The 2016 Fall Tempe Festival of the Arts pops up in Downtown Tempe this week with a fantastic assortment of revered traditions, new programming and holiday highlights. This 48th Fall Tempe Festival of the Arts is highly ranked as a leading fine arts festival, and is one of the largest and oldest festivals of its kind, drawing attendees from across the nation. From Friday December 2nd through Sunday December 4th, 2016 this artist‐driven event is diversifying with new offerings in a pedestrian zone stretching from 3rd Street to University in Downtown Tempe from 10:00am to 5:30pm daily. Open to the public and offering FREE admission for the entire family, the event is easily accessible via the Valley Metro Light Rail. The award‐winning festival regularly draws as many as 225,000 guests looking for holiday gift items including handmade art pieces, jewelry, home décor, local wines, beer and food, all while enjoying live music and entertainment.
New this season are the Sixth + Mill Makers; a fresh, new, curated section of the Tempe Festival of the Arts where vendors were hand‐selected to provide a cohesive, modern and hip feel. There will also be a dedicated Food Truck Alley, and the number of beer and wine gardens has tripled throughout the festival.
Tempe Festival of the Arts continues to feature nearly 400 peer‐juried handpicked artists and artisans, and the addition of the Sixth + Mill Makers brings a fresh millennial appeal with nearly 30 DIY enthusiasts curated by local art emissaries, Standard Wax. This special artisan zone will be located at 6th Street and Mill Avenue, and will also boast artisan finishing salts, cocktail mixes, a lounge and “make and take” booth for hands‐on types who like to physically make memories at the event.
In addition to the beloved Cottage Edibles section featuring the best packaged hand‐made gourmet foods, seasonings, cottage crafts and remedies, festival favorite food and snack vendors such as kettle corn, cotton candy, fudge, roasted nuts and more will be featured. Award‐winning Arizona‐made wines from Arizona Strong Hold Vineyards, AZ Wine Cellars, Cellar 443 and Page Springs Cellars will offer samples in the Cottage Edibles section this festival, with bottles available for purchase. To add to the merriment and cheer, the fall festival will feature three distinct combination beer and wine gardens offering local brews from Tempe‐based Four Peaks Brewery and Pedal Haus Brewery as well as Gordon Biersch Brewing Company.
Organizers were impressed with the overwhelming popularity of local food trucks at the spring festival and have created a dedicated Food Truck Alley for the fall. Festival attendees will enjoy meandering and snacking on the go with savory selections provided by Arizona Gold, Costantino’s Italian Kitchen, SuperFarm SuperTruck, The Rocket Food Truck, The Maine Lobster Lady, Tornado Potato and Yellowman Fry Bread food trucks.
Miss Hannah’s Gourmet Popcorn Co.
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