Over 25 art galleries, several fine jewelry shops and two art museums ( Scottsdale MCA and Western Spirit) are located along East Main Street in Scottsdale - see Scottsdale Galleries for their Thursday evening ArtWalks. The Heard Museum showcases Native American arts and cultures with exhibitions & festivals. The Phoenix Art Museum has exhibitions from around the world and across time, from ancient to modern, the masters to the rising stars. The Phoenix Convention Center website lists events at their three venues. Other local performance venues include the Comerica Theatre, the Dorrance Theatre, the Herberger Theater Center, the Phoenix Theatre, the Queen Creek Arts Center, and the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.
The Arizona Theatre Company is the state's preeminent professional theater. The Orpheum Theatre is home to the Phoenix Opera. The Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona also perform here. The local arts scene includes performances at Phoenix Symphony Hall, with concerts by the Phoenix Symphony and the Phoenix Youth Symphony. This sprawling city has largely encompassed the surrounding communities of Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Glendale, and Sun City. Surrounding them is a large metropolitan area that's expanded outward rather than upward. The city's small downtown contains a few dozen high-rises. Located in central Arizona about 150 miles south of Flagstaff and 150 miles north of Tucson, Phoenix is situated on a broad, flat desert basin amid scattered barren rocky mountain peaks. What you may not know is that Arizona's major metropolis and America's sixth most populous city has a reputation within the gay community as being among the nation's most sexually open cities. See the Arizona Health Department and Visit Phoenix websites for local updates.Ī warm and sunny climate year-round, dry desert air, and a modest cost of living: Phoenix and surrounding areas have a lot going for them. See the CDC website for details and updates. The land borders with Canada and Mexico are closed to all non-essential travel until at least 21 February 2021. There are restrictions on the entry of some travelers into the United States in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19. All of these impressive statistics make this the biggest and most successful LGBT pride in the whole of Arizona.Emergency measures in the wake of Covid-19 Over 300 vendors and food stalls add further appeal, as do the dance pavilions and the arts expo. There are many further related events and activities staged either side of the weekend, including a comedy slam at the College Bulpitt Auditorium.ĭuring the two days of festivities, there are more than 150 different performances on the five stages, while the Miss and Mister Phoenix competition is a real highlight for many in attendance. This annual event is the highlight of the city's LGBT calendar and takes place on an annual basis, usually over the first weekend in April, with the Saturday parade heading along 3rd Street, all the way to Indian School.
The 30th Phoenix Pride gay and lesbian festival was held in April 2010 and drew crowds in the region of 30,000 people. Popular events here include party nights, line dancing lessons and DJ nights. This bar is known for its long opening hours, staying open until as late as 02:00 on weekdays and closing at 04:00 at the weekend. Located a couple of miles away and to the north, on West Camelback Road, is Charlie's Phoenix, a gay country and western themed bar. The Kobalt Bar is regularly voted as being the best gay bar within the Valley of the Sun and offers a particularly busy Friday Happy Hour, as well as karaoke nights and daily specials. Ranking amongst the most popular of all the gay bars within downtown Phoenix is the friendly Kobalt Bar, which stands on Central Avenue, in between Park Central and the Monterey Medical Plaza. Many small but lively GLBT venues are available around the city center, offering plenty of possibilities for evening entertainment. A noticeable gay neighborhood is starting to emerge within the very center of Phoenix, being particularly prevalent around Central Avenue, Camelback Road and 7th Avenue.