About First Friday
First Friday is a collaborative, community program led by Downtown Greensboro Incorporated (DGI), in partnership with the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro (UAC).
First Friday showcases Greensboro’s creative community in a variety of Downtown venues to promote local cultural tourism and commerce.
The event is free and open to the public, and programming is decided by each participating site thereby providing an exciting and ever changing experience for patrons.
From juried gallery show to avant-garde improv music jam to open mic poetry slam, First Friday is an opportunity to discover Greensboro’s original and unique creativity.
First Friday History
First Friday officially launched on December 5th , 2008 in conjunction with the 20th annual, Festival of Lights, a Greensboro holiday tradition.
The current First Friday collaboration built upon a variety of efforts over more than a decade of gallery hop type efforts across Greensboro. In the late summer and fall of 2008, with several months of planning meetings and discussions with artists, community advocates and non profits, conversations were facilitated by Downtown Greensboro Inc. and United Arts Council staffers to develop the current program mission and guidelines.
Today, First Friday is a monthly event inclusive of Downtown specialty shops, restaurants, galleries, studios and alternative venues or spaces interested in participating with free artistic programming. The UAC and DGI encourage partnerships among artists, cultural institutions and businesses and also assist by fostering placement of area artists with spaces conducive to their art form. (SEE FAQ) In 2009, Indie Market, an independently operated artisan market, opened up at the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and South Elm Street in the historic district. The seasonal artisan market continues to collaborate with First Friday to build synergies.
This past year, Center City Park officially launched Friday Night Live music series to coordinate with First Friday.
Support First Friday
DGI and the UAC promote the First Friday program participants with a dedicated website, maps and media support. In an effort to reach an array of audiences, the organizational efforts include a variety of traditional and non-traditional media placements and outreach from ads placed in small community newspapers in the northwest city region to coordinating public service announcements with three college radio stations here to engage students.
With a relatively modest budget, First Friday collaborators are encouraged to support the event as a whole and share the collective event with their individual audiences.
First Friday is a place to meet friends, make new ones, bring out of town guests to show off our creative city and support local economy.
All ages are invited to enjoy an artistic adventure on First Friday set in distinctive Downtown spaces. We encourage an open minded approach and invite patrons to submerse themselves in the exploration of our architecture, public art, streetscapes and urban environment along the way of this walkable, self guided event.
Welcome to Downtown Greensboro, Original Like You.