The Best Things to Do in Phoenix This Weekend

It's finally the weekend. Don't waste it. Instead, go see folk-punk singer Kimya Dawson, celebrate The SIC Sense, or giddy up to the Arizona Gay Rodeo. For more things to do, visit Phoenix New Times' calendar.

SMoCA Spring Opening Reception
Help Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, 7374 East Second Street, celebrate three new exhibitions during a Spring Opening Reception from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, February 16. The free event is a chance to mingle with curators and fellow art lovers while exploring the museum’s latest offerings.

The fresh exhibition lineup includes the latest iteration of southwestNET, a series that highlights midcareer artists living in the Southwest region of the United States or Mexico. This is the 17th exhibition in the series, which has also showcased work by Postcommodity, an artist collective featured in last year’s Whitney Biennial.

SouthwestNET: Claudio Dicochea showcases the artist’s skillful manipulation of pop culture and history, which challenge prevailing narratives about both present and past. Dicochea is represented by Lisa Sette Gallery.
Other new exhibits feature work by a trio of Inuit artists, as well as Guadalajara-based Luis Alfonso Villalobos. Visit the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art website. Lynn Trimble
The SIC Sense: 10-Year Anniversary Part I
Your live comedy options have grown both wide and deep. From improv to stand-up to overly frank storytelling, something will make you laugh enough to imperil various physiological systems. Having grown up with Carol Burnett (and not in reruns) and every single season of SNL, we favor sketch comedy, complete with randomly placed songs. One of our favorite purveyors is The SIC Sense, now celebrating 10 years of disgusting mayhem with The SIC Sense: 10-Year Anniversary Part I, the first in a two-part retrospective.

We hope to all that’s holy that the lineup will include gems we privately refer to as “Toddler Fight,” “Horny Kittycats,” and “Weirdo OB-GYN.” We did glimpse the troupe’s notes, but all we could reliably decipher was “Tickle Me Emo.”

Showtime on Friday, February 16, is 8 p.m. Performances continue through Saturday, February 24, at 1902-1909 East McDowell Road. Tickets are $15 at the SIC Sense website or 773-733-9427. Julie Peterson

Arizona Gay Rodeo
Giddy up. The 33rd Arizona Gay Rodeo is boot-scooting to the Valley. Details are still coming together for this year’s event, but cowboys who buck broncos and rope cattle are a given. During previous years, there’s been dancing, barrel riding, and calf-roping lessons, as well as a chili cook-off. Additionally, singers from around the Valley will compete for the title of Country Idol. And you won’t wanna miss the crowning of rodeo royalty when some lucky cowpokes taking home the title of king and queen of the rodeo.

Pull some leather from Friday, February 16, through Sunday, February 18, at Corona Ranch, 7611 South 29th Avenue in Laveen. Single-day tickets are $15. For more information, visit the Arizona Gay Rodeo website. Jason Keil

Chinese Culture and Cuisine Festival
According to the Chinese zodiac, 2018 is the year of the dog. Whether you fall under that sign or not, make a stop at the 28th annual Chinese Culture and Cuisine Festival to celebrate. There’s numerous ways to get festive at this yearly party.

Enjoy traditional Chinese music and dance performances, martial arts demonstrations, and table tennis. Vendors will offer items ranging from arts and crafts to food. There’s a whole pavilion for kids to engage in youth-centric activities, while a photo booth provides the selfie souvenirs.

The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, February 16, at Margaret T. Hance Park, 67 West Culver Street. Admission is free. The event continues through Sunday, February 18. Visit the Phoenix Chinese Week website. Amy Young

Guilty Pleasures: Lady Gaga vs. Kesha
Lady Gaga and Kesha have revolutionized pop music with their distinctive sounds, fashions, and personas. On Friday, February 16, DJs A Claire Slattery and Becktron (a.k.a. New Times’ arts and music editor Becky Bartkowski) will pay tribute to the artists during a 21-and-older dance party devoted to the two superstars.

During Guilty Pleasures: Lady Gaga vs. Kesha, the DJs will play hits from the two singers and mix in songs from popular artists such as The Weeknd, Gwen Stefani, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Pink, Lorde, Ellie Goulding, and Liam Payne. Fans of Gaga and Kesha can rep their fave with buttons given out during the event.

The event starts at 9 p.m. at 401 West Van Buren Street and costs $5 per person. For more information, call 480-659-1641 or go to the Van Buren website. Laura Latzko

Diamondbacks Fan Fest
Punxsutawney Phil recently saw his shadow, but here in the Valley, we’re casting plenty of our own shadows thanks to all this blistering sunshine. Maybe it’s the record-setting temperatures that January hurled at us, or maybe it’s a post-Super Bowl lull, but it certainly feels like spring is sneaking up on us like an old pair of gym shorts. At least they’re cozy at first.

The silver lining? Baseball. Clouds likely will be absent from the Diamondbacks Fan Fest on Saturday, February 17, at Scottsdale’s Salt River Fields, 7555 North Pima Road, but D-backs fans have seen enough gloominess since their team was bounced from postseason play by the reviled Dodgers just a few short months ago.

The free event kicks off at noon. Visit the Diamondbacks website or call 480-270-5000 for details. Rob Kroehler

Experimental Art Night
The relationship between audience and artist is explored in nueBox’s Experimental Art Night at Mesa Arts Center. Creatives bring work to an intrepid and attentive audience eager to see something new. It could be a performance piece, interpretive dance routine, a new graphic design, or even a sculpture. Artists do not have to audition or submit their work for review before the show, so most of what you will see are raw works-in-progress looking to be taken to the next level as attendees offer supportive feedback to the creators.

See something new at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 17, at 1 East Main Street. Admission is pay what you can. For more information, visit the nueBox website. Jason Keil

Kimya Dawson
Folk-punk singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson is retuning to the Valley for a show at Trunk Space, the local DIY venue where she often performs. The venue’s owner, Stephanie Carrico, is thrilled for Dawson’s return.

“I am excited to have Kimya back because she is such a wonderful storyteller,” Carrico says. “Also, I think she is a great role model, especially for teen girls. She doesn’t pretend to be someone she’s not, and I really admire the honesty in her music.”

Dawson has been making music for more than two decades. From 1994 to 2008, with a break in the middle, she was part of the duo Moldy Peaches. During and since that project, she has made a bunch of solo records, including an album for kids called Alphabutt.

Rock out with her at 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 17, at 1124 North Third Street. Tickets are $12. Visit the Trunk Space website. Amy Young

Fiesta Bowl Overwatch Collegiate National Championship
There’s nothing like an old-fashioned showdown between college teams. It’s a hallmark of the sports world that offers plenty of excitement as squads from respective schools square off in pursuit of guts, glory, and a major championship. It’s just as true of collegiate battles taking place in the world of eSports, or competitive video gaming, which features teams of gamers representing universities from across the U.S. battling for supremacy.

You can witness such a competition on Saturday, February 17, during the Fiesta Bowl Overwatch Collegiate National Championship. Teams from the University of California Berkeley, University of Toronto, UC Irvine, and UC San Diego will face off while playing competitive rounds of Overwatch in a four-team tournament to crown a national champion. An exhibition match between ASU and the University of Arizona is also planned.

The action will unfold at the ASU’s Sun Devil Fitness Complex, 500 East Apache Boulevard, starting at 3 p.m. General admission is free; reserved seating is $10. See the Fiesta Bowl website. Benjamin Leatherman

Phoenix Rising v. Sporting KC
Despite an untimely exit from the playoffs last season, the Phoenix Rising — Arizona’s premier professional soccer team — certainly lived up to its namesake. The club set records in both wins and goals scored, among others, giving Valley soccer fans quite an alluring invitation to hop on the Rising bandwagon. In a savvy move toward both improvement and national exposure, the USL team has scheduled three preseason games against MLS clubs. By sparring outside their weight class, Phoenix can prep for the regular season while showcasing their talent to a broader audience. Kinda like scoring two goals with one ball.

See the Rising host Sporting KC at Scottsdale’s Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex, 741 North McClintock Drive, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 17. Tickets are $16 and up. Visit the Phoenix Rising website or call 623-594-9606 for details. Rob Kroehler

Sense & Sensibility
Early 19th-century English novels don’t especially lend themselves to an episode of bingeing and chilling and whatnot. Though many challenging things turn out to be fun and/or good for you, we’ll instead recommend a super-accessible, extra-fun version of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility, adapted by Kate Hamill and presented by Southwest Shakespeare Company.

The show, fast-paced and wildly creative, could be said to violate the second or third wall — costumes and furniture fly about, and our own century’s obsessions inform the gossipy action. In this setting, Austen’s astute observations shine brighter than usual. The production closes on Saturday, March 10. Showtime on Sunday, February 18, is 2 p.m. at Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main Street. Tickets are $45 to $47 at the Southwest Shakespeare Company website or 480-644-6500. Julie Peterson

The Love Witch
How does one find love? Witchcraft, of course.

Next up in FilmBar’s Women in Horror Month comes The Love Witch, a 1960s-style scarefest that follows a young witch looking for love using potions and spells. But when the magic works a little too well, she leaves a long line of unlucky men in her wake.

The screening starts at 8 p.m. on Sunday, February 18, at 815 North Second Street. There will be a tea party prior to the film at 7 p.m. Fancy hats are recommended. For more information, visit the FilmBar website. Lindsay Roberts