7 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

New Times picks the best things to do in metro Phoenix from Monday, August 22, through Thursday, August 25. For more events, see our curated online calendar. 

Meet Me Downtown
Need a little Monday motivation? Get moving with Meet Me Downtown, a free weekly social walk courtesy of Blue Cross Blue Shield and the City of Phoenix, on August 22.

Despite summer sunshine and monsoon madness, for 91 evenings #MMDTPHX has taken participants along a 3.2-mile (5K) loop along the streets and into Margaret T. Hance Park during this casual fitness meetup. Thinking of going the distance? A 1.8-mile extension is a popular option for the group’s avid runners.

Check-in is from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. and the route starts at ends at Copper Blues, 50 West Jefferson Street, inside CityScape. Kids, dogs, and strollers — or kids and dogs in strollers — are welcome. For more information, registration, and a look at the route, visit www.meetmedowntownphx.com. Janessa Hilliard

Expose UX
It’s all about the experience. Expose UX, a web TV show where startups get advice from a panel of user experience (UX) experts, is touring North America this summer, and Phoenix is on the map. Watch five local startups give 30-second pitches and two-minute demos at Mod PHX, 2828 North Central Avenue, during the public Expose UX taping. Three UX experts will select the winning startup.

See Expose UX live on Tuesday, August 23. VIP tickets are $12 and get you into the event at 5:30 p.m. for pizza and networking. General admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 6:30 p.m. For more information, check out www.facebook.com/events/151815625243668. Katrina Montgomery

EALphx Happy Hour
On Tuesday, August 23, you’ll find a few of our favorite things at SunUp Brewing, 322 East Camelback Road. First is the obvious one: beer. And second? That’d be the crew behind Emerging Arts Leaders Phoenix, hosting the fourth in their series of summer happy hours bringing together people from across the Valley’s local arts community. Think visual artists, museum administrators, curators, and those who appreciate the aforementioned people’s work. The aim is to engage in conversation starting at 6 p.m. about what’s happening in the arts community at large while enjoying extended happy hour pricing for beers and $5 appetizers. There’s no cover. Find more information at www.facebook.com/ealphx. Becky Bartkowski

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Atlanta Braves
The nice thing about the Atlanta Braves coming to Chase Field, 401 East Jefferson Street, on Wednesday, August 24, to play the Arizona Diamondbacks is that they are one of only a few teams who are undeniably worse than Arizona. Prior to this season, hardball prognosticators and pundits cited a bolstered pitching rotation and all-star caliber offense in Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollack as reasons why the D-backs would remain competitive throughout their 2016 campaign. Not so much. The Braves — on the other hand — have stunk from day one, and everyone saw it coming. Even in these dog days of a frustrating season, the D-backs ought to get the better of the busted Braves. Watch what happens at 6:40 p.m. Tickets are $12 and up. Visit www.dbacks.com or call 602-514-8400 for details. Rob Kroehler


RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Watch Party
The bitches are back.

Ten of your favorite RuGirls and “should-have-wons” are returning for another chance to lip sync for their lives during the second installment of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, premiering Thursday on Logo TV. And it’s every sister for herself, sort of. In a Survivor-esque twist: The queens will vote each other off and inter-season alliances — and drama — are bound to run rampant. After all, the only thing worse than a knife in the back is an impeccably manicured claw.

Kobalt Bar is still the Valley’s place to view the Race. The weekly viewing party features a $7 “Showtini” special, a concoction more sweet than salty — unlike the show’s contestants.

The two-hour-plus screening affair starts at 6:30 p.m. on August 25 at 3110 North Central Avenue, within the Park Central Mall. There’s no cover for the 21-and-over event. Get all the drag details at www.kobaltbarphoenix.com or dial 602-264-5307. Janessa Hilliard

Equilibrium
ASU’s Center for Science and Imagination and FilmBar wrap up their History of the Future series, examining how filmmakers of the past 50 years viewed the future, with Equilibrium. Christian Bale and Taye Diggs star in this dystopian thriller about a medicated future where emotions are illegal and what happens when one man stops taking his drugs.

“Although as a society we’re not vacationing at theme parks staffed by androids as in Westworld or in the immersive cyberscape of The Lawnmower Man, it’s been interesting to spend time considering those ideas,” says Bob Beard from the Center. “It has given new context to the things and experiences we value right now — Pokemon GO anyone?”

The screening begins at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, August 25, at 815 North Second Street, with a post-viewing panel discussion featuring scholars from ASU. Admission is $6. Visit www.thefilmbarphx.com or call 602-595-9187 for more information. Michael Senft

Bats 101
Bats have a bad rap as vampiric creates of the night, but, honestly, they’re pretty fascinating creatures. Discover more about why bats are so cool at the Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 North Galvin Parkway, where Arizona Game and Fish biologist Randy Babb will be giving a presentation on bats this week. Babb will cover the secretive lives of these winged fiends of the night and some of their most fascinating adaptations for survival.

Learn about bats with Arizona Game and Fish from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 25. The class fee is $25 for members and $32 for nonmembers. The class has a limit of 24 seats. For more information, visit azgfd.com or call 480-941-1225. Katrina Montgomery