GILBERT, AZ — If you're looking for something to do this weekend, here is a look at some of the activities, events, and exhibitions happening around town.
While health officials have said that fully vaccinated people could begin to resume normal activities, in July, the CDC recommended that everyone wear masks when at public indoor places in areas of "high" or "substantial" spread of COVID-19, regardless of their vaccination status.
SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL EVENTS
Tempe Healing Fields (Sept. 10-12, 2021)
Where: Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado Pkwy, Tempe, AZ 85281
Time: Tribute begins at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11
Cost: Free
2021 Salt River 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb (Sept. 11, 2021)
Where: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 77555 N Pima Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Time: Opening ceremony at 6:30 p.m., climb starts at 7 p.m.
Cost: $30
911 Tower Challenge at Gila River Arena (Sept. 11, 2021)
Where: Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Avenue, Glendale AZ 85305
Time: 8 a.m. ceremonies begin
Cost: $50
Opening weekend: Hamilton (through Oct. 10, 2021)
Where: ASU Gammage, 1200 S. Forest Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281
Time: Showtimes vary throughout the week. View calendar.
Admission: Varies by seat, section, and performance
Black Theatre Troupe's Sistas the Musical (Sept. 10 - 26, 2021)
Where: Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center, 1333 E. Washington Street, Phoenix AZ 85034
Time: Most evenings start at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees also available
Cost: $44
Mesa Arts Center's Season Kickoff Festival: Wonderland (Sept. 10, 2021)
Where: Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St, Mesa, AZ 85201
Time: 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Cost: Free; food and drink from local vendors have their own costs
Note: Also the opening weekend for a handful of free art exhibitions at MAC, including Divine Paradigm, The Beyond Within, Vision Seeds, and Lucid Fate.
Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo with John Waite (Sept. 11, 2021)
Where: Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85003
Time: 8 p.m.
Cost: $48.50+
Note: Attendees required to show printed proof of COVID-19 vaccine or negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of show.
Phoenix Mercury vs. Connecticut Sun (Sept. 11, 2021)
Where: Footprint Center, 201 E. Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Time: 7 p.m.
Cost: $27+, varies by seat and section
Counting Crows (Sept. 12, 2021)
Where: Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85003
Time: 7 p.m.
Cost: $48.50+
Note: Attendees required to show printed proof of COVID-19 vaccine or negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the show.
Phoenix Vegan Saturday Night Market (Sept. 11, 2021)
Where: 909 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix AZ 85004
Time: 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Cost: Free; food, drinks, and merchandise are additional costs
Inaugural Phoenix Vegan Restaurant Week (Sept. 12-18, 2021)
Where: 22 restaurants around town will have specials throughout the week
Time: All week long, varies by each restaurant's hours
Cost: $15+, each restaurant has its own menu and format. Check website for details.
Insights Tour at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West
Where: Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin West, 12621 N. Frank Lloyd Wright., Scottsdale AZ 85259
Time: Thursday - Monday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Advanced tickets required.
Cost: $40 - adults, $30 for students with ID, $19 for kids (6-12)
Note: Effective Aug. 12, 2021, everyone is required to wear masks.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES
New Arizona Highways exhibition at Phoenix Zoo: Art on the Wild Side (Sept. 10, 2021 - Jan. 31, 2022)
Where: Phoenix Zoo's Savanna Gallery
Time: Open during zoo hours, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Cost: Included with zoo admission, $20 - $30
About: See more than 50 large photographs taken around Arizona from nine of Arizona Highways' photographers.
Paqua Park obstacle course at Scorpion Bay
Where: Scorpion Bay Marina at Lake Pleasant
Time: Friday - Sunday, various 45-minute sessions available
Cost: $25 per person, plus $7 per vehicle to enter Lake Pleasant Regional Park
Special exhibitions: Build it!, The Art and Science of Arachnids, and Pop! The Science of Bubbles
Where: Arizona Science Center
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.Cost: $15 or $20, $5 for Build it! exhibition
About: Kids can build a cardboard fort and play with LEGO blocks to learn about innovation, design, and construction at "Build It!"; see more than 100 arachnids and weave their own spider web, and learn about and make their own bubbles.
Special exhibition: Robo Art
Where: I.d.e.a. Museum, 150 W. Pepper Place, Mesa AZ 85203
Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Tuesday - Saturday, noon to 4 p.m., Sunday
Cost: $9
About: See more than 60 robot-inspired artworks from 30 artists. There are also hands-on activities where kids can make a robot and learn about coding.
New exhibitions: 75,000,000 BC & Ologies!
Where: Arizona Museum of Natural History
Time: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Cost: $7-$13
About: The "75,000,000 BC" exhibit looks at what Arizona was like 75 million years ago and its geology. "Ologies!" explores "science of Anthropology and Paleontology" and gives a behind-the-scenes look at museum work.
Special exhibition: Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich
Where: Phoenix Art Museum
Time: Hours vary throughout the week
Cost: $15-$17 online ($2 surcharge when bought at the museum)
About: The exhibition showcasing 80 gender-fluid and body-positive designs from the late designer Rudi Gernreich.
Special exhibition: And It’s Built on the Sacred
Where: Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Time: Wednesday - Sunday, opens at 11 a.m.Cost: $7-$10
About: An installation from Jacob A. Meders that "reflects on the gentrification of Indigenous land and the handling of unwanted Euro-American religious objects."
Exhibition: The Science of Ripley's Believe It or Not
Where: Arizona Boardwalk, 9500 E. Via de Ventura, Scottsdale, AZ 85256
Time: Sunday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Friday - Saturday, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Cost: $17-22; discount available for multi-attraction passes
Note: Masks are required at Arizona Boardwalk and all businesses and restaurants within the Talking Stick Resort Entertainment District, per Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community order.
