From May to November, the first Friday of each month holds a special place in Concord’s heart.
Stores stay open later for customers to stroll in and out of their favorite places or discover new ones. Food trucks park downtown, and lines begin to form. Musicians gather to listen to musicians playing in courtyards. Free activities, such as yoga, take over the State House lawn.
Hosted by local nonprofit InTown Concord, First Fridays help the city kick off each month in a celebratory manner.
For Emma Crisp, who manages Go Native Gallery, the recurring event provides the opportunity to interact with more art lovers. She had a moment in the gallery during September’s First Friday that reaffirmed why she participates.
“I was up here and I looked down, and there were so many people all around just talking and interacting with each other, and it was just really nice to see that,” she said.
The gallery brings in a handful of artists and even holds live art demonstrations where passers-by can witness an artist in the midst of their creative process.
“I feel like our sales have definitely gone up. Just this month for First Friday, I think we had about three or four sales of artwork within just that few-hour time period. We had cookies and apple cider. It felt more like a gallery opening or show. People were being social and interacting. We had a lot of foot traffic,” Crisp said.
Wine on Main has a similar experience each month.
The wine store has been participating in First Fridays since the tradition began in May 2023, and it hosts a free wine tasting from 5-7 p.m. to celebrate the monthly event.
“It’s great to have that income but also the energy to kick off every month,” said owner Emma Stetson. “It’s a good way to start off the month, extra sales we wouldn’t normally have, and it’s also a morale booster to see so many people come through the door at the very start of the month, excited about what’s to come.”
Stetson loves to see the camaraderie among local business owners that stems from First Fridays.
“That’s part of what we do here, collaborating with other businesses,” she said. “But seeing everyone collaborate together one night a month and be a community and offer specials and talk to each other about what we’re doing, piggybacking off of that is very special.”
Watching people come together with each First Friday reminds Berit Brown, the events and marketing coordinator for InTown Concord, of the necessity of gathering places within the community.
“It creates those third spaces where people can come connect and experience something that they otherwise might not have access to,” Brown said.
Each First Friday has a different theme. For September, the theme was “Fall in love with Concord.” For October, the theme will be “Spooky Season,” with an Oktoberfest celebration taking over Bicentennial Square.
At Viking House, which sells goodies from Northern Europe, the themes of First Fridays are always fun to embrace. Manager Emily Galvin looks forward to participating in Oktoberfest and loves seeing how First Fridays have grown over time.
“It’s taken a while for it to take hold, and it has,” she said. “I’m finding people now officially come and are excited about coming down for First Fridays.”
Like Stetson, she appreciates the spirit of togetherness that the event fosters.
“I’ve been downtown 12 years and I’ve never seen anything like this, and it’s made a big difference in how we all support each other,” she said. “It’s having a big impact as time goes on.”
Brown looks forward to seeing how First Fridays continue to grow. She continues to dream up new themes and bring more businesses along for the ride.
“There’s a lot of potential for Concord to expand into later-night activities and having more nightlife,” she said. “Maybe not clubs or anything like that — that’s not really in the personality of Concord. But uplifting what already exists here. There are a lot of art destinations. There are a lot of galleries that are popping up and that have existed for a long time.”
October’s First Friday will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Oct. 3. In November, First Friday will be an art walk through the city.
For more information, visit https://www.firstfridayconcord.com/.
