Every first friday of the month, a little known event is happening right at the corner of Charleston Blvd and Main Street in downtown Las Vegas. This event is the Downtown Las Vegas Arts & Music Festival commonly and aptly known as First Friday. This event is being sponsored by the Downtown Las Vegas Arts District. This section of the city actually is the Las Vegas Arts District and you will easily notice that there are so many art galleries in such a small area. This January, the festival was January 2nd from 6pm to 10pm.
Visitors to Las Vegas have little knowledge about the arts scene in this city. Little did they know that arts in Las Vegas is alive and supported by the community and local government. I was able to witness this event first hand last friday. A friend of mine, who is a regular attendee to First Friday, invited me to see this festival. Even if it was my working day, I still went to the venue but left early for work.
All the arts galleries in the area were opened and there were also outdoor galleries being set-up for selected artists for free in order to provide them with a venue to showcase their work to a diverse crowd. Aside from art galleries, there were live performances of local bands. Food and beverage stands were also available all throughout the venue. Break dancers provide additional fun to visitors young and old. There was also a live demonstration of Tiki wood carving. There were also specialty stores selling fancy jewelries, artfully printed t-shirts, greeting cards and note pads and other small gift items. Most of the works of art in the galleries were for sale and you have the opportunity to meet the artists themselves. In order to be able to pass through the gates, a minimal fee of $2 per person was required.
My time in the festival was not enough as there were still a lot to see but I had to leave because my work starts at 9pm. Heartbroken, I promised my friend that I'd be back this coming February 6th.
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