This is your chance to enjoy Brazilian & Caribbean music on April 14, 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. all over Tucson’s 2nd Saturday Downtown. First off from 5:30pm-6pm: Batucaxé & Friends Procession along downtown streets.

On the Scott Avenue Stage (E. Congress/Scott Avenue):

6pm-6:45pm: Capoeira Brasil
6:45pm-7:45pm: Batucaxé (Afro-Brazilian drum & dance)
7:45pm-8pm: Flam Chen, accompanied by Batucaxé
8pm-8:15pm: Poi-Zen Fire Troupe
8:15pm-9:15pm: Key Ingredients of African Soul (Afro-Beat/Reggae)
9:15pm-9:30pm: Poi-Zen Fire Troupe
9:30pm-10:30pm: Latin Funk Project (Latin/Rock)

Over at the Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress, for free:

7pm-9pm: UA Steel Band brings a Caribbean dance party with the sounds of soca & calypso music! Photo and info below from Fox website:

The University of Arizona Steel Band program is comprised of two steel bands, UASteel and Blue Steel. The steel band program was founded in 1987 by Professor Gary Cook and then doctoral student, Jeannine Remy. Born from a small group of personal steel drums, the band now has over 50 instruments and involves students from across the campus. Eric Hines is the current Director of the UA Steel Band program.

UA Steel Band

Over at Ronstadt Transit Center (E. Congress/6th Avenue):

7-8:30pm: A Son y Sol Latin-American Music with a twist
9pm-10:30pm: Sticks & Fingers percussion ensemble featuring recording artist Richard Noel from the Caribbean island of Trinidad & Tobago.

Carnaval is coming to downtown Tucson! There’s going to be dancing in the streets!

And not to worry about Congress Street being temporarily closed (between Stone Ave. & Toole) due to the modern streetcar construction. Here’s a press release from 2nd Saturdays Downtown about parking & traffic flow (click here).

Not Caribbean, but FREE screenings on Saturday night for the 21st Arizona International Film Festival:
The Screening Room 127 E. Congress St.
5pm: Family Shorts 1
6pm: Family Shorts 2
7pm: Alligators Always Avoid Anchovies
8pm: Stardust and the Bandit (“A nerdy for mob accountant named Guy Bacon enters the Witness Protection Program and is relocated to Old Tucson Studios, the famous movie-set-turned-theme-park in southern Arizona. Things start to get a little hairy for Bacon, however, when someone recognizes him”.)
9pm: Comedy Shorts

A day before the 10th anniversary of 9/11/11 is this month’s 2nd Saturday Downtown, Tucson’s large urban street fest downtown on E. Congress Street. September is Hispanic Heritage Month so 2nd Saturdays will be featuring Teodoro “Ted” Ramirez, A Son y Sol, and then Suerte on the Scott Avenue Stage, starting at 6:30 p.m. And Latin jazz Descarga performs (for free!) over at the Fox Tucson Theatre at 7 p.m.

A Son y Sol, courtesy of Chris Zukowski and 2nd Saturdays Downtown

This urban event started off on May 8, 2010 and has been continuing every 2nd Saturday since then (despite some inclement weather and despite the tragic shooting on January 8, 2011). And lots of us have been regularly attending, enjoying the street vendors or restaurant food, the lively music at the Rialto, Fox, or Scott Avenue Stage, the wandering minstrels, the arts & crafts, car shows, free movies by Cinema La Placita, etc. etc. The movie this Saturday is the 2006 animated “Cars”, featuring voices of Owen Wilson, Paul Newman and Bonnie Hunt.

movie poster

Each month I encourage our readers to check it out downtown…and enjoy this family friendly monthly fest.

For the event schedule, log onto www.2ndsaturdaysdowntown.com.

Over at the Rialto Theatre (318 E. Congress) 7pm-9pm: TNT (AC/DC tribute band), free for 2nd Saturdays Downtown on January 8, 2011.

TNT rock band

Grind to play at the Fox Tucson Theatre

Another FREE concert, 7 to 9 p.m over at the Fox Tucson Theatre (17 W. Congress). Grind is advertised as a Tucson-based variety band, playing “modern country.”

Entertainment schedule below for the Scott Avenue Stage (between Congress and Broadway):

5:30pm-6:30pm: Deceptively Innocent (Rock/Pop/Alternative)

6:45pm-7:45pm: Mirror Image (The acoustic, jazzy duo was Arizona Daily Star’s 2008 Battle of the Bands winner)

8:00pm-10:00pm: Five Way Street (Classic Rock)

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Indian Village Lot – Kid’s Corner! Between Stone & Scott on Congress St.

West Wall: Cinema La Placita – 6pm – Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

7:45pm – City High Short Film Fest: “As We See It – Digital Narratives:” on the topic of Unconditional Love

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Along Congress Street

6:30pm-9:30pm: Critical Stilts – Stilt walking & dancing
by Tucson Circus Arts

Live mural paintings by Joe Pagac, SW corner of Congress & 5th Ave.

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Scott Avenue @ Congress Street

6pm-10pm: Odaiko Sonora (Taiko drumming & workshops)
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Along 6th Ave.

5pm-10pm: Cristales Car Club

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Ronstadt Transit Center @ 6th Ave. & Congress St.

5pm-6pm: The Wonderfools (family variety show)
6pm-7:30pm: Mik Garrison (eclectic one-man band)
7:30-8pm:The Wonderfools (family variety show)
8pm-9pm: Lykiska (tribal fusion bellydance troupe)
9pm-10pm: Avatara (ethno psychedelic fusion)

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Old Pueblo Garage, 27 E. Congress St.

5pm-7pm: Jake Garcia (guitarist)

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NW Corner Congress St./Stone Ave.

6pm-8pm: A Son y Sol (Latin American music with a twist)

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For more information, www.2ndsaturdaysdowntown.com. Check out the photos of the winners of last month’s Holiday Windows Decorations Contest, and the Horrible Holiday Sweater Contest. Some of those sweaters were honestly pretty ugly.

1/8/11 UPDATE: due to the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords and 18 others at the Safeway in NW Tucson, most of these events will be cancelled tonight.