Rating:

5.0 (1 vote)

TUCSON - The 37th annual Tucson Meet Yourself festival takes over downtown this weekend. This year, the event is doubling in size.

"Good morning Tucson, it's time to wake up," said Tucson Meet Yourself Executive Director Mia Hansen on a tour of the festival grounds.

It takes someone with Hansen's enthusiasm to put this thing together.

"This is El Presidio Park, the home of Tucson Meet Yourself. Right here we're going to have about 50 different food booths. All the way around here getting set up this morning," Hansen said.

Tucson Meet Yourself does not end at El Presidio Park. Just like years past, you will find food vendors, entertainment and the best of Southern Arizona extending to the Jacome Library Plaza.

This year the festival will expand over the bridge to La Placita Village and the Tucson Convention Center Plaza.

"This year the theme is expansion, growth. We decided that we had to take a turn. We either go up, or stay where we were and we decided to really explode this year and Tucson Meet Yourself is going to be bigger than ever," Hansen said.

Part of the mission is to get people moving and witness a true blend of culture and history.

"It's good to see the diversity in Tucson, and it gives us a chance to educate people about who we are and what we're for," Tucson Meet Yourself participant Veronica Cuauhtemoc said.

"It's going to be fantastic, I hope your going to come down," Hansen said.

Admission is free but the organization is collecting donations this year. The event runs from 11 am to 10 pm Friday and Saturday and 11 am to 4 pm Sunday. For more information, click here.