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With its large student and artist population, Flagstaff is able to offer visitors a varied cultural scene, combining small-town charm with a selection of urban excitement that includes classical symphony concerts, Native American dances and rodeos. While most of the tourist crowds come to town looking for natural beauty, there is no dearth of cultural attractions to keep them entertained while figuring out the best way to see the Grand Canyon. During recent years, the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce have stepped up efforts to put the town on the map as the cultural center of Northern Arizona. If they succeed, Flagstaff may well become to Arizona what Santa Fe is to New Mexico.
Festivals
Year-round arts and music festivals, both indoors and outdoors, have rapidly become the mainstay of cultural life in town. As one of Arizona's few true wintering spots, Flagstaff puts on a good show in the snow for the Flagstaff Winterfest in February, provided, of course, that snowfall becomes more abundant than it has been in recent years; but even without snow and sled dog races, the concerts and cultural events of the festival are always fun to attend. Throughout the year, Northern Arizona University (NAU), the center of scientific and artistic activity in Flagstaff, hosts many special events, concerts, exhibits and theatrical performances featuring national talent in a variety of media.
Summer brings the Celebration of Native American Art, an event that honors the creativity of American Indian artists and features the arts and crafts of the Navajo, Hopi, Pai and Zuni tribes. During the third weekend in June, when the weather is reliably warm and sunny without being too hot, contenders from all over the country gather at the Pine Country Pro Rodeo to compete in this classic Western spectacle. In August, more than 75,000 visitors throng to the Flagstaff Summer Fest, a three-day arts and crafts affair showing a multitude of juried artists, musical performances and specialty food vendors. The event attracts many people wanting to escape from the brutal heat of the southern deserts. Also during the month of August, the mountain air is filled with the sounds of classical music and pops played at the Flagstaff Festival of The Arts. On that occasion, you are likely to see the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra perform alongside other musicians of world renown, as well as the local Theatrikos Theatre Company and Northern Arizona University's College of Creative and Performing Arts. Many events take place on campus at the Ardrey Auditorium, a large performance space equipped with state-of-the-art stage technology. In September, the Grand Canyon Music Festival, a chamber music concert series, is held at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, featuring world-class musicians from all over the United States, followed by the Pops Concerts in Sedona with the Flagstaff Symphony at center stage, an orchestra that has been the source of enjoyment and pride for Flagstaff citizens for more than 50 years. Its Great Classics and Best of Pops concert series in the Ardrey Auditorium, held September through April, are always packed. The Flagstaff Festival of Science at the beginning of October is 10 days of family-friendly infotainment including interactive exhibits and open houses at observatories, museums and other science venues. As the end of the year approaches, the town sports a festive air at the annual Holiday Lights Festival, as more than 2,000,000 lights start twinkling in the trees through the New Year. Complimentary hot cider and cookies are served, and, of course, Santa will be there. In short, something cultural is bound to happen any time you visit.
Galleries and Museums
The downtown district is also an excellent starting point to explore art venues such as the Artist's Gallery, a contemporary art cooperative showcasing the work of forty local artists. Art aficionados should also take some time explore the Old Main Art Gallery at the northern end of the NAU campus, which exhibits works made by painters, ceramicists and jewelry makers of local, regional and national renown, supplemented by frequent guest-artist lectures.
Nightlife
Jazz, blues, rock and country music are thriving in Flagstaff. Supported by large college crowd, most bars and clubs offer live entertainment any night of the week, with open mic events usually scheduled on Sunday and Monday nights. Most venues are in the historic downtown area within easy walking distance of each other, so you can go bar hopping without being tempted to drive after drinking. There's always some action at The Alley(formerly The Monsoons) on Santa Fe Avenue, where audiences like to holler at blues artists and punk rock bands of varying quality, while the barkeepers can hardly keep up with orders for more beer. Meanwhile, the Monte Vista Lounge lures club hoppers inside with nightly blues, jazz and classic rock. Yet another lodging venue, the Weatherford Hotel on Leroux, features nightly blues and jazz bands at Charley's, while—Country and Western aficionados will invariably be directed to the Museum Club, the town's cowboy honky tonk.
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