Tour de Fat bicycle parade and celebration rolling through Tempe

PHOENIX — It’s that time of year again, when the weirdest philanthropic parade and party around rolls through Tempe.

The annual Tour de Fat — a celebration of beer, bicycles and music — takes place Saturday in downtown Tempe.

Participants are encouraged to come out in costume, and there is always plenty of creativity on display.

A bike parade launches from Mill Avenue and Seventh Street at 11 a.m.

Mill Avenue will be closed for a street fair featuring biking activities, games and fundraisers from noon until 3 p.m.

Then the celebration moves to Tempe Beach Park, where music, comedic acts and other entertainment is scheduled until 8:15 p.m.

The headliners, Minnesota-based bluegrass/folk-rock band Trampled by Turtles, will hit the stage at 7 p.m.

Tickets, priced at $15, are available at the Tour de Fat website, which also has the complete schedule.

Proceeds of the event, which is sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, will go to Tempe Bicycle Action Group, Bike Saviours, Central Arizona Mountain Bike Patrol and the Mountain Bike Association of Arizona.

Tour de Fat is in its 19th year and has raised more than $5 million for local bike nonprofits since it began, according to its website.

Tempe is the last of six cities to host the event this year, following stops in Chicago; Boston; Denver; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Asheville, North Carolina.

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