THE CONSUMER: TGIFFF

Thank God It’s Friends of First Friday

Anne Kellogg

Looking for friends with benefits? Then come on over to First Friday, where starting March 4, anyone with $10 can become an official, card-carrying Friend of First Friday, which will get you discounts at participating local retailers, performing arts troupes, restaurants and bars, along with regular informational e-mails and a newsletter set to debut in June.


A short list of those businesses that have already chosen to work with Whirlygig Inc., the nonprofit that runs First Friday on behalf of the Las Vegas Arts District Neighborhood Association (yeah, it's bureaucratic like that), includes the usual suspects like the Funk House, Dust Gallery, Globe Salon and relative newcomer Godt-Cleary Projects. These pioneering Arts District businesses are joined by several arts-friendly businesses such as Talulah G, Balcony Lights Music & Books, Huntridge Tavern, Decatur Package Liquor & Cocktails, the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum and the CineVegas Film Festival.


If you are among the first on your block to sign up for Friends of First Friday during the launch, you will be eligible for door prizes generously donated by some of the above-mentioned friends, along with some other businesses around town like Cirque du Soleil, the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, the Forum Shops at Caesars, the Las Vegas Premium Outlets and the Las Vegas Philharmonic.


Surprised by some of the names involved with Friends of First Friday? Don't be. These businesses recognize how important the arts are to our community, even if it's something grassroots like First Friday. As raw as it is, it currently sees an estimated average of about 4,500 people per month. Can you think of any other monthly, art-related event in Las Vegas with that kind of draw? Neither can we.


If the personal satisfaction of supporting a cultural organization and receiving a regular newsletter and discount card for fabulous restaurants, bars and retailers aren't incentive enough, then you may want to consider upping the ante and become a Best Friend of First Friday. For $25, you get all that, plus access to special First Friday pre-parties to be held from 5-6 p.m. before the event begins.


For additional informational about Friends of First Friday, contact Amy Schmidt at Vegas Ink, 258-8440.



Anne Kellogg is a native Las Vegan with a thing for purchasing stuff. E-mail her at
[email protected]

  • Get More Stories from Thu, Mar 3, 2005
Top of Story