What: Arizona Palooza
When: Saturday May 7, 9am-1pm
Or: Georges DeMeester Performance Center, 800 S. Concert Place, Tucson
Journalists and editors: To make arrangements to cover the event, contact Pamela Wagner at 520-621-7910 or hwcenter@email.arizona.edu.
Arizona Palooza will return as an in-person event for the first time since 2020 on Saturday, May 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Reid Park Georges DeMeester Performance Center in Tucson.
Arizona Palooza brings together organizations from across Tucson and Pima County to provide helpful information about mental health and substance use disorders in an informal setting, including carnival games and live entertainment. The event is free and open to the public.
Held during Mental Health Awareness Month, Arizona Palooza is designed to reach new audiences, reduce stigma, and promote open dialogue about how to improve your mental health.
This year’s Arizona Palooza features the second annual First Responder’s Lip-Off Challenge, a live lip-sync competition between police, firefighters and EMT teams. Rural Metro Fire Chief John Walka will return to defend his title.
Other highlights include:
- Entertainment by local musicians
- Bingo Booth
- Ready, Set, Rec from Tucson Parks & Recreation! bus, with board games, hula hoops, chess, Mexican train, Jenga, ring toss and more
- Pitch accepting animals
- Gifts, activities and games for all ages
The Arizona Palooza Steering Committee is led by the UArizona RISE Health and Wellness Center, which houses the wellness camp and workforce development program, the Department of Family Medicine and UArizona Community College of Medicine – Tucson. Arizona Complete Health is this year’s VIP event sponsor.
For more information, visit tucsonpalooza.org or facebook.com/ArizonaPalooza.
