Nightlife & the Arts in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe

Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe Nightlife

Over the past decade the Valley of the Sun has gone from a "cow town" to "now town," and the nightlife and culture options are no exception. Downtown Phoenix and Scottsdale are especially packed with entertainment choices.

Nightlife

From brewpubs, sports bars, and coffeehouses to dance clubs, mega-concerts, and country venues, the Valley of the Sun offers nightlife of all types. Nightclubs, comedy clubs, upscale lounges, and wine bars abound in Downtown Phoenix, along Camelback Road in North Central Phoenix, and in Scottsdale and Tempe, as well as the other suburbs.

Among music and dancing styles, country-and-western has the longest tradition here. Jazz venues, rock clubs, and hotel lounges are also numerous and varied. Phoenix continues to get hipper and more cosmopolitan, so behind the bar you're just as likely to find a mixologist as a bartender. There are also more than 30 gay and lesbian bars, primarily on 7th Avenue, 7th Street, and the stretch of Camelback Road between the two.

You can find listings and reviews in the New Times free weekly newspaper, distributed Wednesday, or in the Arizona Republic newspaper, also online at www.azcentral.com, the paper's website. The local gay scene is covered in Echo Magazine, which you can pick up all over town.