PHX St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Carnival at the Park, AZ Aloha Festival and more Valley fun

PHOENIX, AZ. — The second week of March is packed with FUN! There are family-friendly and FREE events to head out to, plus there are new entertainment businesses in the Valley that could be cool date night spots.

Here’s your roundup of things to do:

MAJESTIC MARIPOSAS

• "Families can get an up-close and unforgettable experience when more than 2,000 native Southwestern butterflies return for the Spring Butterfly Exhibit. Get acquainted with thousands of butterflies, observe each stage of their life cycle and learn what actions we can take to protect them," according to the event's web page.
• Date: March 4 to May 14
• Location: Desert Botanical Garden [1201 N. Galvin Parkway] in Phoenix
• Cost: This experience is included with garden admission [$16.95- $29.95] or membership, children under 3 enter for free.

THE ARIZONA ALOHA FESTIVAL

“We have multiple stages of entertainment that goes throughout the day. So, if you never leave a certain area, you would be at your own mini event- you’ll hear entertainment going on from Polynesian dancing to chanting to storytelling,” said Lani Auwen from the Arizona Aloha Festival.

• Date: March 11 and 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Location: Tempe Town Lake [620 N. Mill Ave]
• Cost: Free to attend

PHOENIX ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

• Strike gold at this free family event! “It really doesn’t matter if you have a lot of Irish heritage, a little Irish heritage, none at all — you- know — come out and support, wear green and have a great day. One of our models is that we try to make it the greenest day in the desert,” said Jeff Aspland, of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Faire, to ABC15 Arizona.
• Date: Saturday, March 11, at 10 a.m.
• Location: The parade starts on 3rd and Oak streets in Phoenix. Click here to see the parade route.
• Cost: Free
• Keep this in mind: There’s also a fair you can check out after the parade. It’ll be located at Margaret T. Hance Park. This event does have a cost to get it in, except for children under age 12 — more information can be found here.

IRISH FOUNTAIN FEST

• What to expect: A family-friendly event that’ll offer food, a kid’s zone, Traditional Irish folk music, and more!
• Date: Saturday, March 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Location: Fountain Park [12925 N. Saguaro Blvd.] in Fountain Hills
• Cost: Free

CARNIVAL AT THE PARK

• Date: March 10 -12- doors open at 3 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday & Sunday
• Location: Bell Bank Park [6321 South Ellsworth Road]
• Cost: Parking is $5 per car, and there is no entrance fee to Carnival. Wristband for unlimited rides [per day] is $37, there are other ticket options available too.

MUSEUM OF ILLUSIONS

• Exhibits, installations and immersive rooms with mind-bending illusions!
• “Museum of Illusion has over 60 mind-bending exhibits, installations and immersive rooms where guests can walk inside of a room and actually become part of the illusion- making for some pretty fun photo-worthy moments,” said Stacy Stec, director of sales and marketing for Museum of Illusions, in an interview with ABC15.
• Grand opening: Saturday, March 11, at 9 a.m.
• Hours of operation: Every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Location: 9500 East Via de Ventura in Scottsdale
• Cost: According to Stec, ticket prices start at $17.95 for children and they go up to $24 for adults. There are discounts available for seniors and military as well. “We do highly recommend booking tickets online ahead of time, we do time entries and tickets may not be available at the door,” explained Stec.
  

STOMP

• Date: March 9 - 12, times vary.
• Location: Mesa Arts Center [One East Main St] in Mesa
• Cost: Ticket prices vary, $38 - $68, according to the Mesa Arts Center website.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD: THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR

• Date: Saturday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Desert Diamond Arena [9400 W Maryland Ave] in Glendale
• Cost: Ticket prices vary.

MARCA REGISTRADA

• Date: Saturday, March 11 at 8 p.m.
• Location: Celebrity Theatre [440 North 32nd Street] in Phoenix
• Cost: Tickets start at $60

ARIZONA TACO AND MARGARITA FESTIVAL

• Date: Saturday, March 11, at 11 a.m.
• Location: The Great Lawn at Sportsman’s Park at State Farm Stadium [9600 W. Sportsman’s Park South, 1 Cardinals Dr] in Glendale
• Cost: Ticket prices vary — general admission $10 [+$3.75 ticket fee], VIP admission $49.99 [+$9.50 ticket fee] and children 12 and under [$0].

POPSTROKE

• Glendale now has putting courses designed by Tiger Woods! “We’re very excited to be in Glendale, this our sixth location. PopStroke is a golf entertainment facility, we feature 36 holes of uniquely designed putting courses,” said Timothy Glita, director of operations at PopStroke, to ABC15.
• Location: 9480 W Hanna Ln in Glendale
• Hours of operation:
  
  • Sunday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. -11 p.m.
  • Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. [midnight]

PHOENIX SUNS VS. SACRAMENTO KINGS

• Date: Saturday, March 11, at 7 p.m.
• Location: Footprint Center [201 E. Jefferson Street]
• Cost: Tickets start at $129
  

ARIZONA COYOTES VS. MINNESOTA WILD

• Date: Sunday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m.
• Location: Mullett Arena [411 S. Packard Dr.] in Tempe
• Cost: Tickets start at $98

DON’T FORGET, WE’RE IN SPRING TRAINING SEASON

Now if you want to come in clutch for the family this month, you can’t forget that there are 15 MLB teams in the Valley! Click here for your full Arizona Cactus League guide.