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| - First Friday is a great installment in a city..or at least it's a good concept. Art, culture, food trucks, Downtown; all to create a fun local scene for a Friday night. It's a good concept that I think works for certain cities, but it isn't as successful in Las Vegas.
As a patron, It's a fun atmosphere. Walking around, checking out local artists, enjoying "street" food and alcohol, and hanging out with friends and family. Ruben and I enjoyed our visit in September. The weather was still a little warm, but manageable. I grabbed a gyro and Ruben grabbed a beer and we visited a few tent vendors, purchasing some handmade goodies. After walking up and down Casino Center Blvd of vendors, we ventured to the vintage stores on Main Street. Since we weren't in the market to purchase art, there wasn't much else to do. We only spent about two hours.
We found parking to be most convenient at the Government Center on Grand Central Parkway (across from the outlet mall). It's easy to access with less traffic, it's free, and most importantly, there's a complimentary First Friday shuttle service that runs every 20 minutes and an hour after the event ends. It was really easy and it drops you off on Main Street near Colorado, one of the event's entrances.
For their 11th anniversary last October, I participated as a featured artist. The process of signing up is pretty simple. You submit an application on their official website (the due date is typically a month prior to the event) and you still have the option to accept or decline after receiving the confirmation e-mail/invitation. I highly recommend the Featured Tented Artist set up; you're given a 10x10 space inside a larger tent, a table, grid wall, and lighting that is all set up for you (cost: $100). I had a great time being able to display my photography and hang out, however, it was a pretty boring six hours. I mean, thankfully, my neighbor was also a first-timer and we had a great time chatting with her and her friends. Plus, a few of my friends came to support me, but no one stayed very long. Besides people I knew, there were only a couple handfuls of people that actually stopped at my table. Everyone else just breezed by! It was really disappointing.
I know a couple local artists and First Friday works for them (most of the time), but otherwise, it's hard for an artist to be profitable enough to want to return to another event. People seem more interested in getting drunk and finding bargains as if it's a flea market and teenagers are just there to loiter. It's kind of sad and discouraging for artists and patrons.
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