First Friday

i had been reading bad things about this event so i approached with trepidation. i was pleasantly surprised and impressed! lots of food options in the form of standard fair food booths and gourmet food trucks. there are craft vendors outside (although lots of things that are probably breaking intellectual property laws) and artists working on large scale pieces.
as for the galleries at the arts factory and art square, well, I didn’t expect to walk away with several pieces but i did. the prices were super deals for what i got. i even bought a cat painting from a young teenage girl who goes by the name of jojo. so adorable.
i’ll include photos of the pieces i bought. needless to say, i will make it a point to be here on the first friday of the month when i plan my future vegas trips. i am looking forward to when the larger scale art walk returns.

Good luck parking. The event is full of hipsters and there isn’t much to see or do. OK to do once just to say you’ve done it.

This is one of those events that unfortunately has taken a sharp decline in nearly all categories that one would rank such an event: fun, value, entertainment, and cultural value. When I first attended First Friday about a year ago, it was a very expansive festival covering several blocks of downtown and showcasing several local artists, local food trucks, and mom & pop retail stores. It had great live music and an eclectic mix of attendees that made for great people watching. Over the past few months, though, the numbers of participating artists has declined dramatically and the food selection has been reduced to a few overpriced food trucks.
The amount of real estate that once hosted First Friday has reduced dramatically as well and the crowd that attends the event has become a lot more shady and drunken. It’s now not a lot different than Fremont Street but covering a different part of downtown. Beggars and scam Charities are there now along with a few scant artist booths and beer booths.
Parking has become a business more than anything and now everyone and their brother that owns an orange vest collects $ 10 for parking in any random dirt lot you can find. So sad.
First Friday used to be about showcasing local artists and spreading culture through the «Arts District.» Now it’s nothing more than yet another way to squeeze every last dollar out of anyone that walks by.

Eclectic event with some very interesting people…
Love art, music, people and junk food? This is the place to be every first Friday of the month. This event is FREE and yes I agree with most of the reviews stating that it’s not as cool as it was a few years ago but with that said I still enjoy the funkiness.
I took my kid for the very first time as she’s wanted to see what it was all about for far too long. We parked near Artistic Iron Works & walked for about 2 mins to the event so there’s no need to park far or be shuttled in. Take the back streets & there’s plenty of parking all around.
The event isn’t large & you can walk the entire thing along with checking everything out in probably about an hour. It’s typically packed so prepare yourself for crowds of people.
There’s music blaring from everywhere & there are tons of local artists selling their pieces. I’ve never once gone home without a little something.
There’s also plenty of food trucks with tons of choices. Bring plenty of cash because most vendors are cash only. Also be prepared for overpriced items which is pretty typical for free events like this.
Along with art there’s other fun stuff to see & buy like jewelry, pottery, Mexican folklore items and lots of vintage shops with all sorts of treasures.
When the weather is nice you can grab some food, sit on the cool concrete and just people watch. That alone is a lot of fun to do here!

First Friday is located in the art district near Charleston and 3^rd street. You can’t miss this giant festival packed with food vendors, promotors, and a variety of trinkets and much more. My favorite tent is Pop’s Kabobs! They make gyros, kabobs, and spiraled potatoes covered in cheese/​bbq sauce/​ketchup/​mustard/​hot sauce… Whatever you chose!
But most of the food here is great and vendors are friendly! People paint in the streets on giant boards for you to view. Stuff here ranges from someone selling clothing to essential oils, jewelry to various other products— and you can even find people doing weird things for some quick cash. There’s plenty to check out an it’s every first Friday of each month.

First Friday used to be actual art handcrafted by locals and for locals. It used to be a very pleasant evening stroll and treasure hunt. Now it’s just junk on display and battling drunks and losers to get through to see the junk that’s on display. I didn’t see anything resembling art my last two visits. But I did see public intoxication and drug use. I won’t ever be back. Organizers need to clean this mess up or shut it down.

WOW! What fun! Music, Art, Performance.
Unfortunately I ate before meeting my friend to head over, I did not know that there was a line of of crazy, yummy food trucks! Next time I am going HANGRY! Look Out Mr Funnel Cake! Out’ma WAY!
So many great local artist here from soap, jewelry and paintings. And NOT EXPENSIVE!
I saw an amazing painting for only $ 200!!! I could not believe. (No, I did not buy it, but I loved it!)
Really Fun, for locals and tourists alike. Then when you are done, hit some of the adorable little local bars all within walking distance!

Unless u are a die hard food truck yuppie, and u only like to see art in one building and then that’s IT! Then idk if u will appreciate First Friday, it’s changed so much… It used to be bigger and better, u weren’t just walking around in a circle!

For those who haven’t heard, First Friday is no longer an official part of the Downtown Project, it has it’s own little non-​profit. This has it’s pluses and minuses, but here’s what I know… I’ve volunteered several times at FF, and the core group of artists, volunteers, and local folk who come out every month are still solidly behind it. There’s still lots of art and creativity and fun things to do. There are still musicians, dancers, fire and flow artists trying out new stuff and practicing their craft. The food has gotten better, the drink was always good, and the social scene is great.
As long as people come out and support this event, it will grow and evolve. Stay away, and it’ll die… Leaving you to say «Why aren’t there cool free things to do for locals, not just tourists?» First Friday. Come on out and support it.

The food was excellent, so many food trucks. There was a guy that drilled through his nasal cavity, I thought that was pretty brutal. The great thing about first friday, it gives artists in the area a major avenue for potential sales. People who would have otherwise never thought twice about buying a 48″ Han Solo on canvas, might stop and think otherwise at first friday.

What happened to you First Friday? You’ve shrunk to less than half your size! As of June 5, 2015 FF is now relegated to what I used to consider the «end» of this event. First Friday is now ONLY on the corner where the Arts Factory and the Artifice are. No more is the impromptu skate park, the free for for all graffiti, or the stage nearby that was host to some spiffy entertainers (like flame throwers!). All that’s left are the food trucks, EDM stage, main concert stage, and your usual oddball street performers. You can walk FF in 10 minutes and there’s not much to do. I remember maybe 3 – 4 years ago, there were A LOT more galleries open. Now there’s just Arts Factory :/​
Worth a Return Visit?
Boooo. I went with my husband and another couple, and everyone pretty much thought First Friday sucked. We even debated walking over to Fremont. First Friday is tiny now and even more packed. The lure is gone. I think June 5 was officially my last First Friday.
Unilocal 100 CHALLENGE 2015: #123

Great monthly event for Las Vegas that takes place on the First Friday of a new month. As the weather gets nicer the more people that tend to come out and enjoy the Arts, music, friendship, community, and of course food trucks.
The arts district has grown substantially over the last few years most likely because of the growing community involvement and participation of this monthly festival. Many of the businesses open their galleries to the public to let the explore the arts in a no pressure environment. This allows each individual to discover and be inspired by the creativity that is thriving in Las Vegas. Many of the antique stores on Main St. also open their doors for patrons to explore.
The First Friday Festival now extends from Imperial and 3^rd streets North beyond Charleston Blvd and also engulfing Main and Casino Center. They also have some festivities near the Container Park and the Beat Coffee House and Emergency Arts on Fremont Street.
Parking can be a pain in the arse sometimes, so if possible take one of the Express busses to DTLV RTC transit station and walk South to the First Friday Festival. Check the RTC website for express bus pick up and drop off locations with a park and ride lot. Or you can park off Fremont Street near Container Park and take a free shuttle from the El Cortez hotel casino. Another parking option is to park at the Smith’s Center for a fee and take the free shuttle from that location. Or arrive early for the best parking spots near the closed off pedestrian area but that means you have to be down by 4−430pm.
First Friday is a family friendly event and adventure. The organizers have a Kid Zone to keep the little ones engaged during their visit to the Festival. When it’s time to eat the food trucks are located on Casino Center and Imperial. I can only make it to two trucks a visit because of the filling portions.
This event only takes place once a month so make sure you plan ahead and bring your walking shoes to enjoy comfortably.

Screw it, 5 stars. Because, as a lover of art… this is my favorite. There are SO many things to do at First Fridays and so many opportunities to network and simply chat it up with artists and other art enthusiasts.
Parking… we end up parking in our (super secret) street location near the Fremont Experience… since it’s FREE .99! I highly suggest finding parking away from the event space and just taking the walk… everyone’s on a fitness kick anyhow! The event is actually in the arts district, a little ways away from thr Fremont area… but not a crazy walk.
The event is kind of all over the place in terms of vendors and such, but I feel like that’s what makes it fun. I noticed karaōke, a canvas that everyone could contribute some art to, live artwork in the process of creation, and interactive traveling drum station, a rock climbing wall… *deep breath* pretty much everything that equates to a lovely Friday evening well spent.
Really, you could get lost roaming downtown looking at the street art. It’s that much more fun though to participate and interact with the artists. There are also actual galleries that are open and I even noticed a live show going on. I can’t recommend this event enough. You can tell that the Vegas art scene isn’t at its full potential yet and going to this event every month will allow you to watch it mature every step along the way.
Every first Friday of every month. Check it out. Say hey if you see me, I’ll be the girl with the wild, bright hair and camera in front of my face.

I am very torn about First Friday. I absolutely love community events. Especially art walks, and more creative culture, but this is very lacking. I want to love it because it’s in my back yard, too!
However, First Friday leaves me with a sense of empty feeling. Located in the arts district downtown should be plenty of reason why this event should boast art, but it doesn’t.
The art galleries are lacking, and the street vendors that sell art are more there to just get a buck than they are about art.
Then there’s the riff raff of downtown trying to join in, and so many kids everywhere! I guess police try to crack down on curfew, but there’s always so many grungy kids that are up to no good running around.
The food stalls are nice during summer hours, winter many vendors decide to stay home.
I’ll probably end up going back in the summer, but I’ll go early before it gets dark, and the crazy kids (literally kids) come out at night.

My first friday experience here was great! I felt that Las Vegas had done a wonderful job making this an experience that everyone can enjoy. There were various live music performances foods and vendors.
Not much people were watching the performances which were a little sad, some were quiet good.
As for the non food vendors, items could be had for a very good prices. I was pretty impressed with the thriftyness of the art sold there.
Now the food trucks were seriously lacking though. There was one avocado taco stand that I would try one day. But honestly you are better off getting something outside and then just walking around. Food was way to expensive, and way to mediocre. If you do find something good, I would say thats a «diamond in the rough». Enjoy!

This was my first time at First Friday. A friend of mine came to visit and I took her there along with a few friends. We parked at the El Cortez and took the free shuttle across the street of the main entrance to the event.
There were a lot of people of all ages kids as well wasn’t expecting them to be out late. There were art galleries ofcourse, vendors, food trucks of all sorts and one of them had funnel cakes. There were 2 or 3 stages playing music. One of the stage was set up on top of a truck. An area with rap music where a girl was rapping. Lots of neat art stuffs. We took the open top Big Bus back to El Cortez and sat on the top level of the bus which was so cool. A great, cheap way to spend an evening out!

Okay I’m an out of towner, so this was a fun event for me. I’m used to First Fridays out in the Bay Area. It’s a great way to open up art galleries and incorporate music and food. Best of all, were the free shuttles to the venue. We parked at the Government Center and it was very easy to use. Go to the First Fridays website to obtain the address to the government center. I went at night time to avoid the sun. Oh and make sure to board the shuttles before the event closes down, or you are stuck.
I saw all age groups. This was a safe event, perfect for everyone. Be sure to bring cash if you find something you want to eat or take home and hang up on your wall? One word of advice, move fast if you see something you want, buy it. I walked away from something I should haven’t. It still haunts me.
Bathrooms: There are port-​a-​potties and some of the art galleries have bathrooms.

I’m with Rachel S on this one: FF is less of an art thing and more of a cover story for public intoxication and impromptu rap battles. Neither of those things are necessarily bad, but there are other times and places in the city for each.
My FF experience is «scene kids, crap music, food trucks, and sub part art projects” — the emphasis is not on art, despite the original event intentions or the location.
Other than a handful of food trucks, each blasting their own music, and a rap battle outside of Bar + Bistro, there were a few artisan booths set up Farmers Market style, as well as the No Kill organization represented.
FF seems to draw a pretty big crowd, and maybe I was just in the wrong place, but I’m past the days when I want to chill with a bunch of teenagers and first-​year college students in band tees name-​dropping people I don’t care about and shouting obscenities.

We are new in town so of course the locals tipped us off on where to go, what to do, and where the cool kids hang out in the area. First stop: First Friday May 2, 2014! Every first Friday of the month local artists, vendors, and food trucks gather on multiple closed off streets and feed and entertain locals and tourists.
Thanks to Amelinda L., she gave us a great tip to take the free shuttle from the Government Center on grand central parkway across the street from the Las Vegas Premium Outlets — North. Make sure not to make the same mistake that we did and park at the outlet mall parking structure… We had to walk through the outlet mall and cross the street to get to the Government Center. Whoopsies.
Once we got to the Government Center there were no shuttles to be seen. But as the saying goes, when I doubt follow the crowds! We saw a crowd of people walking so we hopped along and they took us to a sign that said: Bus/​Shuttle Stop — perfect!
We waited less than 5 minutes and a double decker shuttle picked us up and took us to First Friday. Actually, they made a few quick stops at other locations to drop off people, and went a longer route according to the locals on the bus, but in the end, it took us to where we needed to go so I’m not complaining!
The music was bumpin’ and the crowds were present. Admission to First Friday is free and there are many local art vendors, stores, and performers. My favorite part was the food trucks of course. One whole street was filled with trucks on both side! So many options I didn’t know where to begin.
Also make sure to bring cash — many trucks and vendors don’t accept credit cards. There are some portable ATM machines but I found them to be out of the way.
We ate ourselves silly from several food trucks:
Oming’s Kitchen — a cute little filipino food truck that sold us a BBQ pork belly sandwich. It simple but packed with some serious delicious flavor. That pork belly was like butta! Very good! ⁵⁄₅
Lobster Me — almost $ 10 for a small main lobster roll. I was highly disappointed with this lobster roll. The lobster was minimal and if anything the entire sandwich was a tease and not worth $ 10. ²⁄₅
FukuBurger — We waited over 40 minutes for our burger and fries — Apparently they were extremely backed up. It’s not a surprise as they always have the longest lines at these type of events. To compensate, they comped us a cold bottled water while we waited. We ordered the Tamago Burger and Jazz Fries. We were completely underwhelmed by our meal. It was overall salty and one noted. The fries were not spectacular, they just had a simple yet salty katsu gravy and Japanese mayo. I’m certain we didn’t order the right things, since people rave about this place. I’m interested to know what I should try next time — hopefully the wait won’t be as long. ¹⁄₅
Also bought $ 3 cokes and waters from a refreshments cart.
Can’t wait until next month! I’m bringing extra cash with me to try other trucks.

In the words of Antoine Dodson, you betta «Hide yo kids, hide yo wife, hide yo husband…»
Seriously! Drinks are dirt cheap during First Friday and everybody comes out of the woodwork and gets a little rowdy. So I totally forgot it was First Friday and as we walked out of the D Hotel and Casino and there were some bouncers who proceeded to put wristbands on us and told my boyfriend they had to pour his beer out of the bottle and put it into a plastic cup.
Fremont Street was packed and both stages were going off with live performances. During First Friday, the number of street performers also doubles, if not triples. A good portion of the crowd gets intoxicated and the cops are everywhere. We even saw a SWAT team at one of the ends of Fremont Street taking some drunk people down. It was insane. All the while we were wondering who was looking after the rest of the city because it seemed like the entire police department was at First Friday. No joke!
The majority of the hotels on Fremont Street had drink specials on First Friday and the casino floors are packed. Most of the hotels have go-​go dancers on the tables and everyone has a good time. When I went to get a margarita at the Golden Gate, there were a bunch of drunk, belligerent guys at the bar and I got to talking to the bartender and he said it’s like this every First Friday.
I would definitely return to First Friday if I happen to be in Vegas at the right time mostly for entertainment purposes. It’s practically a circus downtown! Lots of entertainment and drunkards. It’s pretty awesome. Totally not for anyone who scares easily though or gets nervous around large, rowdy crowds. It’s pretty fun but I can see how it wouldn’t be fun for some people.