First Friday Las Vegas Amps Up 2014 With Local Guest Curators

It’s First Friday here in Las Vegas. And that means it’s time to experience the mind-blowing event that folks on this side of the Rockies clamor for one day out of the month. Drawing anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 individuals, First Friday is more than just a gathering of the masses.

 “First Friday is different in Las Vegas than in other cities,” said Charles Ressler, a First Friday staff member. “We focus primarily on four verticals – they are art, culinary initiatives, culture, and education.”

The renowned Las Vegas First Friday opens this evening with a new and interesting twist on its regular lineup. First Friday staff has acquired 11 leading artists in the community to volunteer as guest curators for the next 11 months.  Each month will feature a new curator bringing their ideas to the table starting with Todd Von Bastien.

Additionally, Ressler explained, “we’re going to be rolling out 11 different music curators for our stages.”

While the music curators are likely to begin in March or April, February encompasses exciting, poetically intertwined activities for all ages as well as some furry-friendly activities. For example, the “Hug-A-Ferret” booth is great for the whole family alongside the adoptable pets booth from the Animal Foundation – all of which are in the Kid Zone. The event is divided into several zones including the Kid Zone, the Green Zone, the Main Zone, and the Shuffle Zone (predominately for teens).

“We create really good experiences that people want to talk about,” Ressler said.

Visitors can also get their paint on tonight with an art class from Social Paintbrush.  The event includes pop-up, impromptu poetry jams and writing workshops. Additionally, to keep with the theme of Poetry, there will be community-generated haikus sprouting up throughout the evening.

“It’s basically a celebration that brings the whole community together, “ Ressler explains. “No matter what, as an attendee, if you’re looking deeper than what you see, every 20 feet there’s something embedded in our programming that suits our theme and has some form of educational or cultural seed that we’ve planted. The deeper you look the more you’ll find.”

Can’t make it today? Here’s a sneak preview of the next two month’s themes: March is cinema and April is The Fool. Upcoming curators also include Marty Walsh, Jennifer Cornthwaite, Brian Paco Alvarez and many more.

First Friday Las Vegas
More Info
February 7
5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Event map