First Friday Art Walk

What fun!! I had no idea this even went on (and I live in the area!). I was downtown on the first Friday about 4pm to get my hair done by Malia at The Atomic Kitten, and when I was leaving, boom; there it was! Lots of people with interesting wares and street musicians. There were crafts, plants, paintings and beautiful wood works. This event is another reason Bakersfield is such a bombdigity town with great atmosphere. I love it!

I can't believe I haven't posted a review for First Friday when I always tell people we always try to go & what we love about it! We love going to First Friday downtown every month as a family! The kids look forward to it and they remind us when it's coming up. It has become a family event for us to go. We try to go every month. We all love walking around and checking out what the different vendors are selling. We try to support and purchase something each time we go. We also love checking out the art galleries. It is fun to watch bands play live music as well. When we go out to First Friday, it's also a chance for us to go eat at restaurants in the area. Parking can be difficult to find so recently we have been using uber when we go. No need to worry about parking!

It was fun, our first time. Some of the booths were really spread out. I am wondering if they all even came out as it was a very, very hot evening. Some bands were really rocking out in nearby parking lots!I do not get downtown as much as I would like so, I enjoyed what I did see. I bought some homemade soap, met nice people working outside the Mission and learned about their program, was introduced to Tina's Cookies where we got to meet the owners, sample their yummy ice cream and bought a whole wheat carrot and walnut loaf. Saw some super cute puppies out with their owners. Took in an art gallery where we looked around. At the rear of it, Mama Rumbas was selling beer/wine and with purchase you could have a bite to eat from the hot plates. Mini Cuban sandwiches, wings and yam fries were the offerings. A nice little treat. Parking was tough to find on the street but I was happy to see it was a busy venue despite the heat. I love supporting local! Have to set it in my calendar to come more often as I always forget!

Overall details: First Fridays happen the first Friday (well, duh) of every month from 5pm-9pm and the epicenter is at 19th and Eye Streets in downtown. There are art galleries to go in to, art being sold on the street corners, live music, and the other surrounding shops are open a bit later for browsing. My experience: Went to my first First Friday this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised. It was something fun to go do to support the local arts' scene. I read in the Californian that Metro Galleries was the brain behind First Friday that got everything moving and I give props to them. I saw all types of people out this past Friday enjoying the weather and the art. In one gallery we were even asked to judge our favorite piece in a category which was fun and made us feel included and important. The galleries serve food and drink and only ask for donations in return. There is live music throughout and art vendors on the streets as well. Yes, it's a bit small and has room to grow but I was informed other galleries are open a bit outside of the immediate area that I'll have to look in to. Overall, it was enjoyable to be downtown and experiencing what it has to offer. Get off the couch and go support local events like these!

I've been several times as a spectator and many times as a participant. It's a pretty good atmosphere. Lots of fun people and cool arts n crafts. You should totally come check it out.Maybe come check out my art :-p

This is always an enjoyable change for us each month, when the first Friday comes around. Lots of shops and street vendors. Parking can be tough so keep your hopes low (lol). But for us, it's a nice way to enjoy our community, maybe spend a little coin on neat things or grab a bite, and take a walk. Good for most ages, I'd say.

The out door walk is fun as well as most of the galleries, I say MOST because everyone that goes to first friday is really laid back and have very artistic personalities making it very hard to be harshly judged....EXCEPT FOR ONE ART GALLERY. It's a white building that just says "ART GALLERY" in navy blue....I walked in there and was really into the art work and out of no where an old woman grabbed me by the shoulder in a very aggravated manor and told me that the older woman at the desk needed to tell me something so I walked over and the woman in a very snotty tone ended up telling me "it's very whore-ish" of me to have one of my buttons unbuttoned on my top. I ALWAYS wear very conservative clothing and to be told that is very....vindictive of her almost as if she were looking for something to get mad at. All in all....BESIDES the snotty old women in one of the art galleries, I totally love everything about the art walk. It is a very good place to meet new people and learn new things.BEWARE OF THE OLD WOMEN.

This is awesome!! I wish more people knew about it. When I tell people who don't live downtown about it they have no idea what it is. Someone needs to better advertise this and I think there should be more to the First Friday's. Maybe outside dancing?

Used to be a nice mix of people and vendors, a good mix of people wandering downtown to hear some busking, look at all the crafts and art work. Used to be a really good venue to catch a good cross section of Bakersfield's self-sufficient artisans and home-crafted goods.But the Art's Council and Metro Galleries are turning it into "artists only," with no "soap makers" allowed. Pay the fees to get a spot in the areas only allowed by the Art's Council. Everyone who sets up outside the area looks forward to getting fines for not having permits or insurance. It's unfortunate, since the mix of artisans brought the mix of people to visit. Not everyone is interested in painters, and painters who can only afford to pay the Art's Council's fees.It was the mix of people that brought the mix of people to the event. I understand the problem of having permits from the city, and insurance to cover the people there, but limiting the event to only artists that can afford to pay the fees limits the event. Sad, really.