Tempe Pulse for July 16, 2026: Trivia all week on Mill, a library slate, and arena football at Mullett

Good morning, Tempe. Mid-July in the desert, so this weekend leans toward the library, some air conditioning, and a rooftop pool.

🎲 Trivia all week, starting tonight on Mill. Movie, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter nights follow through the month.
📚 A full slate at Tempe Public Library. STEAM for preschoolers, Lego engineering, xeriscape design, and a time capsule workshop.
🏫 Desert Vista freshman open house, Tuesday. First look at campus for incoming families.
🏠 138 homes sold in Tempe last month.
🎟️ Around the Valley. Rooftop pool party, arena football at Mullett, and D-backs vs Cardinals.

This week: trivia all over town

Tempe's bars and cafes are running a full week of themed trivia, starting tonight on Mill and stretching into the end of the month. Bring a team.

The lineup:

🎲 Tonight (Thursday): Trivia Night at Fat Tuesday, 680 S Mill Ave. Details.
🎬 Saturday: Dinner and a Game Show movie trivia at Social Hall Restaurant + Event Venue. Winners walk with T-shirts, everyone gets a door prize. Details.
💍 Tuesday, July 21: Lord of the Rings trivia at Snakes & Lattes, 20 W 6th St. Details.
⚡ Tuesday, July 28: Harry Potter trivia, also at Snakes & Lattes. Details.

Snakes & Lattes is the board game cafe a block off Mill, and the fandom nights there fill up, so a reservation beats walking in. A college town runs on this stuff in the summer, when campus is quiet and the patios are the whole social calendar.

The weekend

Most of the family weekend runs through Tempe Public Library. Here is the slate.

Today

🐕 Paws 2 Read, 3:30 PM. Therapy dogs Finn and Roxy take reading buddies in the Learning Lab. Sign-up starts 3:15, first come, 5 to 10 minute slots. Details.

Friday

🔬 Mini STEAMers, 10 AM. Science and art for ages 3 to 5 with a caregiver. Space and supplies limited. Details.
🧱 Lego Lab, 4 PM. Lego SPIKE engineering and computer science for ages 6 to 11. Details.

Saturday

🌵 Home Landscape Design 101, 9:30 AM. Tempe Water Conservation walks through xeriscape and water-efficient yards. Details.
🕰️ Project Time Capsule, 1 PM. Build a personal time capsule with the Arizona Historical Society. Teens and adults. Details.

Around Tempe

🏠 138 homes sold in Tempe last month. Details.
🗺️ Ten places worth a Tempe day. The Tempe Independent put together a short list for showing visitors around town. Details.

From the schools

🎒 Desert Vista hosts a freshman open house Tuesday, July 21, at 5 PM. The Thunder open the campus to incoming families before the fall semester. Desert Vista is one of the six Tempe Union High School District (TUHSD) high schools. Details.

Around the Valley

A few bigger draws this weekend, a couple in town and a couple worth the drive.

🎧 Rooftop Renegade Pool Party: Alienpark. Skysill Rooftop Lounge, downtown Tempe, Saturday at 1 PM. A DJ pool party above Mill Avenue. Tickets.
🏈 Arizona Juggernauts vs Las Vegas Rockers. Mullett Arena, Saturday at 6:30 PM. Indoor pro football in the building ASU hockey calls home. Tickets.
⚾ Diamondbacks vs Cardinals. Chase Field, Phoenix, Saturday at 1:10 PM. St. Louis only swings through Phoenix a handful of times all year. Tickets.
🎭 Les Miserables. Stephenson Theatre at Phoenix Theatre, Saturday at 1:30 PM. The big one, staged downtown for a matinee. Tickets.