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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David Hockney’s Yosemite and Masters of California Basketry
Heard Museum
2301 North Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004
David Hockney’s Yosemite and Masters of California Basketry highlights the impact that Yosemite has had over time and space on artistic production, from the valley’s original Indigenous inhabitants to one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The exhibition marks the first showing of Hockney’s work in Arizona and will highlight the influence of the American landscape on his seminal work while illuminating how Indigenous women inspired by the same landscape have made significant contributions to the field of art production. The objects on view will illustrate ways in which technology can be implemented in artistic creation, from the sophisticated technology of basketry to the innovative use of digital technologies like the iPad. Included are more than 20 spectacular examples of Mono Lake Paiute and Miwok basketry, made by 9 different artists in the early to mid-20th century, as well as 29 of Hockney’s iPad drawings printed on paper, and his rarely shown photographic collages from the 1980s. Situated against the backdrop of the Yosemite Valley’s history—from first contact between Indigenous tribes in the region and Euro-American settlers from the Mariposa Battalion and the Mariposa War, on through the California Gold Rush and Yosemite Indian Field Days—the exhibition illuminates how Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists have and continue to interpret this landscape in visual culture and fine art.
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Making Sense of your Dollar and Cents
Arizona Science Center
600 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Presented by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Making Sense of Your Dollars and Cents is designed to introduce children and adults to important components of financial literacy – including budgeting, the importance of savings, managing accounts as well as math – in a fun, playful and engaging manner.
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Color in Play
5005 E Camelback Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85018
A juried exhibition that features outdoor sculptures combining color and whimsy with a touch of sophistication!
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The W.O.N.D.E.R. Center
Arizona Science Center
600 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
An exploration of the original supercomputer – the human brain – The W.O.N.D.E.R. Center is one of our permanent galleries. If you've ever wondered about the brain, here's your chance to examine its anatomy, neuroscience, development, and thought.
- Examine our touchable brain model. It simulates the size, weight and texture of a real brain!
- Compare different types of animal brains and see a human brain in the Brain Museum.
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Evans Family SkyCycle Page
Arizona Science Center
600 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Suspended nearly 15 feet in the air, the Evans Family SkyCycle teaches riders about the principles of counterbalance and center of gravity, while taking a ride on the 90-foot cable.
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Philip Curtis and the Landscapes of Arizona
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004-1685
Landscape remains one of the most popular subjects for artists visiting and residing in Arizona. Philip C. Curtis, while not known as a landscape painter, draws extensively on that subject. Curtis came to the state in 1937 to establish the Phoenix Federal Art Center under the Federal Art Project, a New Deal program. He left two years later to head a similar facility in Des Moines, Iowa, but returned to Arizona in 1947. Settling in Scottsdale, he painted surreal compositions, with figures in Victorian costumes set in the desert. Arizona’s landscapes were a rich source of inspiration for him, and while his canvases do not portray any recognizable geological features, his work may be contextualized within the work of a broad spectrum of artists who came to the state. Curtis saw the desert through a lens of magic realism. This differed from Maxfield Parrish, Eugene Berman, and other artists who preferred more representational modes.
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All About Me
Arizona Science Center
600 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Get ready to:
- Walk through an enormous "working" stomach, complete with the sights, sounds and smells of the digestive process
- Watch surgeries being performed, featuring the techniques of Dr. Edward B. Diethrich, in the Heart Surgery Theater
- Test your heart muscles in our Wheelchair Racers
- Explore the systems of the human body–from defense and immunity to cardio and pulmonary, digestive and skeletal
- Hear your actual heartbeat as it is translated into sound on a bass drum
Plus, plan to attend exciting, live science demonstrations in the Daniel Cracchiolo Theater. This stage comes to life daily with scientific demonstrations. From eyeballs to explosions, each demonstration incorporates audience volunteers to roll up their sleeves as they question everything.
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Crickets, Tea, and Snuff: Chinese Intellectual Pursuits
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004-1685
In traditional China, the literati, or educated class, set the standards for aesthetic taste and leisurely pursuits, many of which are still practiced today. Through a diverse selection of objects, this exhibition introduces viewers to a number of these preferences and interests.
Crickets were the ideal pet for members of the Chinese upper classes and imperial court because of their soothing sound and their ability to be transported in elegant, portable cages. Viewers will have the opportunity to examine various gourd cricket cages donated to the Museum by Amy S. Clague.
The beverage of connoisseurs in China and still widely consumed today, tea is considered beneficial, stimulating the mind, cleansing the blood, and aiding in digestion. As a result, tea vessels hold a special significance. For centuries, the town of Yixing was known as the central producer of unglazed teawares, and a collection of Yixing teawares, donated to the Museum by James T. Bialac, is showcased in the exhibition.
The practice of inhaling snuff, or aromatic tobacco ground into a fine powder, for a jolt of nicotine originated in the Americas but took hold in China during the 17th century. Made of stone, porcelain, lacquer, and other materials, snuff bottles were symbols of status, wealth, and taste in China. The exhibition features a selection of Chinese snuff bottles, donated to the Museum by Deborah G. Carstens.
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Celebration of Fine Art
18400 N. Hayden Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
This is your opportunity to meet 100 of the finest working artists from the United States and Canada. Watch the artists work in their studios, find out how and why they do what they do and share in the creative processes. The spectrum of artwork includes paintings in acrylic, drawing, encaustic, oil, pastels, and watercolor; sculpture in bronze, metal, stone and wood; jewelry in gold, precious & semi-precious gemstones, metal, mixed media and silver, plus photography, mixed media, and textiles.
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Sublime Landscapes
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004-1685
Spurred by the artists from the North East who comprised the Hudson River School, landscape painting was one of the most popular subjects in nineteenth-century America. Pushed ever westward by expansionist notions of Manifest Destiny, a belief that such territorial expansion was inevitable and pre-ordained. Painters were also part of government initiatives to survey the vast region, particularly in regards to potential railroad routes and to learn about the indigenous populations they encountered.
Adventurous artists sought landscape subjects beyond the continental United States, some traveling to the Arctic, where they found immense icebergs and the Aurora Borealis (these were dangerous journeys). Artists visited equatorial South America where they thrilled to the sublime vistas and smoldering volcanos they discovered. The Amazon and the Andes were rich sources for exotic paintings. Many regarded South America as “a land of scientific wonders, golden riches, and edenic innocence.” J.P. Reichardt’s Latin American Scene of 1866 captures the attraction of humid locales very different from North America.
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Flight Zone
Arizona Science Center
600 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
An extension of The Kemper and Ethel Marley Gallery, guests experience where the science of flight comes together with Arizona's flight history, providing a unique and engaging experience.
Become an engineer as you imagine, plan, create and improve helicopter and airplane designs. Climb into the fuselage of an actual airplane and venture into the field of aeronautics as you explore the forces and principles of flight through several exciting hands-on exhibits.- Paper Airplane Launcher
- Paper Helicopter Lift Activity
- Pitch-Roll-Yaw Interactives
- Apache Helicopter Model from Boeing and an Interactive Touch Screen
- Arizona Flight Caps and Patches
- Historic Flight Jacket and Flight Images
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Million Dollar Quartet
1825 N Central Ave
Arizona, AZ 85004
Go behind the music to that December day in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis cut a record together at Sun Records Studios in Memphis. Half stage play and half foot-stomping live show, Million Dollar Quartet puts you right where the action is, as these four legends clash, jockey, and gel into one of the finest musical acts ever recorded.
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Nickelodeon's The Spongebob Musical
203 W. Adams St.
Phoenix, AZ 85003
A legendary roster of Grammy Award-winners. A visionary director and a Tony Award-winning design team. One of the world’s most beloved characters. Turn them loose on stage and what do you get? The bold, original musical The New York Times declares, “brilliant!”
“Wonders pour from the stage in a ravishing stream of color and invention” (Time Out New York) as Broadway’s best creative minds reimagine and bring to life the beloved Nickelodeon series with humor, heart and pure theatricality in a neon-sparkly “party for the eyes and ears” (Daily Beast). Be there when SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face catastrophe—until a most unexpected hero rises to take center stage. This “creative explosion” (Broadway.com) is “nothing short of genius” says Theatermania, so bring the entire family to celebrate friendship and cooperation, and learn the power of unity and inclusion.
Get ready to enjoy the “Broadway Extravaganza” (The New Yorker) that New York Magazine calls “effervescent candy-for-the-spirit.” Explore the depths of theatrical innovation in Nickelodeon's The Spongebob Musical, 2018 Best Musical winner of the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, where the power of optimism really can save the world.
