This whole first Friday art thing may have gotten a little out of control.
Just peruse any event calendar and find a large selection of shindigs to regale the first Friday of the month. While the vast majority of first Friday events center around art walks rich with a wide palate of styles, along with plenty of adult beverages, there’s more than just framed entertainment to be had.
One of the biggest and longest running in the area, the Art District on Santa Fe turns the already popular strip in Denver into the place to be on the first Friday of the month. While it didn’t start the worldwide trend of first Fridays, it might have perfected it in the metro area.
For 15 years, the galleries have been opening their doors and inviting everyone in to enjoy work from some of the best artists in the area.
“The beauty of the First Friday Art Walk is that everyone is open — and it’s open to everyone. It’s the one night when all galleries, studios, and hidden gems like pop-up garage galleries open their doors. The neighborhood comes alive, and it’s an accessible and unpretentious foray into the art world if you’ve never stepped foot into a gallery,” said Amy Phare, president of the Art District on Santa Fe board.
It might seem like every other art district or downtown area hopping on the cardinal Friday bandwagon would annoy the galleries down on Santa Fe. But Phare said the proliferation of first Friday art events means that the metro area not only has the appetite for art, it has the desire to support it. And that only means good things for everyone who loves art.
“More first Friday events mean more of our city is embracing the arts, which hopefully means more artists are able to make a living from their art sales and can continue to live in this city they helped create,” Phare said. “Instead of looking at it as a saturation point, we look at it as raising all ships. The more access our city has to art and the more our artists can make a living from their work, the better this city will be. And if ADSF has played even a tiny part in that, our efforts as an all-volunteer team will have been immeasurably meaningful.”
So instead of pondering why it seems we’re all a sucker for alliterative themes, you might as well just join in on the fun. What follows is just a smattering of the growing number of first Friday parties. So go out and hit as many as you can on Friday night and just plan to sleep in on the first Saturday of the month.
Art District on Santa Fe
Running year round, this art walk has become so big there’s even a non-walking option. Once every 20 minutes, a shuttle runs between the 10th and Osage Light Rail stop and 10th Avenue and Santa Fe Drive.
Hundreds of artists in galleries big and small show off their creative endeavors, so there’s a pretty good chance you might be able to find your next favorite artist. Grab a street taco from a food truck and saunter around soaking up the culture.
Aug. 3 might be a particularly good time to head down Santa Fe. The Center for Visual Art at 965 Santa Fe Dr. is throwing its annual summer party. The parking lot will be full of live music and a large selection of vendors.
denversartdistrict.org/first-Friday
Tennyson Street Cultural District
While it might be on the other side of I-25, that doesn’t mean the art walk down in the Berkeley neighborhood isn’t a center for one of the best art walks in town. The oldest walk in the area, the Tennyson Street First Friday Party features multiple galleries and free concerts, currently being hosted by the Denver Public Library’s Smiley Branch at 4501 W. 46th Ave.
shoptennyson.com/events
River North Art District
One of the hippest spots to be seen on a first Friday, the RiNo district has blown up in the past decade. What once was an area filled with vacant warehouses where starving artists could afford a spot to work and show art, has turned into the city’s trendiest areas with some of the best restaurants in town. Come down for live music and some of the best modern art in Mile High City.
rinoartdistrict.org/visit/first-fridays
First Fridays in Olde Town Arvada
It might not seem like the epicenter of hip but don’t sleep on Olde Town Arvada’s entry into the first Friday selections. It is the perfect event for families that want to get a little bit of culture and live music in while avoiding the crush of downtown Denver. While it might be the old town, the art isn’t staid and prehistoric. Some great artists call the walk home and make it worth a trip even for those on the cutting edge.
visitarvada.org/events/arts-culture/