BEST Things To Do In Phoenix
The Event Oracle knows ALL the fun things to do in the land of the Phoenix sun. Select your date above then scroll down for all the Arts, Entertainment, and Events in my crystal ball...
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Carnival of Illusion
Arizona Biltmore Resort
2400 E Missouri Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85016
Carnival of Illusion is an evening of Old-World Magic in the style of classic entertainers such as Buster Keaton, Mae West, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Harry Houdini. The hosts have performed as house entertainers at the world's top resorts, Fortune 100 CEOs, to the 200 Most Powerful Women in America and operate the longest-running Arizona theater show. Carnival of Illusion is "Magic, Mystery, and OOOH La La."
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Bugs. Big Bugs!
Phoenix Zoo
455 N. Galvin Parkway
Phoenix, AZ 85008
The Phoenix Zoo is abuzz over its huge animatronic exhibit: Bugs. Big Bugs! Guests can get up close and interact with 21 gigantic bugs made from steel, fiberglass and a special weather-proof “skin.” Watch and learn about the superpowers of the black ant, emperor scorpion, grasshopper and Mexican redknee tarantula. $5 plus zoo admission: $24.95; $16.95 ages 3-12, free for ages 2 and younger.
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Wondrous Worlds: Art and Islam Through Time and Place
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 N. Central Ave. Central Avenue and McDowell Road
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam Through Time & Place is the first Islamic art exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum in more than two decades. Organized by the Newark Museum, the exhibition showcases more than 100 works of art from around the world and spanning a millennium and includes calligraphy, textiles, jewelry, paintings, clothing, musical instruments, and more.
Unlike previous national and international exhibitions of Islamic art, Wondrous Worlds is organized around the Five Pillars of Islam rather than geography, time period, or material. Objects on view range from religious to recreational items and were created in the tradition of Islamic art by both Muslim and non-Muslim artists. Along with traditional examples of Islamic art, the exhibition also features contemporary works to illustrate the living legacy of Islamic art.
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Fragments: Broken Bowls Tell More Tales
Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park
4619 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Hear the stories pottery sherds have to tell archaeologists when theses pieces of the past are rediscovered and studied. Fragments: Broken Bowls Tell More Tales, is a temporary exhibit at Pueblo Grande Museum that explores researchers use sherds to uncover a variety of details, such as how the pottery was made, used, and where it was produced. These details aren’t always obvious during examinations of gorgeous whole pottery vessels.
Visitors typically see the most unique and complete pottery vessels of a museums’ collection on display. They seldom see, or know about, the thousands of broken pottery fragments called ‘sherds’ that are preserved in storage. Using local and traded examples, Fragments invites visitors to see how sherds help archaeologists piece together new ideas about the ancestral O'Odham, more commonly known as the Hohokam. The exhibition also features sherds that connect the Hohokam with their neighbors across the Southwest and northern Mexico during the time of the European Renaissance. Visitors can listen to local Native perspectives on archaeology and cultural preservation while experiencing traditional O’odham songs that tell of the mountains surrounding Pueblo Grande and their deep connections to past, present, and future O’odham generations.
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Point of View at Wonderspaces
Scottsdale Fashion Square
7014 E Camelback Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
“Point of View” presented by Wonderspaces is a roughly 80-minute experience featuring artwork from 13 artists from around the world. The artwork presents visitors with experiential installations including a virtual reality dinner party and an installation that encourages digital painting through body movement.
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Electric Desert at Desert Botanical Garden
Desert Botanical Garden
1201 N. Galvin Parkway
Phoenix, AZ 85008
You're invited you to see desert, light and sound unite in a mesmerizing display like never before. Cactus and desert become a living canvas in this nighttime experience, taking visitors on an immersive journey through the garden using light and original music.
Electric Desert includes six site-specific locations, with each experience inspired by and related to the Garden.
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Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants
OdySea Aquarium
9500 East Via de Ventura
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
Guests are invited to dive beneath the surface of the world’s rivers in the new exhibition Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants.
Enormous in size and rapidly dwindling in number, these ancient fish play critical roles in their freshwater habitats. Dr. Zeb Hogan, aquatic ecologist, National Geographic Fellow and host of the Nat Geo WILD series Monster Fish, has spent nearly two decades searching for and studying the rare, large freshwater fish species profiled in the exhibition. The interactive exhibition will include five extraordinary, life-size sculptures of monster fish as well as videos and hands-on interactive activities for audiences of all ages.
Monster Fish takes visitors on a journey to river basins around the world to learn about colossal fish and the people that depend on them. Through detailed maps, sculptures and custom illustrations, the exhibition showcases close to 20 fish species and their diverse freshwater ecosystems. In addition to highlighting the biology of each species, the exhibit depicts the cultural ties between the fish and local people. From mythical tales and storied traditions to threats and conservation efforts, visitors will leave with a greater understanding of the connection between humans and fish. -
Historic Downtown Phoenix Food Tour
Downtown Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ 85003
This three-hour guided walking tour brings you on a culinary voyage through Downtown Phoenix. You will walk through the hustle and bustle of our Downtown to try five different tasting locations, stopping at historic landmarks, and showcasing one of the most haunted hotels in the US. $60.
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Mexican Photographers, Mexican Views
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Mexican Photographers, Mexican Views features more than 60 photographs created solely by Mexican artists that offer an intimate view into 20th-century Mexico and the country’s shifting national identity.
The exhibition, with works drawn exclusively from the collection of the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, showcases a range of photographic techniques used in 20th-century Mexican photography and includes pastoral landscapes, portraits of indigenous peoples, and images of everyday rural life. Featured photographers include Hugo Brehme (1882–1954), Lola Álvarez Bravo (1903–1993), and Manuel Álvarez Bravo (1902–2002), among others.
