First Friday Goes Digital

As Vegas enters its third month of lockdown, First Friday goes virtual with its monthly festival to continue serving the community. 

Normally held Downtown on the first Friday of the month, this festival brings the community together to celebrate art and creativity. It also allows people to immerse themselves in the local culture and connect with others through their experiences and interactions at the event. For 17 years, the Foundation has supported local artists, musicians, makers, and businesses. 

With social distancing guidelines in place, the regular format for the festival is no longer practical. To continue their support of the Las Vegas community, First Friday went online for the past few events. 

Corey Fagan, executive director of the First Friday Foundation, spoke on the speed with which the Foundation responded to the lockdown order Governor Sisolak imposed in March. “First Friday hasn’t missed a trick. We went virtual immediately and set up an online store for artists to sell their creations,” Fagan said. “Through the virtual event, we’re having artists and partners do live activations, workshops, performances, and more.” 

So far, the virtual event has been successful. “The response to the festival going online has been well-received,” Fagan said. The Foundation dedicated the April event to first responders to show support for the Las Vegas community during this crisis. 

The Next First Friday Festival

As June approaches, mark your calendars for the next virtual festival on Friday, June 5^th. While it continues online, the Foundation is exploring a hybrid event. If feasible, they plan to space out live activations around the Arts District for people walking around the night of the event. 

As a non-profit without the live festival that’s normally held, generating revenue during the pandemic concerns them. The Foundation currently relies on donations from the community and local businesses that help sponsor the virtual festivals. Donations made to First Friday go towards funding both the event and the Foundation’s various community programs. 

“It’s been a weird place for First Friday right now,” Fagan said. “We’re looking at ways to continue to function as a non-profit without an event. We want to continue supporting local artists and businesses in Downtown in a way that’s both creative and economically feasible.”

The First Friday Foundation normally sets up programs that continue to give back throughout the year. This includes funding field trips for local students and working with other organizations like the Nevada Homeless Alliance and the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada. 

Unfortunately, the Foundation won’t bus students out for field trips anytime soon due to the pandemic. Still, they’re currently working with the Discovery Children’s Museum – another partner of the Foundation. The museum set up a “museum-on-wheels,” where they bring the activation directly to students as assemblies to the schools themselves. In the 2020-2021 school year, First Friday will partner with the museum to bring art to the schools as part of the program outline. 

#GetinMotion with First Friday

Now more than ever, the First Friday Foundation needs the support of the Las Vegas community. “We want to continue to pay artists and creators, keep them working, and fund their projects,” Fagan said. This, outlining the importance of economically supporting the local community. 

Support First Friday and all their work for Las Vegas by donating through their website at https://www.ffflv.org/donate/#ffinfo.

The Foundation is especially in need of sponsors for upcoming events. For businesses looking to sponsor the event, set up their own activation/advertisement, or sponsor specific projects that the foundation commissions artists for, email firstfridaylv@gmail.com. 

Another way to support the Foundation is through their online store where they sell First Friday merchandise, in which the proceeds go towards supporting the organization and its endeavors. These items, along with products sold by local artists, can be found here: https://www.ffflv.org/#onlinestore. 

As for when First Friday will be able to hold a live event again, that remains unclear. Corey Fagan concluded that the Foundation is “listening to the direction of our government and our community about how to safely come back as a live event and when it is safe to do so.”