Good morning, Tempe. It is a holiday week, and most of the calendar bends toward Saturday's fireworks.
- 🎆 Tempe's July 4 celebration is back at Diablo Stadium. Fireworks, live music, and food trucks on Saturday.
- 🎓 ASU and Mill Avenue. Live music at Yucca, arena football debuts at Mullett, rooftop nights downtown.
- 🎲 The week's slate. Library game nights, Mill Avenue trivia, and board games midweek.
- 🏫 From the schools. A Mountain Pointe resource day and a Kyrene plan for a closed campus.
- 🎟️ Around the Valley. Beauty and the Beast at Gammage, Jinjer at Marquee, and the D-backs at Chase Field.
Saturday on the Fourth
The city's official July 4 celebration lands at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Saturday, the big draw in a holiday-shortened week.
Key facts:
- What: The City of Tempe July 4 celebration, built around the country's 250th anniversary.
- Where: Tempe Diablo Stadium.
- When: Saturday, July 4.
- On the bill: fireworks, live music, and food trucks.
This year carries the Semiquincentennial weight, the nation's 250th, so expect the stadium to fill earlier than a normal fireworks night. Plan the drive in around the freeway boxing Tempe in on all four sides.
Full schedule and gate details are here.
The week
A quiet stretch before the holiday, mostly games and trivia.
- 🃏 Pokemon Hour and Board Game Cafe, Monday. Tempe Public Library, 5 PM and 5:30 PM. Details.
- 🌮 Taco, Tequila and Trivia, Tuesday. The Way Station at the Fairfield Inn. Details.
- 🎯 Party Games at Rekreation Games, Wednesday. Word and deduction games, 5:30 PM. Details.
- ❓ Trivia Night at Fat Tuesday, Thursday. 680 S Mill Avenue, in the heart of the bar district. Details.
🎓 ASU and Mill Avenue
Campus events, Sun Devil sports, and what's playing down on Mill.
🥁 Arizona Juggernauts at Mullett Arena. The new International Arena League team is bringing indoor football to the 5,000-seat arena ASU built in 2022. Same room the Coyotes used from 2022 to 2025, now reset for a different sport. Schedule and tickets.
🎸 Live music at Yucca Tap Room. Tempe's original live music venue has run an intimate room for more than 40 years, with a rotating lineup of local and national acts. A reliable bet when nothing else is on. Lineup.
🍸 Rooftop nights at Canopy downtown. The Canopy by Hilton on the walkable downtown grid runs events across its two restaurants, including the Alibi rooftop pool and bar. What's on.
Around Tempe
- 🏠 A Homestead-area sale. A 1999-built home in the Homestead area recently sold for $1,625,000, per Maricopa County records.
From the schools
🏫 A closed campus gets a second life. A shuttered Tempe school is becoming a lifeline for Kyrene, the district covering south Tempe and parts of Chandler. The Tribune has the full story. Read it.
📦 Mountain Pointe resource distribution. Mountain Pointe, one of Tempe Union High School District's six high schools on the south edge of the city, hosts a community resource distribution Monday, July 13 at 9 AM. Details.
Around the Valley
A few tickets worth grabbing this week, in Tempe and across the Valley.
🎭 Beauty and the Beast at ASU Gammage. Tuesday, June 30 at 7:30 PM. Broadway inside Frank Lloyd Wright's only public building in Arizona. Tickets.
🤘 Jinjer at Marquee Theatre. Tuesday, June 30 at 7 PM. The Ukrainian metal band in a room that books a lot of bigger names. Tickets.
⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Giants at Chase Field. Tonight, Monday, June 29 at 6:40 PM in downtown Phoenix. An NL West night game, a quick run up the 202. Tickets.
🎶 Dance Gavin Dance at The Van Buren. Tuesday, June 30 at 6:30 PM, downtown Phoenix, with Horses The Band. Tickets.