Central Arizona

May 2-4 – Phoenix Improv Festival

Hosted at the John Paul Theatre in Phoenix College, 1202 W. Thomas Road, the Phoenix Improv Festival will feature over 15 different improv troupes, duos and trios in a three-day extravaganza of laughter. Not only that, but there will also be three workshops for those of you who want to hone your improvisational comedy skills. Tickets start at $10 for Thursday night and $20 for Friday or Saturday nights. Student, military and senior discounts are available for the latter two. For more information, visit phoeniximprovfestival.com/

May 4 – First Friday After Clean-up Party

Trinity Episcopal Church and 850zip need help cleaning up after the monthly raucous party and festival known as First Friday. And afterwards? Another party! This time, volunteers will be able to celebrate their time and effort at Bliss ReBAR. The clean-up will start at the Trinity Episcopal Church, and volunteers will work their way from 1st to 7th Avenue, cleaning up the streets as they go! The fun starts at 8 a.m. and goes until 11 a.m. eventbrite.com/e/850zip-first-friday-after-clean-up-party-may-4th-tickets-60127692547

May 5 – Cinco De Mayo Festival

Celebrate Mexico’s victory over the French this May 5 at 200 W. Washington Street, beginning at noon. Festival guests will get the opportunity to listen to Mexican music, watch and participate in traditional folk dances, bask in the glory of Lucha Libre, and of course enjoy wonderful food and drink. WAR is headlining the event, playing at 8 p.m. Tierra, an LA band, will be opening for WAR at 6 p.m. Admission is $10. According to their website, this is the “longest-running annual event in Arizona’s capital city.” For more information, visit cincophx.com/event-info/

May 11 – Bag stuffing event for mothers with sick children

Celebrate Mother’s Day by helping those who define the day. Volunteers will stuff bags for mothers visiting their kids on Mother’s Day at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The bags will include activities for them to do with their children, organic cosmetics and “pampering products,” and healthy snacks. This event will be held at Pitch, 6350 E. Thomas Road,  Scottsdale, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit eventbrite.com/e/a-mothers-day-giving-event-tickets-59989673729

May 11 – Bash Music and Craft Beer Festival

Headlined by Rancid, the Bash Music and Craft Beer Festival is the perfect confluence of craft beer and alternative music. Taking place at Margaret T. Hance Park from noon to 4 p.m., the celebration will be all about the craft beer (ages 21 and older). From 4 to 10 p.m. it’s an all-ages rock-a-thon! There will be over 100 craft beers to taste, so come prepared. Tickets start at $39.50. For more information, visit thebashfestival.com/phoenix/#attractions

May 11 – Scottsdale Whiskey Festival

Hosted in Old Town Scottsdale, this whiskey festival includes three hours of bibulous entertainment with over 20 whiskeys, bourbons and scotches to sample and enjoy! Tickets start at $25 with an extra hour of whiskey-tasting fun available for VIPs. The event will be held at Wasted Grain in Scottsdale, 7295 East Stetson Drive from 3 to 6 p.m. For more information, visit: eventbrite.com/e/scottsdale-whiskey-festival-a-whiskey-tasting-in-old-town-tickets-56210300522

May 16 – Public Day for Intel ISEF Science Fair

View hundreds of innovative projects at the world’s largest science fair for pre-college students. Last year’s winners include a robotic window cleaner, a powder to make electrode manufacturing more energy-efficient, and an improvement to solar and wind batteries! Winners will be announced May 18, so don’t miss your chance to check out these wunderkids’ work! It will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center, 100 N. 3rd St., from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-isef

May 25 – Keep Phoenix Beautiful – Mountain View Park Community Garden

Who doesn’t love eating fresh fruits and vegetables? Well, with your help, Keep Phoenix Beautiful provides a wonderful community garden in Mountain View Park so all the locals can enjoy a peaceful place with natural food. You can help maintain the garden on Fabulous Fourth Saturdays, every fourth Saturday, including May 25, from 7 to 10 a.m. Just sign up on their website and head over to 9901 N. 7th Avenue. Remember your hat and sunscreen. For more information, visit keepphxbeautiful.org/event/mvp-2019-25-05/

Northern Arizona

May 3 – Keep Arizona Beautiful Recycling Center Tour

Offered every first Friday, Keep Arizona Beautiful offers a guided tour of their Materials Recovery Facility, also known as a recycling center. The event is only an hour long, but incredibly informative. Learn about the recycling process and why it is imperative to sustaining life on Earth. Tour is from 1 to 2 p.m. at 1800 E. Butler Ave. in Flagstaff. Best of all, it is completely free! For more information, visit https://kazb.org/event/recycling-center-tour-4/

May 11 – Verde Valley Wine Festival

The fourth Annual Verde Valley Wine Festival offers a sense of community and plenty of social lubricant to fuel that community. Hosted by Four Eight Wineworks and the nonprofit Clarkdale Organization, this festival allows you to do Mother’s Day right this year with plenty of wine, food and culture. This event is at Clarkdale Town Park from noon to 5 p.m. General admission starts at $40, but for $400 you can get a three-day “glamping” experience with Stout Tent. For more information, visit verdevalleywinefestival.com

May 25-26 – 29th Annual Zuni Festival of Arts and Culture

Celebrate Northern Arizona’s unique Zuni culture at this festival which will display the work of over 50 Zuni artists. There will be art on display, documentaries to watch, and wonderful music and dance performances by a one-of-a-kind people with roots in Northern Arizona. Children will enjoy Zuni-inspired puppet shows and crafts. General admission starts at $12, but for only $6 more, you can buy a weekend pass. This event is happening at the Museum of Northern Arizona, 3101 N. Fort Valley Road in Flagstaff, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit musnaz.org

Southern Arizona

May 4 – The Agave Expo

Hosted at the Hotel Congress, and presented by Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, this plant sale/expo is a part of Tucson’s 2019 Agave Heritage Festival. Gaze upon some of Arizona’s most unique plants and succulents, and learn about how to grow them at home. You can even purchase baby succulents. Hotel Congress is located at 311 E. Congress St. in Tucson, and the event will be taking place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit visittucson.org/event/agave-expo

May 18-19 – Willcox Wine Country Spring Festival

With over 15 wineries participating, the Willcox Wine Country Spring Festival has been rated as one of the top 10 wine festivals in Arizona by Fodor’s Travel, and we think it’s pretty swanky too! Enjoy some of Arizona’s best wine, art and music for two days from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets start at $20, and if you don’t drink, it’s completely free! For more information, visit willcoxwinecountry.org/festivals.html

May 1-4 – Southwest Wings Spring Fling Birding Festival

Starting at the Cochise College Library, venture out with a flock of fellow birding enthusiasts for the birdwatching event of the year. You can participate half the day for $45, all day for $90, or go on an overnight trip for $250. Southwest Wings has tons of experienced tour guides who will no doubt lead you to plenty of the state’s rarest, most beautiful birds. For more information, visit swwings.org/spring-fling

Business

May 10 – Fifth Annual Sustainability Conference of American Legal Educators

This event features preeminent lawyers from around the country who have focused their careers on sustainability law. They will provide in-depth coverage on a number of environmental issues, including climate change, environmental harms, green energy, food production, land development, decarbonization and more. The conference will be held in the Beus Center for Law and Society at 111 E. Taylor Street in Phoenix. Featuring keynote speaker Michael B. Gerrard of Columbia Law School, the event will include breakfast and over nine hours of informative speeches and panels (from 8:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.). For more information, visit https://events.asucollegeoflaw.com/sustainabilitylawconference/

May 15 – Arizona Technology Council Cyber Security Summit

Arizona Technology Council hosts this annual breakfast summit for business and government leaders featuring pertinent information on data security and what can go wrong when this security is breached. The event features keynote speaker Michael McAndrews, WGM Associates’ vice president of network security systems. The program, which includes breakfast, is May 15 at 8600 E. Anderson Drive in Scottsdale, from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more information, visit http://azchamber.chambermaster.com/events/details/update-from-capitol-hill-luncheon-2019-235563

May 21 – Greater Phoenix Chamber’s Power Connect Lunch and Learn

Join the Greater Phoenix Chamber for one of their most popular networking events – The Power Connect Lunch and Learn. Be sure to come hungry, both for food and knowledge, as they will provide both in spades! The event features Dean Sherry, ADP’s Arizona vice president, who will be speaking on how to hire and retain the talent your business needs to be a success, and will be held Tuesday, May 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Seasons 52, 2502 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix. For more information, visit https://business.phoenixchamber.com/events/details/power-connect-lunch-learn-may-6015