What this festival is about
Tucson Meet Yourself was founded in 1974 by University of Arizona folklorist and anthropologist Dr. James “Big Jim” Griffith and his wife, Loma. They believed the many cultural traditions of this region deserved a platform to see and be seen by one another and were troubled by the loss of Tucson’s historic barrios to 1960’s Urban Renewal projects. Griffith named “respect” as the festival’s guiding principle and drew on his folklorist’s training — visiting distinct communities, building relationships, listening carefully, and earning trust over time — to bring artists to the public square. More than five decades later, Tucson Meet Yourself remains one of the longest consecutively running folklife festival in the nation, animated every year by this same commitment to fieldwork, community relationship, and genuine cultural exchange.
At Tucson Meet Yourself, culture is shared between neighbors — some of whom may be meeting for the first time, many of whom return year after year. Over three days, over 100,000 people — one in every five people in Tucson! — move through downtown Tucson eating food they’ve never tasted, watching dances rooted in traditions spanning centuries, and meeting artists who’ve learned their craft from grandparents who learned it from theirs. Students volunteer and cultural organizations raise critical funds to support year-round activities.
A message from Bryan and Maribel
The world is made better through connection. The everyday practices of ordinary people including the food, the music, the craft, and the story are the foundation of a healthy society. Everyday practices have always been hiding in plain sight. Tucson Meet Yourself is where they come into view.
People in the United States attend festivals more than any other arts and cultural event, according to research by the National Endowment for the Arts. We get it. Festivals are fun. Where there’s good climate and diverse populations, festivals flourish like wildflowers.
Since Tucson Meet Yourself first bloomed in 1974, it has inspired many other festivals to grow into success. Today over 60 festivals occur here every year! We celebrate that flourishing! Because festivals boldly uphold our right to gather in peace, the cornerstone of freedom of expression.
To be free is to congregate and sing along. To rub elbows with neighbors without fear. To practice respect for others not just by uttering words but through actions that lift us all. We relish this spirit of democratic joy.
