Free Stages and Local Creators Take Over Monroe Street Saturday
Phoenix, AZ · November 13, 2026
Spotting cowboy boots on the morning light rail is your earliest giveaway that a packed festival weekend has arrived. Plan your routes early today, especially with major freeway resurfacing closures scheduled across the Valley starting tonight.
The Lead
Monroe Street turns into an open-air cultural plaza this Saturday as the Herberger Theater Center launches its 17th Annual Festival of the Arts. Rather than keeping performances behind proscenium arches, the free daylong gathering brings 27 Valley performing arts organizations directly to the street and outdoor pavilion.
The lineup spans classical ballet from the Arizona Repertory Ballet, contemporary works by Third Space Dance, thunderous percussion from Fushicho Daiko Dojo, and traditional songs by Mariachi Hermanas Del Corazon. Between sets, visitors can browse 30 local artisan booths and catch youth circus demonstrations. While the theater garage fills early on festival weekends, the Van Buren and First Avenue light rail station sits just two blocks away for a hassle-free arrival before the first downbeat at 11:00 AM.
Local Pulse
Southbound State Route 51 Closes for Weekend Roads Crews shut the freeway between Northern and Highland avenues from 9 PM Friday until Monday morning for repaving work.
City Council Runoff Races Set for March City Hall Updated unofficial general election tallies send competitive races in council districts two and four to a March runoff ballot.
Valley Metro Gathers West Phoenix Rail Feedback Transit Planners host community sessions this month detailing proposed light rail routes extending along Indian School Road toward Desert Sky.
Today's Outlook
- High 78°F · Low 57°F — Overcast (40% chance of precipitation)
- Keep a light rain layer handy if you are heading outdoors this afternoon.
What's On Around Town
Today
- Charles Schwab Cup Championship Phoenix Country Club (2901 N 7th St), 8:00 AM · Paid Watch top PGA Tour Champions golfers battle in the season finale.
- Hondo Street Fest Chase Field, Noon–1:00 AM · Free Live music, food trucks, and Western vendors outside the stadium.
- Canal Convergence Scottsdale Waterfront, Scottsdale, 6:00–10:00 PM · Free Immersive canal-side light installations and live fire performances after dusk.
- Jerry's Middle Finger Last Exit Live (717 S Central Ave), 8:00 PM · Paid Energetic Jerry Garcia Band tribute bringing classic jams downtown.
Tomorrow
- Phoenix Pizza Festival Margaret T. Hance Park, 11:00 AM–6:00 PM · Paid
- Grand Canyon vs. UTEP Volleyball Global Credit Union Arena (3300 W Camelback Rd), 1:00 PM · Paid
- Arizona Pinners Conference WestWorld of Scottsdale (16601 N Pima Rd), Scottsdale, 10:00 AM–8:00 PM · Paid
Sunday
- Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers Mortgage Matchup Center (201 E Jefferson St), 2:00 PM · Paid
- UnderScore: Garrison Jones & Friends Arizona Science Center (600 E Washington St), 6:00 PM · Paid
- Canal Convergence Finale Scottsdale Waterfront, Scottsdale, 6:00–9:00 PM · Free
Spotlight & Story
- World Championship Hoop Dance Contest
- Founded in 1991 and hosted in the Heard Museum courtyard since 1992, this annual competition started as a tribute to dancer Tony White Cloud. Today, over eighty Indigenous competitors interlock up to fifty hoops into soaring eagles and blooming desert flowers.
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