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It's going to be a 'hot downtown summer' in Phoenix this year. Here's why

The official start of summer may still be a few weeks off, but, here in Arizona, we are already in it. Once it hits 100 degrees in the Phoenix, it's fair to say summer has begun. 

But, what will the theme of the summer of 2023 be?

A few years ago, Megan Thee Stallion ushered in the “Hot Girl Summer," which was followed by a slew of TikTok spinoffs. And there was, of course, the mostly unfulfilled “hot vax summer” of 2021. 

Ushering in summer in Arizona is a little different than much of the rest of the country, where warmer temperatures means backyard barbecues and getting outdoors. Here, it often means hunkering down indoors and darting from your car to the air conditioning. 

The Show spoke with Craig Outhier, editor of Phoenix Magazine, on what the theme of the summer could be.

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Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.