Roosevelt Row CDC, Phoenix

If the summer wasn’t hot enough, the city heats up at the Roosevelt Row Chile Pepper Festival, which showcases the best chili-pepper cuisine Phoenix has to offer. Chiles take center stage throughout the evening as cooking demos, chili roastings, and competitions for the festival's best chili-pepper dish unfold. Amid all that chili chomping, the festival features kids’ activities, live music, a talent show, and salsa dancing. Plus, instead of carrying around a fanny pack full of ice cubes, adults can cool off at a gourmet margarita station or beer garden.

The festival is just one of four annual events hosted by the Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit committed to creating a beautiful urban arts district in downtown Phoenix. The organization does so through various projects, including a community garden, tree plantings, and a vacant-lot activation program.