Annual cultural events and fairs-

The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show is held every year in February for two weeks. It is one of the largest gem and mineral shows in the world, and features many of the finest mineral specimens. There is no single location for display of minerals, but rather dozens of locations spread across town. The show has an estimated attendance of more than 50,000 people from over twenty countries. Attendees frequently include the general public, experts, beginning collectors, museum employees, dealers, retailers, and researchers. Many museums and universities, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Sorbonne, have displayed materials at the show.

For the past 21 years the Tucson Folk Festival has taken place the first Saturday and Sunday of May in downtown Tucson. In addition to nationally known headline acts each evening, the Festival highlights over 100 local and regional musicians on four stages in one of the largest free festivals in the country. Organized by the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association, volunteers make this festival possible. Arizona's only community radio station KXCI 91.3-FM, is a major partner, broadcasting from the Plaza Stage throughout the weekend. In addition, there are numerous workshops, events for children, sing-alongs, and a popular singer/songwriter contest. Musicians typically play 30-minute sets, supported by professional audio staff. A variety of food and crafts are available at the festival, as well as local micro-brews. All proceeds from sales go to fund future festivals.

There are also two Fourth Avenue Street Fairs, in December and March, staged between 9th Street and University Boulevard, that feature arts and crafts booths, food vendors and street performers. The fairs began in 1970 when Fourth Avenue, which at the time had half a dozen thrift shops, several New Age bookshops and the Food Conspiracy Co-Op, was a gathering place for hippies, and a few merchants put tables in front of their stores to attract customers before the holidays.

Tucson's Fiesta de los Vaqueros, or Rodeo is another popular event held in February, which is early spring in Tucson, is the Fiesta de los Vaqueros, or rodeo week. While at its heart the Fiesta is a sporting event, it includes what is billed as the world's largest non-mechanized parade. The Rodeo Parade is a popular event as most schools give two rodeo days off instead of Presidents Day. Western wear is seen throughout the city as corporate dress codes are cast aside during the Fiesta. The Fiesta de los Vaqueros marks the beginning of the rodeo season in the United States. Fiesta de los Vaqueros, the premier event of the rodeo year, is held at the beginning of the rodeo season.

One of the largest festivals celebrated is the All Souls Procession, held on the first Sunday in November since 1989. Modeled on the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), it combines elements of African, Anglo, Celtic, and Latin American culture. At sundown, thousands of people garbed in myriad costumes, mostly of the deceased, gather near the corner of Fourth Avenue and University Boulevard. In 2005, the Tucson Police Department estimated that 7,500 people participated in this event. The organization Many Mouths One Stomach (see website) hosted the gathering to acknowledge, mourn and celebrate deceased loved ones, and the grand mystery of death. Starting in 2006, the All Souls Procession will become a weekend-long event.

There are several museums in the city, such as the Arizona Historical Society:founded as the Pioneer Historical Society by early settlers, has a collection of artifacts reflecting the city's history--many focusing on the era before statehood was attained in 1912-- as well as a fine collection of original documents in its library, including many interviews with early residents.

The Fremont House: an original adobe house in the Tucson Community Center that was saved when one of Tucson's earliest barrios was razed as urban renewal. Originally named the Fremont House after Gov. John C. Fremont, who rented it for his daughter, it is now known as the Sosa-Carrillo-Fremont House to more accurately reflect its Latin heritage

Fort Lowell Museum: on the grounds of a military fort established in 1873 during the "Indian Wars" period and abandoned in 1891.

The Tucson Museum of Art: established as part of an art school. It contains nearly 6,000 objects concentrating on the art of the Americas and its influences. The museum also operates several historic buildings in the neighborhood, including La Casa Cordova, the J. Knox Corbett House, the Edward Nye Fish House and the Stevens/Duffield House.

The University of Arizona Art Museum includes works by Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko as part of the Edward J. Gallagher Memorial Collection, a tribute to a young man who was killed in a boating accident. The museum also includes the Samuel H. Kress Collection of European works from the 14th to 19th centuries and the C. Leonard Pfeiffer Collection of American paintings.

The UA campus also features the Center for Creative Photography, a leading museum with many works by major artists such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.

The Mission San Xavier del Bac is a historic Spanish mission, located 10 miles (16 km) south of the city. It was built by Father Kino in the 1660's as a mission which included a chain of other missions located now south of the border. It is located in the Tohono O'odham nation reservation southwest of Tucson off of I-19.

Old Tucson Studios, Built as a set for the movie Arizona, is a movie studio for classic Westerns. It was destroyed by arson and the rebuilt site now features a theme park.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a non-traditional zoo devoted to animals and plants of the Sonoran Desert. It is located west of the Tucson Mountains.

The Pima Air & Space Museum, featuring over 250 modern and historical aircraft, is located to the southeast of the city near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

The Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) is a facility where the federal government stores out-of-service aircraft. Bus tours are conducted regularly from the Pima Air & Space Museum.

Titan Missile Museum located about 25 miles (40 km) south of the city on I-19. This is a Cold War era Titan nuclear missile silo (billed as the only remaining intact post-Cold War Titan missile silo) turned tourist stop.

Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum: museum inventory includes 150 vehicles, ranging from small Buggies, Wagons, Surries, Coaches and Historic artifacts from pioneer days and a re-created Western Main Street representing what early Wild West Tucson looked like and what it offered in terms of businesses and services.

The Museum of the Horse Soldier includes artifacts and ephemera detailing Western cavalry and dragoon military units.

Parks and outdoor attractions-

Saguaro National Park is located near Tucson.The city is home to more than 120 parks, including Reid Park Zoo. There are five public golf courses located throughout the area. Several scenic parks and points of interest are also located nearby, including the Tucson Botanical Gardens, Saguaro National Park, Sabino Canyon, and Biosphere 2 (just north of the city, in the town of Oracle).

Fourth Avenue, located near the University of Arizona, is home to many shops, restaurants, and bars, and hosts the annual 4th Avenue Street Fair every December and March. University Boulevard, leading directly to the UA Main Gate, is also the center of numerous bars, retail shops, and restaurants most commonly frequented by the large student population of the UA.

El Tiradito is a religious shrine in the downtown area. The Shrine dates back to the early days of Tucson. It's based on a love story of revenge and murder. People stop by the Shrine to light a candle for someone in need, a place for people to go give hope.

Trail Dust Town is an outdoor shopping mall and restaurant complex that was built from the remains of a 1950 western movie set. Trail Dust Town contains a number of historical artifacts, including a restored 1920s merry-go-round and a museum dedicated to Western cavalry and dragoon military units.

Performing arts-

Musical groups include the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1921, the Arizona Opera Company, founded as the Tucson Opera Company in 1971, the Tucson Boys Chorus, Tucson Girls Chorus, Southern Arizona Symphony and Civic Orchestra of Tucson.

Theater groups include the Arizona Theatre Company, which performs in the Temple of Music and Art, a mirror image of the Pasadena Playhouse; the Invisible Theatre; and the Gaslight Theatre, which performs melodramas. Additonally, many bands perform at the numerous local clubs.

Tucson is home to the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus. They have been Arizona's "Ambassadors in Levi's" since 1930. A chorus of mostly pre teen boys with exceptional singing skills, they have toured the USSR, China, Japan, Singapore, and all over the world.


Sports-

The University of Arizona Wildcats sports teams.
Tucson is home to the Tucson Electric Park, which is the spring training location of the Arizona Diamondbacks (NL), and the Chicago White Sox (AL). The Colorado Rockies (NL) practice at nearby Hi Corbett Field. These teams, along with the nine that practice in nearby Phoenix, make up the Cactus League.

The Tucson Sidewinders, a triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Sidewinders play in Tucson Electric Park and are in the Pacific Conference South of the Pacific Coast League.

Tucson Raceway Park hosts NASCAR-sanctioned auto racing events and is the only asphalt short track in Arizona.

The English Premiership soccer of Charlton Athletic club recently opened a youth academy in Tucson in May 2005.