Video:Tempe Festival of the Arts

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Transcript:Tempe Festival of the Arts

Hi, this is Judy Hedding for About.com. I'm at The Tempe Festival of The Arts.

What Is the Tempe Festival of the Arts?

Twice each year the streets of downtown Tempe, Arizona are closed off to all vehicles and opened up to pedestrians for the Tempe Festival of the Arts. Tempe is known for Mill Avenue, with its shops, bars, restaurants, Tempe Town Lake and Tempe Beach Park, and, of course, Arizona State University. But for one weekend in the spring and one weekend in the fall, Tempe's Mill Avenue District becomes a mass of booths and festival-goers who come to experience this nationally acclaimed festival.

Exhibitors at the Tempe Festival of the Arts

Most of the hundreds of booths at the Tempe Festival of the Arts display original, hand-made artwork. The festival committee receives about a thousand applications from would-be exhibitors each year, and only the highest quality artwork is accepted to participate. One artist is chosen as the Featured Artist for the festival. Tens of thousands of your friends and neighbors will wander up and down the streets of Tempe.

In the fall, this is a perfect place to do some holiday shopping for the people on your list who pose that perennial challenge. You know, those people who seem to have everything. You're sure to find something unique for them at the Tempe Festival of the Arts that is decorative, useful or just plain fun. While the vendors are hoping that you purchase their works of art, there's no pressure here. Many people come to the Tempe Festival of the Arts just to wander, people-watch and enjoy the environment.

Enjoy More than Works of Art

There are places along the way where you'll want to stop and enjoy live entertainment; there are musicians and other street performers at various locations. There's always an area of the festival devoted to keeping the kids entertained, and the adults can usually find wine and beer tasting booths on the grounds. Of course, there are food booths here, or you can stop into one of the many locally owned cafes and restaurants in downtown Tempe for a bite to eat and some rest before you continue shopping.

Getting to the Tempe Festival of the Arts

If you'll be driving into downtown Tempe, do some research before you go about parking and how to access the garages around closed streets. Better yet, take METRO Light Rail to the Tempe Festival of the Arts. It stops right on Mill Avenue. For more information about the Tempe Festival of the Arts, visit us at About.com.