First Friday (public event)

First Friday is a name used for different public events in some cities, especially in the United States. These events happen on the first Friday of every month. They can have many purposes, such as opening art galleries or bringing people together for social and political meetings.

Cities often use First Fridays to bring people into areas that might seem unsafe, using the idea of "safety in numbers" to help these places grow. Sometimes, these events happen on the first Saturday or "Third Thursdays" instead of Friday. They are fun gatherings where everyone can come and enjoy themselves, like a block party.

Some First Fridays focus on political networking, but most are places for art and entertainment. You might see performances by fire twirling acts, jazz musicians, street musicians, and more. There can also be pub crawling and visits to cafes and restaurants.

There is also a special First Fridays event for Black professionals across North America. It started in 1987 and gives professionals a chance to meet, share ideas, and talk about important issues.

Art gallery openings

Some cities have special events called "gallery hops" or "art walks" on the first Friday of each month. During these events, many art galleries, museums, and artists' studios open their doors for people to visit. This helps bring more people to the downtown area and makes the art community stronger by having many openings together on one night.

Cities with art-focused First Friday events include Albany, Anchorage, Augusta, Bellingham, Binghamton, Boston, Burlington, Chicago, Columbia (Missouri), Columbus, Denver, Fort Collins, Honolulu, Hood River, Indianapolis, Ithaca, Juneau, Kalamazoo, Kansas City, Knoxville, Lincoln, Louisville, Las Vegas, Lubbock, Miami, Missoula, Peoria (Illinois), Scranton, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Olympia, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh, Richmond, Rochester, San Antonio, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Spokane, Tallahassee, Tulsa, York (PA), Marietta, Ohio, and Ypsilanti.

Richmond, Virginia hosts one of the largest First Fridays art walks in the country. It attracts nearly 20,000 people, showing off the city's art and opening restaurants and galleries along Broad Street, the Manchester area, and Downtown Richmond.

One of the oldest First Fridays is in Boston's SoWa Arts District, where over 80 artists open their studios to the public every First Friday. The SoWa Arts District is located on Harrison Ave and Thayer Street in Boston's South End. In 2015, readers of USA Today's 10BEST voted SoWa as the second best arts district in the country.

Social networking

Some First Fridays combine art and culture with social gatherings, like First Fridays. These events can also be smaller meetups for friends or newcomers to an area, sometimes without any art at all.

Big First Friday events, such as those in Phoenix, Arizona, can draw up to 20,000 people to many places. Some cities use First Fridays for people who share similar political views to connect. The idea started in Washington, D.C. and has since spread to places like Virginia, Nevada, and Arizona.

Many First Fridays focus on helping professionals from African American communities connect and find business opportunities. These events began in 1987, when it was common for someone to be the only person from their background at work. First Fridays became a friendly way to meet and share ideas. The idea grew quickly, and now there are First Fridays in 39 cities across North America and seven countries worldwide, including Austin, Binghamton, Birmingham, Boston, Charlotte, Charleston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Hattiesburg, Hartford, Hong Kong, Houston, Indianapolis, Jackson, Kansas City, Kingston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Long Beach London, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, Nassau, New Orleans, New York, Newark, Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Richmond, Rio de Janeiro, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, Normandy, Scranton, South Bend, Syracuse, Tallahassee, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington, D.C., and since May 2016 also in Switzerland Biel/Bienne.

In 2002, some First Fridays leaders formed First Fridays United to help connect chapters in 30 cities. This group shares ideas and finds support from companies. Today, First Fridays reaches over 450,000 professionals through emails, websites, and events.

Controversies

Sometimes, First Friday events that focus on art can get into trouble over parts of the events that some people do not like. For example, in Lubbock, Texas, during a First Friday event in July 2024, there was a performance that got a lot of attention from local leaders. Because of this, some money that the event was set to receive from the city was taken away.