Recovery Palooza returns to Yuma with free food, family fun Saturday

Carver Park will turn into a free, four-hour gathering for recovery, family support and community outreach when the 14th Annual Recovery Palooza returns Saturday, May 2, in Yuma. The event is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 398 S. 13th Avenue, with free food and drinks, music, activities, games and raffles, all in a setting promoted as family-friendly and open to the public.

The event is more than a day of entertainment. TLC Recovery Arizona has said it has been hosting Recovery Community Family Events since 2004, starting with monthly pizza parties and expanding into weekend activities and annual gatherings such as Recovery Palooza, Serenity Sun Splash and Trick or Treat. Those events are open not only to people in recovery and their families, but also to alumni and supporters including probation and parole officers, schools, agencies, case managers, churches and other families.

That broad mix matters in a county where stigma can still keep people from asking for help. A booth-registration page from PCCEH is inviting agencies to set up resource tables at the event and describes it as a Mental Health Awareness Month outreach opportunity. That public-health framing fits the timing of the celebration, which lands in May and pairs a festive atmosphere with access to support, information and face-to-face connection.

The event’s longevity also suggests it has become a fixture in Yuma’s spring calendar. A 2024 community listing said Recovery Palooza had been held for 11 years at that point and described its purpose as raising awareness and helping break the stigma around mental health. A 2025 listing for the 13th annual event added a foam party, petting zoo and the Cibola High School Marching Band, underscoring how the event blends outreach with a neighborhood-style gathering.

The scale has been sizable before. Telecare said it took part in the 10th annual Recovery Palooza in 2023 and estimated attendance at about 1,000 people. With Carver Park’s 18 acres, heated pool, playgrounds, tennis and racquetball courts, grills and picnic ramadas, the city park is built for the kind of large, low-barrier gathering that can bring families, service providers and recovery advocates together in one place.