Organizers of today's Festival en el Barrio Viejo, a downtown block party and concert, were concerned that fans would have to choose between live music and the Arizona Wildcat basketball, so they're offering both.
The Cats' Elite 8 4:05 p.m. game against Connecticut will be broadcast in high-definition on a 10-foot by 14-foot screen in a 30-foot by 50-foot tent next to the concert site, said Doug Biggers, of the Rialto Theatre, co-promoter of the benefit concert. The concert will be at Meyer and Cushing streets, just south of the Tucson Convention Center.
The festival starts at 2 p.m. with headliners Calexico scheduled to take the main stage about 6:20 p.m. But Biggers said organizers were concerned even though the game should be over by then that it would cut into the crowds for the festival. The festival drew about 2,000 people last year and a larger crowd was anticipated this year.
People are also reading…
Also on the bill, starting at 2 p.m., are Silver Thread Trio, Gabe Sullivan & Taraf de Tucson, Kiss and the Tells, B*Side Players, Al Perry, Los Gallegos, The Baseball Project, Robyn Hitchcock and Mariachi Aztlan de Pueblo High School.
Festival en el Barrio is a benefit for community radio station KXCI 91.3 FM, the largest fundraiser for the station after on-air pledge drives, said General Manager and Development Director Randy Peterson.
Tickets are $26 at the gate, with a $3 discount for KXCI members. No outside food, drinks, blankets, chairs, pets or weapons are allowed. Children under 10 with a paid adult.
There will be free festival parking in the TCC lot.
For more information visit the festival site: www.Barriofestival.com
For sale: Tucson's Park Place mall
