The beloved folklife festival Tucson Meet Yourself (TMY) celebrates a wide range of cultures and traditions from Southern Arizona and beyond with food from over 40 vendors, and live music, dance, and folk art demonstrations from over 150 artists. 

Organized by the Southwest Folklife Alliance, an independent nonprofit affiliated with the University of Arizona, and presented by title sponsor Rio Nuevo, this year’s festival happens October 17, 18, and 19 on Jácome Plaza and surrounding blocks. As the festival’s motto says, “Come for the food, stay for the culture.” 

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Food at Tucson Meet Yourself has never been solely a commodity or “something to eat,” but an expression of identity, history, and belonging, where cultural stories and significance are “baked” into dishes. This year, the festival returns to its roots as a space primarily for traditional cooks and heritage holders to share foods, flavors, and living traditions that magnify the rich cultural heritage of Tucson and the Southwest. 

“Tucson Meet Yourself, since its start in 1974, has opened doors for many small businesses and food vendors to reach broader audiences,” says Dr. Maribel Alvarez, festival co-director. “We’re dedicated to making sure the public can access to culinary traditions they can’t find as easily at other festivals or year-round. To that end, we’ve prioritized heritage-based home cooks, student associations, cultural clubs, and nonprofit organizations that benefit from festival sales to support their year-round cultural activities and continuity.”

New this year is the Taste of The Festival Passport, offering a selection of five small plates from 15 vendors, especially curated to represent a wide range of cultures and flavors. Available for $30 online or at the festival. 

Other highlights for 2025 include:

  • Nearly 50 food vendors with 11 new vendors share cuisine from Bolivia, Palestine, Peru, Ivory Coast, Singapore and beyond. Booths run by student and community organizations help to ensure those continue year-round.
  • Home Cooks’ Corridor: Celebrating enduring cultural recipes from local kitchens brought into the street in this new festival area sponsored by Tucson City of Gastronomy Resilience Kitchen.
  • Culture Kitchen: Most social gatherings end up in the kitchen, and it’s no different at TMY. Learn new recipes and listen to stories of solidarity, tradition, and culinary innovation. Sponsored by Nova Home Loans.
  • Chinese Chorizo: We’ve teamed up with Feng-Feng Yeh to re-introduce Chinese chorizo—a tasty food fusion born through the historic relationship of Tucson’s Chinese grocers and Mexican residents—to the festival. Available at select booths.
  • Folk Artists: Over 50 artists demonstrate traditional and contemporary artforms, from basketmaking, woodworking, and jewelry at the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui Pavilions to experience to global artists sharing Japanese origami, Byzantine iconography, and Turkish paper marbling.
  • Music & Dance: Nearly 50 live performances of traditional dance and music happen on three festival stages. Learn folk dances from Bulgaria and clog stepping from the US. Delight in collaborations across cultures to learn how distinct forms can sometimes overlap.
  • La Caseta Flamenca: A new pavilion celebrating flamenco culture from Spain with live performance, workshops, and a taste of paella.
  • Pabellon Peru: Celebrating Peruvian culture in a new pavilion with performances, workshops, and speakers.
  • Folklife Here Pavilion: Experience a wide variety of folklife expressions under one “roof.” Learn how folklife becomes a tool for neighborhood solidarity, share stories of the Santa Cruz River, learn from musicians and dancers on an intimate stage, and more! Sponsored by Desert Diamond Casino. 
  • For the Kiddos: Hands-on activities for kids in the Folk Arts Areas. Plus a free, family matinee of Song of the Sea, based on Irish folklore, at the Fox Theatre with a pre-show performance by Tucson Irish musicians. Saturday at 2pm. 
  • Accessibility: We continue to make the festival accessible to everyone with a low-sensory Tranquility Tent; ramps over electric cables; wheelchairs, electric scooters and cane/seat combos for loan; select CART/ASL programming; free personal audio amplifier loans at each stage; and programming featuring disabled presenters. 

Find menus, performance schedules, hours, and other info online at Tucson Meet Yourself. 

Additional festival sponsors include ATT, Casino del Sol, Chicanos por la Causa, City of Tucson, COX, Mellon Foundation, Pima County, Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area, Visit Tucson, Tucson Water, and many more. The University of Arizona plays a prominent role as the academic hub for research about the festival and its significance for a sense of inclusion and belonging since 1974.