Over 30 events to check out August 28-30!

Tucson residents looking for something to do from Friday, Aug. 28, through Sunday, Aug. 30, have a wide range of options, from evening markets and live music to museum programs, outdoor walks and hands-on creative activities. The weekend lineup includes free events, low-cost admissions and larger ticketed performances, with activities spread across downtown, the west side, midtown, the foothills and Oro Valley. Because several events are part of recurring series, times and registration requirements may vary, so checking each event’s listing before heading out is recommended.

One of the weekend’s biggest shopping opportunities is the Summer Night Market at the MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida del Convento. Held on the last Friday of each month through September, the market brings together more than 80 local makers. Visitors can browse art, crafts and other goods while enjoying the evening atmosphere, and admission is free. The MSA Annex also hosts Sunset Yoga every Tuesday, while St. Philip’s Plaza, 4280 N. Campbell Ave., offers a weekend market from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and Sundays. That market features local makers, live music and nearby places to eat.

Friday night also offers several ways to spend time downtown and near the University of Arizona. At the Tucson Improv Movement, 414 E. 9th St., The Soapbox presents four short, personal stories from special guests as inspiration for an improv performance. The show runs from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. At the Presidio Museum, 196 N. Court Ave., the Downtown Experience Summer Event Series presents Fire and Ice, a family event featuring blacksmithing demonstrations and tortilla making. Admission is $9 for adults and $6 for children ages 6 to 13.

Music fans can choose among several performances during the weekend. The Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St., hosts I Love the ’80s, featuring A Flock of Seagulls and Bow Wow Wow with Annabella Lwin. The Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., also has an event on its calendar, although the supplied listing does not include the performance name or additional details. A separate listing identifies a performance at the AVA Amphitheater at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, which falls outside this weekend’s dates and should be checked separately.

Saturday includes opportunities for both quiet recreation and lively entertainment. The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, 4455 E. Camp Lowell Drive, will offer an all-level yoga class from 4:14 to 5:15 p.m. Participants can stay afterward to explore the museum. Admission is $5 for museum members and $10 for the general public. At Sky Bar, the Cirque Collective Fire Troupe will perform a fire flow show on the patio. That event is free, although attendees should plan to purchase their own drinks if desired.

For shoppers seeking something less conventional, Girthy Gochu and Tucson Love Letter are organizing the So! Silly! market at the 4th Avenue Coalition Space, 311 E. 7th St. The event celebrates art described as absurd, whimsical and unserious, with some material that may be mildly explicit. Seventeen vendors are expected to sell stickers, jewelry, baked goods, keychains, prints and apparel. Admission is free. The same Coalition Space hosts Third Friday Game Nights with Queer Hearth Tucson from 6 to 9 p.m. on the third Friday of each month, offering a chance to bring personal games or use the group’s collection.

Live Theatre Workshop, 3322 E. Fort Lowell Road, presents Overboard, Under-Rehearsed, a pair of performances built around maritime melodies, seafaring songs and aquatic comedy. The venue’s description frames the production as two evenings of intentionally under-rehearsed fun. Cal’s Bakeshop will host a community market with local vendors, flash tattoos, piercings and baked treats, while Di Luna Candles, 2700 N. Campbell Ave., continues its monthlong schedule of creative programs, including a creative writing workshop and a book bedazzling event. Poppin’ Off Pop Culture Gifts & More, 4570 E. Broadway, also has workshops, trivia nights and other activities for different ages and interests.

The weekend’s outdoor and nature programs take advantage of cooler evening temperatures. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, offers nighttime visits from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 29. Guests can walk the grounds with a flashlight, look for nocturnal animals, touch a stingray and take part in themed activities. Admission is $29.95 for adults and $24.95 for children ages 3 to 12. Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, 5700 N. Sabino Canyon Road, has brought back its Saturday night Crawler tour, scheduled to continue through Oct. 25. Catalina State Park, 11570 N. Oracle Road, hosts Catalina Nights on the first and third Fridays, with a one-mile guided walk on the Nature Trail. The program can include a look at desert wildlife under black light, including scorpions.

Other recurring programs round out the calendar. Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way, offers $5 admission every Friday through Sept. 25. Tohono Chul, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, continues its summer series from 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 28, combining music, spirits and food. Saturday programming includes family-focused nature play through a partnership with Children’s Museum Oro Valley. The Tucson Museum of Art, 140 N. Main Ave., is holding Momentos, a summer series with gallery activities, conversations and a cash bar. The Children’s Museum Tucson, 200 S. Sixth Ave., offers Discovery Nights with free science and art activities, story times and pop-up experiments.

People who prefer active or creative gatherings can join a Thursday run club for a slower-paced four-mile route past murals and the Rattlesnake Bridge, followed by drinks at a bar. The Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild holds open studio sessions for artists of all levels who want to bring supplies and work in a relaxed gallery setting. Catalyst Creative Collective, 4500 N. Oracle Road, Suite 110, combines music with instruction in practical painting techniques. Snakes & Lattes, 988 E. University Blvd., offers late-night music, hosted games, prizes and craft cocktails, with free admission but food and drinks available for purchase. Taken together, the listings give Tucsonans plenty of ways to fill the final weekend of August, whether the goal is shopping locally, exploring the desert after dark, supporting performers or trying something new.