Mark your calendars, Mesa residents and beyond! The city's beloved I Love Mesa Day is back with a vengeance — well, not literally, but it's indeed returning with a schedule packed full of free, family-oriented fun. On Saturday, March 1, Downtown Mesa will transform from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering an array of outdoor activities that are guaranteed to make the hearts of local business enthusiasts and family fun-seekers alike vigorously resonate with glee.
Now, if you happen to be acquainted with Mayor Mark Freeman, you'd know that this isn't just another event. "I Love Mesa Day is about celebrating our awesome community, local businesses and the amazing people who make our City great," Freeman told Mesa Now. The festivities are not to only entertain but to also showcase the vibrant life pulsing through the streets of Downtown Mesa — culminating in a day where you can comfortably forget to not only spend money, but also to witness the transformations taking place in the heart of the city.
Looking to keep the kids entertained? The I Love Mesa Day lineup doesn't skimp. Enjoy complimentary admission to the idea Museum and the Arizona Museum of Natural History (AZMNH), where your little Einsteins can engage in activities such as scavenger hunts and story times. Oh, and if you're early birds, catch the ribbon-cutting of the new idea Lab supported by Meta at the idea Museum at 8:15 a.m.
As for filling the rest of your daylight hours, anticipate an avalanche of classic carnival attractions — rides, games, and even face painters doubling as balloon twisters promises to create a day that's not too easily to be forgotten. For those with an insatiable appetite for the peculiar, enjoy stilt walkers mingling amidst the crowd or marvel at the larger-than-life Disney characters like Elsa, Moana, and Belle who've wandered far from their storybooks straight into Downtown Mesa.
The event isn't overlooking the gastronomically inclined either, with food trucks on standby to satiate your cravings — possibly the best part, depending on whom you ask. Add to that the tunes provided by Mesa Community College's DJ program and various downtown restaurants and bars pitching in with specials of their own, we're staring down the proverbial barrel of a day filled with bargain bites and beat drops.
Literacy advocates, you've not been forsaken. "I Love Mesa Day will also host Read On Mesa's Literacy Lane - a celebration of literacy and community," as noted by Mesa Now. Guest readers, including council members and local educators, and even Clifford the Big Red Dog, are gearing up to make appearances that are both literary and legendary. Long story short: If you've been looking to sign up for that Mesa Library card, consider this your sign.
Rooted in a desire to support local businesses and to introduce people to the unique offerings of downtown Mesa, I Love Mesa Day, sponsored by solid community stakeholders, is a celebration now etched into local tradition. For a full list of the day's activities, just tap your way through to the official websites of either downtown Mesa or the city itself.
