Alternative Black Friday
Holiday shopping can be the worst. Jam-packed parking lots and pushy patrons are just a couple of the pitfalls of hitting the mall. If you’re looking for a less obnoxious experience where you can load up on unique items, Alternative Black Friday at CityScape is worth checking out.
This one-day event features more than 20 vendors hawking handmade and vintage goods. And all the sellers were curated by the owners of boutique Phoenix General. Handmade vendors include Tom Budzak Ceramics and LUA Skincare. Vintage vendors include Heidi Abrahamson Vintage Jewelry, Antique Sugar, and Redhead Sadie Vintage.
CityScape shops and restaurants will also be open. And besides cool wares, you’ll find scenic photo backdrops, live music, and festive drinks.
Grab unique goods from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 24 at 1 East Washington Street. Admission is free. Visit the Phoenix Ice Rink website. Amy Young
Glendale Glitters
Glendale Glitters used to boast a mere million lights, but now there are 1.6 million of them. Strolling beneath twinkly trees and architecture is awe-inspiring in a way that your neighbors’ lawn inflatables cannot be.
Other attractions at the 24th annual fest include horsedrawn carriages, holiday street food, and live entertainment, along with kids’ activities, shopping, and, often, an occasion to wear your winter clothes. Murphy Park will offer free Wi-Fi, so you need not leave the teenagers home to bring down the neighborhood in blood and fire.
The event commences at 5:30 p.m. Friday, November 24, with tree-lighting and special performances, and continues through Saturday, January 6, at 58th and Glendale avenues (and the surrounding 16 blocks). For info about parking, shuttles, and so forth, go to visitglendale.com, download the Visit Glendale app, or call 623-930-2299. Julie Peterson
Heard Museum’s Ornament Marketplace
You don’t have to celebrate Christmas to enjoy shopping at the Heard Museum’s Ornament Marketplace.
Several trees will be decorated with hundreds of hanging baubles that make for fun home décor beyond the holiday season. Some have a clear Christmas theme, but others use more general imagery, ranging from animals to pottery. They’re
Visit the museum at 2301 North Central Avenue between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday, November 24, to get the best selection in the museum shop, where you can peruse without paying museum admission. The marketplace continues through Sunday, November 26. Visit the Heard Museum website. Lynn Trimble
Arizona Coyotes vs. L.A. Kings
Listen. If you’re a fan of Arizona’s professional sports teams, you’ve probably recalibrated your definition of success in recent years. Otherwise, you might be a glutton for punishment. Yeah, the Valley’s sports landscape is pretty arid nowadays. But there’s a silver lining: The few bright spots get a little extra attention.
Arizona Coyotes rookie Clayton Keller, for instance, wouldn’t receive anywhere near the playing time he’s grown accustomed to had he been drafted by a better team. Simply put, if the Coyotes weren’t this bad, we might never have discovered that Keller is this good. And that makes watching the Coyotes lose somewhat more bearable.
The Yotes host the L.A. Kings at Glendale’s Gila River Arena, 9400 West Maryland Avenue, at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 24. Tickets are $17 and up. Visit the Coyotes website or call 623-772-3800 for details. Rob Kroehler
The Sad Man is 1/27 of the programming for the two nights of A Night of Misfit Films.
Mahmoud Zeidan
You can see sketch comedy at The [SIC] Sense Theatre, but it’s also
Somehow there’s also room for you to purchase food and drinks, win door prizes, and listen to live music. Maybe that’s why it all commences at 5 p.m. Friday, November 24, and Saturday, November 25, at 1902-9 East McDowell Road. Pay $15 for one night or $25 for two at the Brown Paper Ticket website. Julie Peterson
Watch RC Contreras, Anne Sanford, and Lidia Koelbel raise a glass in A Bloody Mary Christmas.
Roland Bayse
For eight years, Space 55 has provided refuge for people who hate both musicals and Christmas. That refuge recently relocated to 1524 North 18th Avenue, but its comforting contents are the same: A Bloody Mary Christmas, a wild play in which there’s more tinsel, gift-giving, singing, and dancing than you’d think you could tolerate.
Characters Blanche, Bertha, and Mabel cope with the holidays (and, frankly, all the days) in Sun City by downing booze and other substances and having sex.
The show and the new venue open at 8 p.m. Friday, November 23. Performances continue through Saturday, December 30. Tickets are $12 and $15; visit the Space55 website. Julie Peterson
A selection of succulents at Dig It.
Evie Carpenter
Succulents are resilient, but they need special care. During the Phoenix Public Market’s Succulent Success workshop on Saturday, November 25, you can learn more about different types of succulents and their watering and lighting needs.
Dig It Gardens owner Ryan Jerrell, an expert with nearly 20 years of experience in the plant industry, will teach the Q&A-style freeform workshop. The free event starts at 9 a.m. at 721 North Central Avenue. For more information, call 602-625-6736 or go to the Phoenix Public Market website. Laura Latzko
Explore art by Annie Lopez (left), Sandy Blain (right), and dozens of other artists at Art Intersection.
Art Intersection.
Sometimes, big things come in small packages. The adage rings true at Art Intersection, 207 North Gilbert Road. For an exhibition titled “Little by Little,” the Gilbert gallery is showing small work by more than 60 national artists, selected by guest juror Julie Sasse, chief curator for Tucson Museum of Art.
Several artists are well-known on the metro Phoenix
Miss AfriCaribe Beauty Pageant
Pageants can showcase more than just beauty. The Miss AfriCaribe Beauty Pageant, for instance, puts the spotlight on talent, eloquence, culture, and heritage, too. On Saturday, November 25, the pageant will bring together 11 contestants representing Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, South Sudan, Kenya, Liberia, the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, and Gabon. They will compete in interview, talent and evening-gown categories, and the top five will move to an onstage question round.
The winner will receive a $500 scholarship; second place, a $300 scholarship; and third, a $100 scholarship. The titleholder will become the face of the pageant system and take part in a clean-water project benefitting people in Kenya.
The pageant starts at 7 p.m. at the Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main Street, and tickets run from $28 to $58. For more information, call 480-644-6500 or visit the Miss AfriCaribe website. Laura Latzko
Head to the Trunk Space for a night of hip-hop.
Lynn Trimble
No single sound defines Phoenix hip-hop. Instead, a variety of influences and styles have shaped the scene. PHX Hip Hop Vol. 5 will highlight local lyricism, flows, beats, hooks and energy on Saturday, November 25.
Rapper MC/DC will kick off the night. And the bill will be full of up-and-coming artists, including
Ten months in, this
Sip, swap, and be nerdy.
Courtesy of The Rebel Lounge
Did you
Barter away your Boba Fett action figure from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 26, at 2303 East Indian School Road. Admission is free. For more information, visit the Rebel Lounge website. Jason Keil
Arizona Cardinals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Just two short seasons ago, the Western division champion Arizona Cardinals were vying for a Super Bowl berth in the 2015-16 NFC Championship game. Of course, they were clobbered by Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in that contest, but few doubted that continued success would follow for Bruce Arians’ Big Red.
Fast forward to today, when Carson Palmer’s career is likely done, the Cardinals are foundering, and the former cornerstone of Arizona’s
