It’s always great to be in Tempe, but this week it’s especially great because there are so many outstanding events going on.  In addition to great live music taking place throughout the week, we have two fantastic festivals to look forward to over the weekend and both are free! The big one that’s been around for 34 years is the Tempe Festival of the Arts.  It brings more than 400 artists as well as musicians, street performers and children’s activities to Mill Avenue and provides a great opportunity to purchase beautiful, original art.

Lesser-known, but also fantastic, is the Arizona Dragon Boat Festival that will take place on Tempe Town Lake. Now in its ninth year, this colorful event celebrates Asian culture with two days of dragon boat races, vendors, food booths and performances by martial artists, musicians and dancers. The beautifully decorated dragon boats are manned by teams of up to 20 paddlers. One team member pounds a drum to keep the paddlers’ oars in sync; the drum represents the heart of the dragon. Close to 60 teams will participate, including our own ASU team.

These are just two of many events taking place this week. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

• March 27: Open Jam, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• March 28: Stu Siefer Combo, Dave’s Electric Brew Pub
• March 28:  Walk-in Wednesdays Open Mic, Tempe Center for the Arts
• March 29: Music on Mill, Mill Avenue District
• March 29: A Boy Named Sioux, Cadillac Ranch
• March 29: Ken Kaz, Tempe Improv
• March 29: Jeff Sullivan; March 30: Walt Richardson, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• March 30: Dale Kavanagh, ASU Katzin Concert Hall
• March 30: Agave on the Rocks, Desert Botanical Garden
• March 30: ASU Beyond Center: Freeman Dyson, Tempe Center for the Arts
• March 30: Opening of BRAWL AT THE MALL: Eddie Mitchell and Ben Willis, Night Gallery at Tempe Marketplace
• March 30: Ted Brown’s Mailbox; March 31: Knee Deep Experience, Tempe Marketplace District Stage
• March 30: Scott & John of Hello Swindon; March 31: Knee Deep Experience, Tempe Marketplace Barnes & Noble Fountain
• March 30 & 31: LCS Double Feature – Myq Kaplan & Roy Wood Jr., Tempe Improv
• March 30-April 1: 35th Annual Tempe Spring Festival of the Arts, Mill Avenue District
• March 31-April 1: Arizona Dragon Boat Festival, Tempe Town Lake
• March 31: Yumi La Rosa and Ava Fleming present “Mujeres Cuatro,” Center for the Arts