PHOENIX – Tempe and six neighboring communities will come together Saturday for the 2023 Regional Unity Walk, an annual celebration of mutual respect and understanding.

Residents of Chandler, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Mesa, Phoenix and Scottsdale are invited to participate in the free event, which starts at 4:30 p.m. with a festival at Tempe Beach Park.

The festival will include refreshments and entertainment. Free T-shirts, with different colors for each city, will be handed out while supplies last.

A 1-mile candlelight walk that begins and ends in the park at 80 W. Rio Salado Parkway, south of Tempe Town Lake, starts at 6 p.m.

“The Unity Walk is a great opportunity for neighboring communities to come together and display a united front against discrimination and promote mutual respect and understanding for all community members,” Andrea Alicoate, Mesa’s diversity and special projects manager, said in a press release.

Families, church groups, community organizations and school clubs are encouraged to attend.

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