MAYOR STANTON WRITES... By Mayor Greg Stanton
Championship Campus hours of operation: Friday, January 8 through Sunday, January 10, noon to midnight Playoff Fan Central (Convention Center) hours of operation: Friday, January 8, 3-8pm Saturday, January 9, 9am-8pm Sunday, January 10, 12-8pm For more information about tickets, street closures, hours of operation and other events associated with the College Football Playoff National Championship (including Taste of the Championship and the Extra Yard 5K) visit www.azchampgame.org. See you there!
2016 Devoured Culinary Classic: New Event Format & Initial Restaurants Announced Photos by Kathryn M. Miller
The Devoured Culinary Classic returns for its seventh year in February. Presented in partnership with Local First Arizona (www. localfirstaz.com), Devour Phoenix, Phoenix Art Museum (www.phxart.org) and the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (www.saaca.org), the Devoured week of events will run from February 28 – March 6. The weeklong celebration of food and drink returns with an all-star lineup of local chefs, culinarians, winemakers, brewmasters and mixologists. The main event, the award-winning Devoured Culinary Classic, will be held on Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6, at Phoenix Art Museum, and will feature a new format, new restaurants and chefs, an intimate VIP experience and more. This year’s Devoured Culinary Classic will offer four distinct areas to explore for complete culinary immersion. In the Great Hall, attendees will sample first course dishes like salads and appetizers. In the Dorrance Sculpture Garden, guests will be able to taste entree-style plates and sample beers, wines and spirits from around the region. Attendees can satisfy their sweet tooth in the Hardes Theater Dessert Lounge, a new addition to this year’s event featuring local restaurants, bakeries, coffee roasters and confectioners. Inside Palette, guests can browse the Local Foods Marketplace to sample and purchase products from local food artisans. The VIP area will feature Chef Vincent Guerithault of Vincent’s on Camelback and Chef Cullen Campbell of Crudo and Okra. Ticketing options and a list of participating restaurants, wineries, breweries, distilleries and food artisans can be found at www.devouredphoenix.com.
Serving the Community Since 2002
This time last year, Downtown Phoenix was gearing up to host the biggest, best Super Bowl yet. But many residents may not realize that we’re preparing to do something very similar this January when we host the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Champ Game will transform downtown into a three-day party with food and drinks, music, games, media and more. We’re calling it the Championship Campus, and it’s going to be a one-of-a-kind experience for locals and fans in town for MAYOR City of Phoenix the game. Inside the Phoenix Convention Center you’ll find Fan 602.262.7111 www.phoenix.gov Central – this is the place to be if your team makes it to the big game. Fan Central will host pep rallies for each team featuring the band, mascots and cheerleaders. Visitors will have a chance to test their arm with a football, play interactive games, meet special guests and even watch ESPN’s media day with the teams and coaches. Just a block away, next to Cityscape, is AT&T Playoff Playlist Live where the biggest names in music will perform. Each night features different acts guaranteed to get our city pumped for some great football. Friday night is country themed; Saturday night features great pop acts; and Sunday night will feature rock artists including headliner John Mellencamp to close out the weekend. During the day, local talent and DJs will take the stage. Sponsors and partners will run family-friendly activities, and ESPN will be on the lot filming live broadcasts of SportsCenter and other programs. When it comes to college football, Phoenix knows how to throw a party! The fact that Phoenix is hosting an event of this scale for the second year in a row isn’t a coincidence – it’s the result of hard work and preparation. Our downtown has become the ideal destination for major special events. Our walkable urban center is the vibrant home to great hotels, restaurants, cultural landmarks and more. And our 900,000-square-foot Convention Center is ranked in the top 10 in the nation. These events are exactly what we want in Downtown Phoenix. They help attract new audiences to experience downtown’s positive changes and growth, and they boost our local economy. The total economic impact from Super Bowl XLIX activities was $719 million, and direct spending was nearly $300 million. Those figures are great news for our local bars, restaurants, hotels and shops. That economic bump is not to mention the national media that comes to showcase the Valley. College football fanatics across the country will have a chance to see how things are done in Phoenix. They’re also going to see us celebrating in our bustling urban downtown in beautiful 70 degree weather! When it comes to supporting downtown sporting events, I’m always a fan.
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