Tour de Fat bike parade and festival in Tempe - Oct 9th 2010

Online, October 6, 2010 (Newswire.com) - If you're around Third Street in downtown Tempe on October 9th, then be on the lookout for a pack of pirates, eccentric bands, and some acrobatic superstars wondering the streets in a parade fashion.

The event is well put together with one element being a 25-piece adult marching band who will be playing a wide spectrum of genres such as Afro-baile, rock, and gypsy brass. These band members will be trained in the art of acrobatics and will be performing their best work in Tempe Beach Park.
Drinks will be served in plastic cups, so expect to see a few of your buddies or girlfriends at the event mixing with the crowd.

The event is received by the public as an event of silliness and of chaos. Chris Genkins attended last years Fat bike parade and festival in Tempe and mentions, "Nothing is more chaotic than pure randomness at its best with a few buddies and a few drinks, bring them all together and you have a recipe for a good time".

Who hosts the event?

Colorado-based Belgium Brewing Co. are the people who are responsible for hosting the event. The event is carried through 13 U.S. cities with the main attractions being comprised of bikes and beer. Among the 13 cities on the tours itinerary, Tempe has in the past held the highest attendance with a whopping 10,000 people last year. A spokesperson for the event said, "We want to get people out and away from their cars and onto bicycles to raise money for local-based bicycle organizations".

The event coordinators kick off the party around downtown Tempe and then people migrate to the park where you can find New Belgium brews, performances by some well known talent on 3 state of art sound stages, and even a karoke booth. One resident of the Valley always leaves each year with a new bike because tradition dictates that a resident will trade in their car to ride a bike for the year.
Best way to come?

Ride your bike. The point of the festival is to show people the environmental perks of riding a bike and encourage people to do so.

When to come?

The festival gets things started around 10 a.m. with a bicycle parade around the downtown Tempe area. You should get there early to register for your participation in the festival. You will find many of the participants decorate their bikes and the event coordinators encourage you to do the same.

Beyond decorating your bicycle, people also dress up in goofy costumes to showcase their silly side. One particular costume I remember from last year was a man wearing over-sized shoes with the front tips cut off to allow his green socks to protrude from the front of the shoes. He accompanied his goofy footwear with a pair of over-sized clown shorts and a pirate t-shirt.

This is a party where the more goofy you are dressed the cooler you appear to your friends and to your fellow Fat bike parade and festival in Tempe participants. The bottom line is eco-friendly actions and showcasing your intentions by attending the event and supporting the eco-friendly cause. As such, if you or someone you know has an idea to make a eco-friendly statement that is safe, peaceful, and abides by the rules of the event coordinators, it is encouraged that you express this idea at the festival and I'm sure your statement will be well received by the festival attendees.

I hope to see you there with a smile and a goofy costume. Be on the lookout for a guy with a camera representing Best Phoenix Directory as we will be mixing it up with the crowd in search for the most silly statement and most silly costume. We will be taking pictures and posting them on this page after the event, so bookmark this page. Two winners will be chosen from our pictures. One of which will be chosen for having the most silly costume and the second will be chosen on who is making the strongest eco-friendly statement. We will be giving each winner a coupon for 3 months of free advertising on the frontpage of Best Phoenix Directory. If the winner doesn't own or isn't associated with a small business he/she would like to promote, the winner will be allowed to choose a friend or family member whom operates their business in the valley and Best Phoenix Directory will happily extend the coupon offer to that chosen business.

Go to http://bestphoenixdirectory.com/events to see pictures of the event and to get more information.

Tour de Fat bike parade and festival in Tempe