Boomer festival coming to Scottsdale

A new festival geared toward baby boomers will make its national debut in Scottsdale this winter. Plans for the inaugural "Festival of the Wise" were announced Thursday by its sponsors at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts - the site of the two-day festival, which will take place Dec. 6-7.

"The uniqueness of our event is that it's a combination of a music and arts festival, educational conference and product exhibition," explained Melle Amade, the festival's marketing director. She said the "wise" in the title pays homage to the wisdom of elder generations.

The festival's goal, its organizers say, is to present useful information on topics ranging from health to finance to baby boomers (those born from 1946 through 1964) in an engaging setting. Amade said there will be seminars plus opportunities for attendees to socialize over food and wine tastings, arts and crafts workshops, and live entertainment.

The event's sponsors include the senior advocacy group AARP, social networking site www.eons.com and Arizona Good Life News, a Fountain Hills-based publication for seniors.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates baby boomers account for a little over 78 million of the population.

With its youngest members at age 44 and its oldest at age 62, the boomers continue to flex their collective muscle, affecting everything from advertising to health care as they enter their golden years in large numbers.

And they do so with challenges unlike their predecessors, said David Mitchell, AARP Arizona's state director.

The baby boomers, said Mitchell, are a generation "sandwiched in the middle," of caring for their children and grandchildren as well as their parents and grandparents, in an era where people are living longer than previous generations.

As the baby boomers age, Mitchell said their key concerns center on having enough money to retire and being healthy enough to enjoy their retirement years.

Festival organizers said there will be a number of workshops and seminars dedicated to health, money and lifestyle issues.

Amade said she felt Scottsdale was the ideal locale to launch the event.

"We selected Scottsdale for the size of its community, its population of boomers and the lifestyle (the area) offers," explained Amade, who said she expects the Festival of the Wise to be a "destination event," attracting baby boomers from across the country.

If you go

What: Festival of the Wise

When: December 6-7

Where: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St., Scottsdale

Ticket information: www.festivalofthewise.com