Gather at 5:00pm on Nov. 4th
registration area on Toole Ave just West of Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St.

Procession Begins 6pm
GRAND FINALE
Mercado San Agustín on West Congress (west of I-10), 100 S. Avenida del Convento

We will be initiating our new finale site on West Congress and with the help of Gadsden Company we will be investing in a new Festival Grounds that will be developed over the next few years-look for more details soon!
Flam Chen and a multitude of other performers TBA, The Community Spirit Group, and
with this years musical guests: SORIAH, Richard Noel from Sticks and Fingers and David Galleher, Danza Azteca Calpulli Tonantzin, Tucson Arts Brigade, Odaiko Sonora, Mourning Frye, de Dar a Luz, and more.

Map of new route is below (The change must be due to construction on 4th Avenue as the previous route used to start at Epic Cafe at University Blvd. and go through the 4th Avenue Underpass to downtown). The new route now starts near Hotel Congress:

This wildly popular procession is in its 23rd year and there must be 20,000 or more people now walking the route. For more information on other events leading up El Dia de Los Muertos and this All Souls Procession, go to their website: http://www.allsoulsprocession.org/

Hope you enjoyed Halloween last night, and it’s time to get ready for All Souls on Sunday. Raices Taller art gallery will be hosting a Dia de los Muertos community event on Friday November 2nd, from 6 to 8 p.m. It is their “annual homage to Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead with a cultural celebration in the tradition of the Hispanic Southwest. Community groups, guest artists and gallery members pay personal tribute to Dia de los Muertos with altars, ofrendas (offerings), paintings and sculpture. All events are free and open to the public, donations appreciated!”They are located at 218 E. 6th Street, 520-881-5335 or raicestaller222@aol.com.

Dance to the lively beat of Caribbean drums from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Ronstadt Transit Center (NE corner of 6th Avenue and Congress St.), with Sticks & Fingers.

Richard Noel playing the steel drums with Sticks & Fingers

Sticks and Fingers is a dynamic percussion group that produces a joyful Afro-Caribbean sound. Their range of musical genres is vast… from Calypso, Soca, Reggae and African beat to American Standards. The artists integrate various percussion instruments into all these diverse compositions together with dance and vocals, transporting their audience to a festive, joyful experience in the tropics.

Founder/percussionist Richard Noel is from the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. He recently produced a new CD called “Taking it Higher”. I have been seeing & hearing Sticks & Fingers perform their dynamic music downtown over the past few years, and just recently met Richard at the 2012 Tucson World RefugeeFEST. He plays the steel drums and Congas, Bongos, Timbales, Djembe, and Bells.

Sticks & Fingers website: www.rdnoel.com.

More info about other happenings on and around Congress Street on Saturday: www.2ndsaturdaysdowntown.com

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

37th Annual Tucson Meet Yourself, Friday October 8 & Saturday October 9, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday October 10, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Driving force behind this folk festival is Mia Hansen, Executive Director (520) 370-0588, mia@tucsonmeetyourself.org (whom I just met last weekend at the Pima County Courthouse where the Folk Arts Market will be).

There will be six Festival areas this year:
1. Key Ingredients in El Presidio Park;
2. Meet Our Heritage in Jacomé Library Plaza;
3. Meet Your Soul in La Placita Village;
4. Pima County Meet Yourself in the Pima County Administration Building/Surrounding Areas;
5. Traditions of Home and Games People Play in Tucson Convention Center (TCC) Plaza; and
6. Meet the Street area on Church Street

Website: www.tucsonmeetyourself.org for lots more photos and event information, including the daily performance schedules. Plus see event map below.

Admission is free to Tucson Meet Yourself. Over 75,000 people attended the 2009 festival, and donations are needed to offset costs. Look for volunteers with orange buckets asking for your financial help again this year.

crowd at Tucson Meet Yourself by Pima County Courthouse

Board of Directors of Tucson Meet Yourself

JAMES GRIFFITH, Ph.D., Founder, Research Associate, University of Arizona Southwest Center
MARIBEL ALVAREZ , Ph.D., Chairwoman, Research Social Scientist/Folklorist -University of Arizona
CELESTINO FERNÁNDEZ, Vice Chair, Ph.D., Distinguished Outreach Professor, University of Arizona
ROBERT SHATZ, Treasurer, COO, Innovative Technologies Development Center
RICHARD NOEL, Aerospace engineer
CARMEN BONILLAS, Teacher/Tucson Unified School District
SHIRAZ ALI PEERA, Coldwell Banker Residential
RALPH COLWELL, Commercial Real Estate Investor
DON LURIA, Slow Food Tucson

official map