The Weekend Guide

Cowboy Christmases, gift card giveaways and a holiday lights pub crawl, oh my!

Introducing, the first annual Scoop Factory Holiday Lights Pub Crawl through downtown Scottsdale. After all, just because you’re a tax-paying, rat-racing, quote-unquote adult, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a good light show. So grab your walking boots (or a designated driver), because it’s going to get electric.

Start things off at the Tiki-tastic Drift Lounge (4341 N. 75th St.), where everything’s aglow from the rock walls right on down to the Polynesian statues adorned with oversized Santa hats. While here, tempt the hangover gods with The Grotto, a six-person clamshell overflowing with rum, fruit and more rum. Next, it’s time to get faux-rustic at The Lodge (4422 N. 75th St.), a woodsy bar and grill where the dueling Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) really look resplendent in the glow of the twinkling light display. Speaking of sasquatches, this might be a good time to sober up (and shorten your life expectancy) by downing chef Aaron May’s burly Sasquatch burger, a half-pounder with all the fixin’s that’s wedged between two grilled cheese sandwiches.

Finally, it’s time for the inimitable classic that is The Coach House (7011 E. Indian School Rd.), aka Scottsdale’s oldest tavern. Stake out a spot on the oversized (and well heated) patio and soak in the mix of over-dressed scenesters and surly regulars while basking in a garish light display that seems to pop up around Halloween and wind down just in time for the Fourth of July. Who wants to split a taxi? (Did we miss your favorite bar? Email the editor at dawson@scoopfactory.com)

For a more family-friendly affair, drop by the Wallace & Ladmo Anniversary Special, held this Saturday at the Harkins Valley Art Theater (5th St. & Mill Ave.) in Tempe. Meet Wallace, boo at Gerald, and see classic clips on the big screen. Later that night, soak in the joys of cheap electricity—thank you Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station—at the APS Fantasy of Light Boat Parade on Tempe Town Lake.