First Friday Las Vegas

I attended this event as a vendor. It was packed! The event runs from 5pm-11pm you can find arts and crafts, food, vintage and new clothes, drinks, jewelery, books and more! Great experience and great sales for my shop.

First Friday is easily one of my favorite events in the different cities I travel to. I have to give LV first Friday a mid 3 star rating. Although there were some vendors of color present, it wasn’t enough to keep my interest for long. Out of many many vendor booths, I counted 5, maybe 6 booths with products or services for POC. Everything other vendor, art museum, boutique, DJ or live band catered a group of people that did not include people of color. I would love to see more diversity in vendors and entertainment. The events draws a large crowd and I will say it was managed well, and I felt safe. I will return in hopes of seeing an increase of black and brown vendors.

For over 20 years First Friday has been showcasing local artists, makers, cooks, and musicians creating a vibrant community space for all to enjoy. I recommend bringing a friend to join you in a walk down 1st street which will be lined with vendor booths each full to the brim with handmade arts and crafts. And don't forget to grab a bite to eat from one of the dozens of food trucks parked at Art Square.

The BES✝️🫂🧜🏻‍♀️🐶👑💐 We ARE ONE CREATOR$ 2025 LA$ VEGA$ BABY KEEP SHINING $TAR$ 💯🌎☮️☘️💚 👻✅️🧘‍♂️🥳 🦄💪🏽💸 ♾️

Our first time at First Friday. Parked at one of the casinos on Freemont Street and any easy walk over. So much more then we expected. Lots of great food trucks. Multiple stages of live entertainment. Great artwork for sale. Will be back.

First friday was fun, I went in the middle of summer so it was beyond hot. There were several vendors and food trucks. Make sure you don't forget to walk inside the building, there are several talented artist selling their work inside. Stay hydrated and you'll have a blast

This Monthly event has come along way from when I first visited it over 8 years ago. More security and organization. Plenty of choices for food. I like the circus acts happening throughout the evening. Very enjoyable, I would recommend and visit again. The food trucks are a little pricey but the food was delicious!

Probably one of the best events to go to in Vegas - especially since entry is free! First Friday LV features a wide variety of eclectic vendors, art galleries (free to enter), sundry happenings, and terrific food trucks/street food. From around the square to down main street you can find live music everywhere. The outside ‘food court’ at art square has every type of food you could think of (we had delicious hodgepodge of teriyaki chicken, homemade Mexican agua frescas, and Russian cuisine all for one meal). For locals and tourists alike I would definitely recommend taking an Uber/Lyft here as roads are blocked off, traffic gets bad and parking can become a nightmare.

The only two months of the year that I would come to this event would be April and October. The months in between are too hot. The months before and after are too cold. The outdoor portion of this monthly event is mainly distributed on Main Street between Charleston Boulevard and Gass Avenue. This is where all of the food vendors are. It can be a bit crowded with foot traffic. There are also some festivities along the main portion of the Arts District, south of Charleston Boulevard. The biggest attraction is the outdoor market of thrift clothing at the southwest corner of Main Street and Imperial Avenue. For the summer months, you're better off going to Fremont Street, because it is cooler. The Viva Vision screen prevents the sun from heating the pavement underneath, and the air conditioning extends from the casino properties and retailers on each side.

1st experience. Loved all the choices. Loved all the locals that represented our community! I must say Eric Roy law office had one of the best booths and had the best energy!! Dance contest, free t-shirts, and character drawings. The pizza truck was amazing pizza but the service was awful! Not one person smiled, same with the chicken /catfish. Smile people we are trying to support the local business! Music was great. It wasn't my favorite genre, but the young man performed a great show! It was a hard rock/rap but he sang better live than most big name performers!! Also must add the Latino DJ was super good! And I must add Hot Dogs on a Stick was the must have!! Always perfect and the friendliest of all venders!!!

If you get a chance and are in Vegas the first Friday of any month, try to make it to the Arts District "First Friday" event they have every month. IN THE HEART OF LAS VEGAS THE FIRST FRIDAY FOUNDATION IS A 501(C)3 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING LOCAL ARTS AND CULTURE. EVENT PURPOSE: The event purpose is to create platforms for emerging artists, support community connection, and bring artistic experiences to the community through outreach programs. The First Friday Foundation works with community-minded organizations across the Las Vegas valley including schools, youth groups, senior centers, ethnic and faith-based organizations, and other non-profits. They celebrate diversity and engage people around one core central theme - CREATIVITY! Overall is a fun and wonderful event for all walks of life including children and pets as well as party goes and adults. Highly recommend, we had a blast!

Definitely a fun experience, I would go if you've never been! but I don't know if it's something I would go to consistently. I would definitely recommend ubering as the parking is not very plentiful and you'll most likely end up parking somewhere unsafe. We had homeless people knocking on our car window and all of the other cars surrounding us. There was a shooting pretty close, so all of the surrounding streets were taped off and cop cars on every block. It is an interesting crowd, for sure. There was lots of cool artwork and different booths with very pretty art pieces and unique items. They had a booth to try new drinks and there is lots of food trucks!

If you're ever in Vegas on the first Friday of the month, definitely make a trip to First Friday in the Arts District! It's grown over the years. Still a large turn out of various artist and their work. They also have a section for food trucks and vendors. Lots to see and eat here. A very creative, festive, and friendly environment. There's also various musical acts, from DJ's to live bands. A great place to hang out and enjoy the evening. We came early, 4:30pm, and parked in the Arts District on S. Main Street, near the various bars, restaurants, and antique shops. Paid about $5 for 3 hours on the street parking meters. I would say 3-4 hours is a good amount of time to check out everything and grab some food & drinks.

Our fourth of July was celebrated here. This was maybe my fourth time coming and besides my first time this was probably the best experience I had. The community is very open and all the vendors show so much kindness. They have food trucks, small vendors, a bar, and partnerships with cannabis stores. The companies hand out the best freebies and even the small business have began giving out samples. The vendors do become reparative the more you go but it's still tons of fun.

It has been years since I last went to First Friday. A culprit of a change in job locations and the pandemic. I would have given it a 3 at best. It was small, laid out awkwardly and the entertainment was hit or miss. So much has changed since then. Instead of the parking lot being filled with booths, they moved the action over to Main Street. If I had to estimate, there were more than 2x the amount of vendors plus a dozen or so more food trucks. Everything was easy to find. We were blessed with the opportunity to see Chasing Light Music perform. They are fantastic, especially the lead singer. The art exhibitions in the building were great. I enjoyed the various art vendors selling pins, collectibles, cookies, jerky, and their own art creations. Nearby Dragons Alley/Taverna Costera gave us a great place to warm up from the cold. A second, smaller stage had another enjoyable band and the art district offers multiple mainstays and new bars and restaurants for the after-party.

After many years in Vegas I finally managed to go to a first Friday. It was such a blast! Everyone was in a good mood and there was so much going on! Me and my friends enjoyed bar hopping!

For over 20 years First Friday has been showcasing local artists, makers, cooks, and musicians creating a vibrant community space for all to enjoy. I recommend bringing a friend to join you in a walk down 1st street which will be lined with vendor booths each full to the brim with handmade arts and crafts. And don't forget to grab a bite to eat from one of the dozens of food trucks parked at Art Square.

I LOVE FIRST FRIDAY. This is exactly what the city of Las Vegas needs to keep the culture alive! I remember yearssss ago, my family had the very first food truck there. It was NOTHING like it is today. Then, it was just a one street event. Today it's an entire block party so big that parking is a headache! So definitely get dropped off in a uber so you can spend more time stuffing your face while you look at art than looking for parking

This is a must! The whole scene of creators and locals wandering and appreciating all form of art is amazing! It is family friendly as well as I take my kids, just be mindful there are a lot of people. The booths are fantastic and have a array of goodies, art pieces, snacks, and anything you can think of. The food trucks have a nice variety of things available to eat, if you find the truck with the pineapple lemonade you need to get you one! I cannot say enough great things about this event, it truly is a great time for everyone with an abundance of things to do.

It's been awhile... My neighbor wanted to karaoke, so we met up at Ninja at 7:30pm. Dead. Decided to take a walk around 18b. The name, "18b," represents the original Arts District area, which consisted of 18 blocks. Despite living nearby, I tend to avoid the crowds. Actually, it wasn't that bad, and I actually enjoyed the stroll. There's cool vendors hawking everything from jewelry, clothes, and soap. A few street musicians, who actually can play, serenaded on Main St. Not a bad summer night in Vegas (104f)!

Scary. Of the 50 or so crafty booths, there were maybe 5 that I would consider based on the quality. I was leery of any food places, because so much of the prepared food to sell was exposed. It was nearly impossible to find bottled water. People were dressed and acted like the devil - red face, horns, and all. Lots of men in dresses with tube socks carrying purses. Women looked like witches minus the hats or like they could kick my behind. There was a literary open mic section to read poetry. Every reading was cheers to queers. I have nothing against people with alternative lifestyles, but really?... everyone shouting this out? No mention of the beauty of nature or generic love or puppies or rainbows... just queer messages. There was a long-haired guy in a cute shift dress on a corner (he was actually pretty) yelling "we're in a revolution!" "Come talk to me about the socialist movement", whatever..He sounded so professional and manly... it was just creepy hearing this tone coming from a "pretty lady", like a scary doll. The whole place was just off... and it was about a good 0.5 square miles of this non-stop. It was like a Halloween costume event, without the fun or cute costumes.

I've lived in Vegas for almost two decades and not once have I visited First Friday or even the Arts District. I mean, I've been close on Main St but never crossed Charleston in to this particular area. We've met some new friends who love First Friday so they asked us to meet them out. I had to work late that Friday so I was very worried about parking. I mean I hate parking downtown when it's not First Friday so I couldn't imagine what it was going to be like. Lucky for us, we decided to start looking fairly far away from our meet up spot and were able to find spots right away. I won't say where (lol) but it was only like 5 or 6 blocks away and took us less than 10 min to get to First Friday. After spending some time doing karaoke, we hit up the food trucks. It was busy to me but one of the people we were with said it was less than the month before, which if true, is insane. Luckily, the truck we wanted to eat at had a shorter line but some lines ran at least 30 sets of people deep. That's the thing I don't like about events like this. The long lines and the very expensive food trucks. I mean did I love my quesadilla? Yes! Was it worth $80 for 4? Not really. There are so many vendors and food stalls. It can be a bit overwhelming in terms of sheer volume but it also can be a bit underwhelming in terms of what items are being sold. Maybe it's because I'm not an artsy person, I don't buy art and put it up on my walls, but it was still fun to see all the things. I did buy quite a bit of small things though, like stickers and enamel pins. Would I want to come back? I'm not sure. But I would highly recommend if you're into being in large crowds and having a feast for the eyes.

Hmmm. I've heard so much about this event, finally went to experience it. If you park at 500 S. Main parking garage you can take a free shuttle to the arts district. From the shuttle drop off walk toward Charleston and S. Main corner and you'll see the entrance to the first Friday. Its free to enter, its dog friendly, they have bars where police officers check your ID and place a "party" wristband on you. Decent selection of libations to pick from. The vendors at the first Friday range from artist, handmade cosmetics (soap, lotion), candles, incense holders, vintage reclaimed clothing, jewelry, hats. Also various art galleries you can walk into and explore. There are food trucks stationed inside as well. I was honestly expecting so much more and will say this event was lacking luster and did. It fulfill my expectations.

Free parking can be bad. Luckily for us, we did a few loops and found one about 3 streets away, 7mins walk and we were there. Free entry. If you have time and are antsy to get outside and want to do something, this is the place for you... basically for free, if you're just walking and viewing. Food lines can be long. Lots of art to see in the bldgs, lots of vendors to buy stuff from. A few DJs playing music to pump the crowd. It can get crowded later on in the evening. Overall, a nice evening out, walking around and window shop. .

Pre pandemic I used to come to first fridays and this is my first visit back for first Friday during Covid-19 on May on May 7th. Before coming to First Fridays plan accordingly with parking and the friends and family you will be going with. You will have a hard time looking for parking if you come at the peak of the event. I recommend taking a rideshare, carpooling with your friends or be very patient on looking for parking around or near the event. According to the event, they mentioned that its required to make reservations for your spot which I booked for 2. But when we went the staff did not check or ask to see your confirmation. I believed the event did this to control foot traffic on who is coming in and coming out. A lot of the artists are in the buildings and you have some artists and vendors outside. The food trucks were separated from the Art and vendor section. if you are planning on eating expect to be waiting in line which was very long. We wanted to eat at the Food trucks but the lines were crazy long like an hour wait. Overall, I enjoyed a couple of artists work and getting to know them.

If you want to get out the first Friday of every month and see some vendors, local art, get some grub and hang out, look no further! That's just what this is!! There is a food truck area that is well laid out, has lots of options and plenty of seating! You can get everything from tacos, pizza, pasta, burgers, seafood, milkshakes, donuts, hotdogs.... They have a lot of options! The vendors are varied from art, dog treats, jewelry, clothing and so on. They have different things and you can take your time looking at it all. Most of this is free to access. There was one part that wanted to charge you to get into. But that part was more for the DJ and to hang out. Not shop. So it's what you make it and what you want out of it. There is plenty of parking, you just have to look for it. The later in the evening it gets, the more parking fills up. So just be patient. This is a street event so there will be walking involved. Wear comfortable shoes and just be prepared.

So much fun! So many things to do, eat, see, drink... it's endless! Last night was Brew Fest / First Friday and I was so jealous that I couldn't go and drink and look around as much because I was working the event but they had the milkshake wasted truck, taco trucks, hot dog fries, the potato tornadoes!! Live music and so much more. Every first Friday of the month (example: May 6 was the "First" Friday of the month) they do this event! Make sure to come down to the arts district and check it all out!

What a nightmare to find parking! People driving around the arts district for hours to find a parking spot! The event continues to grow and all the city does is to install kiosks on all the streets and charge for parking every spot at least a mile around the event. The whole area is surrounded by run down vacant dilapidated properties and land and won't build a parking structure! Event website says there's parking about 1/2 mile at 500 Main Street and a shuttle will be running regularly to transport people to the event! Not the case. No shuttle ever showed up. Elderly people standing on Main for hours today waiting for a shuttle. People called event telephone number and they have no idea where one should park and don't know about a shuttle. Google event parking for First Friday and that even states a shuttle will be running regularly.

So much food to choose from. Mind you, the food is very expensive compared to the same food trucks at another location. They gotta pay a fee to park here, so you gotta pay for it too with the bill. But it's not just about the food. It's being around so many different people. So much different cultures walking around. You pretty much serve yourself around here. You can make a quick walk to Main Street and go shopping for even more things. Lots of local businesses here to support. Love stage makes it nice to be here too.

First and foremost, the worst thing about First Friday (only one bad thing) is the PARKING. In fact, this recent event was my third attempt at attending the huge public outdoor festival. Previous attempts involved a frustrated me driving around for half an hour to an hour, looking for a parking space before giving up and leaving. There are paid parking lots but its dark lighting in a corner of the district is a little sketchy. I'd like to return to my car with the windows still in tact. The alternative is the plentiful street parking under bright lights in populated areas. If you can snag a spot, you've hit the lottery and are ready to get to stepping. SO MUCH TO SEE during First Friday it's incredible. Artists, weed info, food trucks & vendors, dancers, musicians, crafts, and this is just in that square plaza area on the North side of Charleston. To the South are all the regular businesses like bars, galleries, and coffee shops open during later hours opening their doors to the visiting crowds. Dress in comfortable shoes because there's a good amount of walking in exploring all that is to be seen. First Friday is such a cool community event, I could see myself attending many times again for the variety of food and culture... Though next time I'll probably take a Lyft.

If your into art and/or food, then First Friday is a must!!! There are many many options of art and food vendors throughout the whole venue. Nearly every local has tried out First Friday.

I was really looking forward to First Friday, since my roommate and classmates talked it up like it was a huge outdoor art/music/food festival near Fremont St. - which attracted local artists, food vendors and musicians. First of all, it's no where walking distance from Fremont St. if anything it's at least a 15 minute Uber ride to the actual street. When we arrived around around 8p, there were a handful of vendors selling stuff like, art, T-shirts and crystal rocks. I didn't see and get the vibe that everyone talked this event up to be. The alcohol sold was only beer and wine. My roomie and I ended up looking on Yelp for the closest bar, and found Mingo Bar (review coming soon!). After hitting up the bar for a round of drinks and an appetizer, the crowd definitely grew from when we first arrived. But I still didn't see much of the art vendors I initially expected to see. There were definitely a lot of drunk people walking around, booboo. I may have to give it another try in September to compare, but I didn't have a real memorable experience at this event.

After years and years of going to First Friday. I'm a big fan of the 18b Arts district and it's time to yelp up and pay my respect to First Friday...here's your executive summary: FF Food: The local foodie truck vendors are usually well represented especially when the weather is nice. There's a wide array of food to sample and link up via social media if you want to find the trucks outside of FF. Alcohol is available and controlled well if you're looking for drinks as you stroll along. FF Art and misc: I usually stroll around The Arts Factory and Artifice to check out the cool local art. Afterwards, I'll hit the streets to check out the cool art vendors setup for First Friday. Talented artists are a plenty and Pop art is represented well. You can also find numerous unique arts and crafts that you wouldn't find in any store. There's something for everyone. FF Entertainment: You'll definitely find some diverse live street music entertainment. Performance stages are also showcased throughout FF. Watching the artists paint or create art live is entertaining to watch as well. Some First Fridays are better than others and it appears to occur when the weather is nicer (no wind or rain) in the evening. Parking can be a challenge: you can get lucky with free parking on the sides street or pay $10 to park in lot. The crowds are diverse with locals from all over the valley and definitely family (and pet) friendly. This is a (free) intimate local's side of Vegas you won't find on The Strip that has something for everyone. See you at the next one!

Increíble experiencia !! Arte por todos lado, comida y diversión! Me encanto encontrar gente emprendedora y con gran ingenio al promover sus productos.

Amazing food selections and a great street party friendly safe and chill vibe. Pork Slider Boa Buns, Lobster Tots, Elote Hot dog, strawberry churros. The tots are still on my mind.

Parking situation is horrendous ... most lots are full and street parking is practically nonexistent. Just know if you do street park, it's the Super Bowl every first Friday for City of Las Vegas parking inspectors. They love finding everyone with expired tags, expired parking etc and WILL fine you very quickly. Overall, an ok experience walking around the actually event area but to those organizing First Friday, please stop charging food truck vendors insane entry fees to be there (I've heard amounts anywhere from $500 to $1000) because they then have to pass that cost onto the consumer and raise their prices. $15 for a milkshake? $9 for a brownie? Comon... what a joke. We live very close by but won't be back to first Friday just due to the sheer chaos in the area and ridiculous prices.

Just got back from First Friday for the first time and I have to say: If you didn't have the chance to go before make it point to do so :) I will start with the food: if you are a foodie person, enjoy different things, carnival food, food trucks, and home made style dishes this is a must for you. It has been a while since I seen so many food trucks and vendors in one location (Foodie fest style). The smell from each location is great. You can't try them all in one night but the lines to each one shows how good it is. Music is everywhere, live band stage, DJ's playing different kind of music in different locations and lights to get you into it :) The Art galleries are open for everyone to go around, view and if you are looking for something that is not mainstream you are sure to find it there. There are different vendors tents everywhere, from Vinyl stickers, gages, shirts and things you don't see everyday. This is a great spot to come in with friends, kids, family, date or even just walking with your pet, I highly recommend it. Parking might be a little tight but if you don't mind walking 5 minutes parking is easy. I just wanted to note that if you are worried about security, because this is an open venue and free for all to come in(no cover charge) metro is everywhere - makes you feel safe.

Not sure if it's the time of the year (February), but we were very disappointed on our first visit to the arts festival. It was much smaller than we thought. It literally took us less than 25 minutes to walk it. There were maybe 40 booths selling mostly paintings and jewelries. Work quality in general was not impressive. The most interesting art was the paintings inside a dark tent where you are given 3D glasses and hand-held black light. The rest of the booths were ho-hum at best. There were some food trucks and a center stage. Underwhelming is the word I would use to describe it.

I used to be a frequent First Friday regular every month. I come here to try out new food from local food trucks/stands and check out all the locals artists and vendors. It is a nice place to spend the evening eating good food and checking out all the arts. Or you can check out various local artist performing on stage or street all around the area. I like taking new people to show them the "local" side of Las Vegas and not just the strip. They also have a stand to purchase alcohol for you thirsty folks. I did stopped going for several months because I started seeing the same thing. After coming back, it seem like they have expanded their food options and have more vendors to check out. It looked busier than ever but I still enjoyed the vibe. Parking can be hectic but we always find parking on the streets even though it may be a few blocks away. This time we tried the shrimps on a stick from Nic. The shrimps is amazingly good. It is grilled to perfection and flavorful. We also got the garlic chicken combo and garlic fries from small kine grindz. Boy, was the chicken soooo good! The meat was tender and the skin was super crispy. You can definitely take the garlic flavor if you love garlic! The garlic fries was okay but wished it was a be crispy. We also got the lava flow from wowwow Hawaiian lemonade. It is made with coconut, pineapple, and strawberry perfection blended to satisfy your thirst. There is a bar located inside the FF area too where you can come grab a few drinks to enjoy the night away with your friends. Overall, I will come back here to check out the other vendors. We came a bit late so we didn't get a chance to explore everything. It seem like it has gotten bigger with more things to do.

I love art so when I first came here it was a lot of fun! Lots of vendors to buy food and art from. Foods kind of pricy but not surprising for food trucks. Art can be pricy but we got some super cheap art that we love. Be prepared because parking is a pain!

had a great time, lots of food and small business to support. nice place to walk around

The smelled of marijuana and cigarets was disgusting... How is this possible you ask it's outdoor? exactly... so disgusting. This was our first and last time attending. We were disappointed because before Covid we heard such great things about it! If I could give 0 stars I would but have to give it 1 star

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.

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. YELP 100 CHALLENGE 2015: #123

I've wanted to go to First Friday for a long time but I never seemed to get there. Friday night, I had a ticket for the play "The Mineola Twins" at the Art Square Theatre in the heart of the downtown Arts District and thus I was thrust into the First Friday action. I didn't go as early as I could have to get a good parking spot and I opted not to take one of the shuttles. I scouted a couple of side streets and ended up parking at Gass and 3rd which gave me only a 6 block walk. From the moment I got the vibe of the crowd, I knew I was hooked on First Friday. It was enjoyable seeing the street performers, looking at some of the art (wow, some of it looks like something one of my 6th grade students did years ago), and smelling the most incense I've smelled since I was in grad school. It was also a fun diversion to see Metro cuffing a guy on the hood of one of their cruisers. I was on a mission to find an ice cream truck but alas there was none to be found. I ended up getting a deep fried Twinkie from one of the vendors. No need to go inside the Mermaids Casino on Fremont Street now. It was surprisingly good, but it's not something I'd buy on a regular basis. I will be back to First Friday when I can spend some more time and enjoy the vibes some more. If December is an OK weather night, I'll be there. It was great fun!

For creative minded people, or at least more creative than Kim and Kanye when they named their baby Kimye (jk, it's more their name coined up by the paparazzi), First Friday located in the downtown district of Las Vegas is a must visit event. To be more precise, First Friday is on 3rd street and Casino Center between Oakey and Charleston. Over the years more vendors have come out, performers have participated, food trucks dished out their best, security and police presence have increased. You might ask yourself where does all the fun begin? Drive towards downtown until you get to the vendor melee or crowd of people and find the next available parking. I pay the $5 to park in designated spots but I've been lucky before by finding parking off Commerce or Main St and just walking a short distance. Bring cash! Some of the vendor prices have been ridiculous but the food trucks have stayed consistent, fresh and affordable. I enjoy art so I stop and admire, eat on the way to the next stop until it's time to finish the night off at the Fremont East district. You can usually find me at Commonwealth, yeeeee! And by finish, I mean not stay until 10pm/11pm. Every First Friday is not the same so come out for a couple hours. One month they had burning man here. Not in the traditional sense but a poor version of it but at least they try to do something different each time.

First Friday is always a great time. Come early to find parking and plan to stay late because there is a ton of stuff to do. We always start by walking around and checking out all the cool vendors. Nevada Brew Works is a must visit. It's on Main Street in the Brewery Row. They have the BEST beer and cocktails! And the food is AMAZING! I love the pizza and beer-brined wings. The large patio area always has DJ's playing a variety of music - its a serious vibe!

I love first Friday. You can find everything from art galleries, local vendors, and food trucks (including a place called Engine Pizza which is a fire truck converted into a brick oven pizza place!). People in this town expect a huge First Friday...I honestly don't know if that will EVER happen in this town. It's Vegas...sooooo many shows, events, blah blah blah happening all the time...how could FF even be at it's maximum potential? Oh let's not forget the jacked up weather...it could be too hot, too cold..or soo windy trees are falling down. I think "smaller" less busy cities where people only get to look forward to their FF...they tend to be bigger and "better". I will continue to attend our FF here in Vegas and support our fun gathering. Support local businesses. Otherwise enjoy your other 4 million options you have here in Vegas! ;)

Amongst the overpriced glitz and glam tourist areas that make up Las Vegas, you find little gems like First Fridays that are fun and free. Various food trucks, live music, and lots of art and crafty vendors to check out. Bubs and I had a good time walking around and exploring the area. Alcohol is served at moderate prices. $6 - $10 depending on what you're getting. We both got $10 mules, but they were decent pours. Let's face it, yes parking sucks the big one. There are event lots, around $10, or you can scour the streets for a free spot. At 8pm it took me about 15 min to find free street parking. Not the worst I've ever endured. When you're ballin' on a budget and need to get out of the house, First Fridays is a cool place to check out.

I love that Vegas is trying to revamp downtown and bring in more artwork and culture. This was maybe my fourth time at First Friday and this was by far the biggest and most busy I've ever seen it. There was at least 10 different food trucks and food vendors, a couple bars, tons of vendors, lots of art studios and three different stages with different types of entertainers. The upsides are it's a free event to come to, there's tons of new things to discover and there's always some type of entertainment wether it's a signer, band, dj or dancers. Now for the downsides, the parking is definitely a major one. It's hard to find close, free parking and it's not the most easy area to navigate with the road closures. I recommend just ubering it. Another downfall is not all vendors accept cards so be prepared to bring cash. Lastly it tends to get really packed really quickly so if you're not one for crowds of people it might get pretty uncomfortable. Overall it's a great event though and I highly recommend everyone to check it out at least once in their life.

First Friday is... an experience. I've been a few times and definitely felt it was a cheap date option, or a means of getting those darn daily recommended steps in. But overall, I wasn't impressed. As most reviews pointed out: parking sucks. Unless you get there super early, or have unbelievable luck, finding a spot within a couple blocks of the entrance during primetime is impossible. Carpool or uber if you can. Some of the art vendors feel more like arts-and-crafts peddlers, the lines for the porta potties are absurd, and a few of the street entertainers qualify as legal harassers. But other than that, it's fine. The positives? There are quite a few food vendors, pets are allowed, and admission is free. Also, a lot of the vendors are reasonably priced. First Friday is largely what you make it. If you manage your expectations and plan accordingly, it's a solid 3-star experience. Since I rarely manage anything, it'll be a 2 for me.

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 3rd 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.

If I were you, I would block out the FIRST FRIDAY of every month! This community event has everything from drinks to food to arts and crafts. It's always a good time once you have found parking haha. A lot of vendors come out to display their craft whether it be apparels, food or art. I love coming here for the street artists and the food. If you're a dancer, they have battles out here too by the Arts Factory. Definitely a good time for any locals. I suggest uber-ing and parking somewhere a bit away from the festivities because of traffic, construction and the limited parking spaces in the area. Bring a lot of cash because there are some talented people here in Vegas and you never know which of them will rise to the top.

I've read a lot of reviews on this event and I have to say that the experience you have will probably be based on timing and a little bit of luck. Some say that there wasn't much to see or the displays weren't that good and I think this is where luck and timing play their part. I was lucky enough on my first visit to see some amazing artists and displays. So much so that there literally wasn't enough time for me to see everything. And let's not forget the people because if you're a people watcher there is definitely lots to see. From cultural and political exhibits to fine art and comics you'll find transformations of just about everything through the artist's eye. I think the amount of displays and artist's present are based on how frequent the event is and schedules of the artists themselves. That's where the timing and luck combine. Maybe I visited on a particular Friday that brought many of them back with new displays they've been working on or open schedules to return because I truly enjoyed my first time at First Friday. There was so much creativity to see, I just wish I had more time to explore. The only downsides I saw to this event was the outside venue seemed a little sporadic and unplanned but I think in time the organizational aspect will come together. The other is no seating for eating. There were a ton of food trucks but I didn't really see clean areas to sit and enjoy your food. There were a couple spots but not really an area set aside. Minor issues that I'm sure will be worked out in the future. Other than that I had a great time and think it's an amazing event for local artists. Watch the video! https://youtu.be/wOzEaVqoWtg

Having lived my recent decade in DC and Raleigh, NC, these cities established my 1st-Friday metric. I look for a variety of artistic expression to consume, from the eclectic, the profane, the clever and risqué; to the cold contemporary, the classically divine, the vapid upscale snobbery, and safe, unrevealing motifs for the bathroom wall. Plated throughout the exhibits and studios were tasteful bites, a sip of wine here, and a rehydration by water there. The venues were comfortably crowded, enough to hobnob and feel social yet anonymous, even for the people-phobic. In all, you could stick to one warehouse or venture down a block or two to something completely different. What does this have to do with the Las Vegas First Friday? Everything. And nothing. When I arrived with high hopes for the self-proclaimed 18b Arts District near to my home, I was disappointed something quick. Plastic America. And I should not have been surprised. No one should. You are what you eat, and Las Vegas has made its name on devouring and shitting out the superficial, the plastic, the fake representations of the real. It celebrates addiction, playing to lose, and vacuous displays of grandeur. Don't get me wrong, there can be a dark kind of beauty to that, one might even call it a "culture" of sorts, and there are GEMS to be found, but you have to crank that one-armed bandit a good long time until LVFF pays out. LV First Friday is less about the consumption of authentic artistic expression and celebration of the Vegas valley's crafty creators and expressionists, and more about going shoulder-to-shoulder-to-shoulder (forget it if you're wheelchair-bound) with several thousand local&touristy drunks, addicts, and EDC leftovers who are there to be seen, not to see. It's a toned-down rave, not an accessible arts display for the everyman/woman/child. It's about self-consumption, a direct reflection of its surroundings, and with two dozen or more food trucks now taking a street all to themselves, it's also primarily about consumption of carnival fare fat-maker food at rock-top pricings. Art has been all but lost in the ever-increasing mayhem. If that's your scene, venture on down! If not, spare yourself.

I came out here for the first time this past Thursday. As a newcomer to Vegas, this was a pretty cool space to check out. It's not as big as I thought it would be, but there are definitely some cool booths. There are also tons of food trucks. I didn't try any of the food, but I will have to next time as it all looked delicious. They also had a stage with some local bands playing. My understanding is that there's an ongoing Battle of the Bands here. I definitely recommend checking this event out if you want to learn more about the Vegas community and what it has to offer. It's free and family friendly. There were tons of people with their kids and dogs here.

Wow! So how cool is First Friday?! I really could kick myself for not having been in so long and for this last visit being only my second time checking this cool event out! I decided this past week to take advantage of an invite out with my co-worker but was put in charge of planning where it was to go. Being the pre-planner I am I thought what else would be more cool to show somebody new to Las Vegas how we do our First Fridays?! For starters, Yes if you don't already know.. Parking is INSANE and that should be a given. The normal suggestions like any other big event would be to get there EARLY if you want a decent spot. I should take my own advice because we definitely didn't get there early and in fact probably arrived during a peak time. Thinking that we would just pay the $10 to park in one of the parking lots, that idea was shut down pretty quick as we pulled in and the guy throws up the LOT FULL sign.. Go figure.. Politely backed out and right into another parking spot literally.. A Free one at that. Patience is a virtue because as we backed out a nice man saw us looking and signaled us over to park in his spot since he was leaving. You see? There ARE still nice people in the world. Not to mention the spot was not even a block from the event! Whoop Whoop! Food trucks lined up my taste buds were starting to get curious. I did notice however that the number of food trucks seemed to have decreased since the last time I had came. It was a windy night and a bit chilly so that may or may haven't been the reason. Nonetheless we headed over to the bar first to get a few cocktails to enjoy while we walked around checking out all the cool art's and crafts. There was a table that was selling the "VEGAS STRONG" shirts and I was able to get a great deal on two of them. Love supporting my city! After a few drinks and some walking it was time to head over to the food trucks. Out of every one of them that were there we ended up at Ricardo's Hawaiian Feast, which I will be doing in a separate review! I encourage anybody who hasn't experienced this festival at least once to do so because they really do have a lot of neat things that people from all over have traveled to showcase. Supporting small businesses is and has always been a passion of mine! I will be making my way out to more of these more often next year because we truly had a BLAST!