goat Heart Studio, 1301 Grand Ave., #5 - Modfire, 1213 W. Pierce St. - Daniel Funkhouser's Studio, 1023 Grand Ave., Studio E - Arizona Mosaico, 1023 Grand Ave. - Denise Yaghmourian Studio, 1023 Grand Ave., Studio C - 11th Monk3y Industries, 1022 Grand Ave.
Hours vary, so check your festival guide for all the fabulous fine print.
If you're looking for children's activities, check out these options:
Lady Luck Tattoo Phoenix 301 Grand Ave. Kids craft activities from noon-6 p.m.
Oasis on Grand Kids activities
PAPA lot Intersection of Grand Ave., Roosevelt St., and 15th Ave. Children's crafts
The Lodge Art Studio Coloring pages for kids
Festival Odds & Ends: Free pedi-cabs will be operating from noon to 6 p.m., and Valley Metro has installed temporary bike racks for cycling types. Grand Avenue from Van Buren to Roosevelt will be closed from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
We're feeling a bit blown away by all these choices. It's all good, but we're inclined to just show up and kick around all day. There's something to be said for serendipity.
Lynn Trimble is an award-winning freelance writer and photographer specializing in arts and culture, including visual and performing arts
Facebook: Lynn Trimble
Twitter: @ArtMuser
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