First Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe

This a great monthly event for people watching, checking out cool paintings, sculptures, kitsch, and photography, and sampling wares from various food trucks. You can also get drunk as a skunk from some of the wine offerings, but I don’t recommend that. It gets very crowded on the sidewalks and in the galleries. I’ve seen people drunk stumble into traffic and almost get hurt. I’ve also had people drunkenly weeble wobble into me while in the galleries and almost knock stuff over. Drink in moderation, people.
If you haven’t checked out this event, you should. It’s lively, fun, and free.

This is such a fun evening and a great way to check out a different neighborhood in Denver. Walk along Sante Fe and stop in all of thr different art galleries. Grab a bite to eat at one of the local street vendors or food trucks and just enjoy a fun night out.

Definitely fun though a lot of «art» on the art walk was mediocre. The allure is in the cheap «donation» booze and the fun crowd of people you get to meander through. Lots of live music and food trucks. Very Denver. Very worth one of your Friday nights.

This is exactly what i wanted to do when i came to visit Denver. There were people everywhere, walking up and down the streets, checking out art and having a good time. there are so many galleries and plenty of artists, i was so happy to find the pieces i did and will try to make it out again.

The event is a lot of fun and different. It’s nice to come out and support the local artists. Some of the galleries will offer some wine which is nice. It can get kind of crowded since it’s only once a month but definitely worth checking out and exploring.

Check out the new bar on 8^th and Mariposa a few blocks away they have art for sale and awesome drink specials for first Friday.

Loved it!

I must be one of the only people who do not like this event.
I may be a nasty cold-​hearted introvert or something, but seriously: Paintings are better when people aren’t walking in front of them. This event isn’t about art. It’s about booze and showmanship on behalf of the attendees.
Yes, it’s cool to see the people in costumes, saw many a dude in a banana costume, ha ha. And yes, the booze is fun, but if you want to experience art? It’s not the place.
This event gets two stars because occasionally there is a legitimately good painter/​sculptor at one of the galleries that you can see, if, IF, you can look past the drunk/​banana people walking in front of you. That legitimately good artist is also probably paying to rent space at the gallery. You should go see them.
Anyhow I’m moving to New York so I can be with my mean, two-​star peeps.

This was a lot of fun! It is on Santa Fe between 7^th and 11^th street. They have live music, food trucks and the galleries are open and they all have artist on hand to answer any questions. I ate a crab cake pita at the food truck and WOW it was killer!!! We did this with another couple which was fun for a Friday night. This is a great idea for a date night, just have cash on hand for the food trucks.

SHUT DOWN THE STREET this is an awesome event and brings a lot of peeps to my hood. My biggest fear is someone getting hurt with the traffic.

Great art, live music, wine, food trucks, and strolling outside on a warm evening. Oh and the Whomp (whompwhompwhomp) truck with all the raver kids spinning their glowy toys (I can poke fun because I am one of them). When all of these things combine, you have First Friday. The only negative is the amount of people– it can be overwhelming at times. Get past this and you will undoubtedly have a blast.

This was my First Friday event in Denver. I didnt know what to expect. Viewing all the different types of Art on display is great. Colorado has such Creative minded people.
Must be the Altitude. And the Food Trucks being there as well.
And the People. So Friendly. I got a great review for a French Restaurant that does Take out. Waaaaa?
Hmm Could be a little better crowd control with getting in and out of some of the Galleries. I wanted to venture into some but the Line was just way to long.
Other than that this makes for a great night out, and a way to Pick up some great art you wouldnt see otherwise.

I was torn between 1 or 2 stars. I decided to go with 2, as it gets people to the actual Art District on Santa Fe, and that alone is a good thing.
The Art District on Santa Fe is a wonderful, wonderful place! Beautiful Art Galleries, things you won’t find anywhere else. You can take classes on different techniques. The street is tastefully and colorfully decorated! We love just driving down Santa Fe, especially at night, when the lights in the trees are on. It’s just a colorful place to be.
Now, to the First Friday Art Walk… People! People! People! This is the place to be seen! My question is, is do the people actually see the art that is there? There are so many people, that it is so hard to get into any of the shops to see the wonderful art work that is there along the street. I get concerned that there could be a «mob mentality,» and things get out of hand. Many people walk along with a glass of wine or beer, and it’s hot. The police are there, close by, just in case. I only hope that they aren’t needed. Oh, the street is still open, so cars are going by, and there are lots and lots of people. Cars, people (tons and tons and tons of people), heat, and alcohol, just don’t mix.
My suggestion, go to the Art District on Santa Fe any other time than the First Friday… so you can enjoy the wonderful Art that is there on Santa Fe.

2012 Review #159:
An awesome free event simultaneously transforms a semi-​great experience into a completely great experience. It finds ways to exacerbate the best qualities of an event and minimize the negatives. I feel that First Friday definitely brings out the good, but doesn’t necessarily diminish the bad, as it were.
I love the basic vibe here; it’s inviting and fun, carefree and relaxed. I also love seeing some of my favorite restaurants get some love; Interstate Kitchen, Renegade Brewery, and Sweet Dixie’s Soul Food Express, the latter being a food truck. This area is very conducive to food trucks. In our visits we’ve seen Manna from Heaven, an Arepas truck, Sweet Dixie’s, Blazin’ BBQ, a Cupcake truck, several general New American trucks, and some taco stands as well. It’s a great place for someone wanting to explore food culture without going to an actual food truck event.
I actually don’t really find many galleries to be particularly inviting. I always see people with glasses of wine or cocktails from a gallery but that’s never happened to me. The galleries just leave their doors open; they don’t really showcase their art in a meaningful way, so unless you know the contents of a gallery before visiting, very few of them make a meaningful effort to get you inside.
There are also buskers, vendors, musical acts, etc. They are of varying quality but that ads to the fun. We are very lucky with parking because a restaurant we love has some parking but there are always some $ 5 lots if you’re willing. If possible, avoid the left lane when driving up until 9^th; lots of people try to turn left onto one ways and get met with pedestrians. Go around the waiting cars and around the block to look for a spot. If I had guests visiting, I’d probably go here over a typical touristy spot; it leaves a better and more memorable impression, for them and for me.

I’m kinda ashamed to admit that this past Friday was the very first time I’ve ever experienced the First Friday Art Walk. Now that I finally have, I intend to sashay on down to the Art District on Santa Fe Drive more often.
After reading up on the event, we decided the best course of action was to get there early. We rolled into the parking lot at West High School right around 5:30. It was not at all crowded for the vast majority of the time we were strolling around so we were able to take our time in the galleries we liked best. We saw all kinds of contemporary, folk, and traditional art including painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, graphic arts, and textiles. Some was amazing, some was edgy, some was whimsical, and some was not really my taste but that’s okay, you can’t please everyone all the time. We also passed a couple of street performers and heard some live music coming from somewhere.
We had dinner plans, so we didn’t sample anything from the several food trucks we saw parked along the route. We’ll definitely have to check those out next time. And I decided that if I ever win the lottery or otherwise find myself with boatloads of extra cash on my hands, I will buy the Santa Fe Theater, restore it to its former glory, and turn it into an awesome music venue.
I highly recommend a visit to the First Friday Art Walk in one of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods. If you’d like to take your time and browse through the galleries, come early. If not, come later and enjoy the crowd.

While I don’t get to First Fridays often the couple that I’ve made it to have been a blast. Parking can be a nightmare but once you resolve that you can blend into the crowd and enjoy the sights and sounds of Santa Fe Street. The galleries are eclectic and while some don’t receive a second glance, others capture my undivided attention.
Definitely grab some food from one of the food trucks! So so so good!
This is the perfect date or perfect for those of us on a tight budget.

Crowded, oh so crowded. I felt like I was going to get run over by traffic whizzing by. I really didn’t expect Sante Fe to be open to traffic during the Art Walk. The sidewalks are narrow, and since it is so crowded, you are practically walking on the edge of cars passing by. The galleries are also packed, and it can be hard to maneuver. Parking is horrendous, so take the train. There’s a free shuttle from the train station to Sante Fe, or you can walk, it’s not far.
But the Art Walk has a really cool vibe. The energy is undeniable. Everyone that is out and about is completely enjoying themselves, and it permeates the air. You can’t help but feel good at the Art Walk. The art and artists are fantastic. There are all sorts of street foods to choose from. It’s great people watching for sure. The Art Walk is a fun way to spend a Friday evening in Denver.

I’m a big fan of anything that gets so many folks out of the house, walking up and down the streets, sipping wine and admiring art from all sorts of mediums. I’m also a fan of entire districts throwing big street parties once a month so how can I not like First Friday? The answer is simple, I can’t.
It is definitely crowded. I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible driving down Santa Fe during this time would be so I bike, park my bike and walk. And even that gets to be too crowded at times. But the crowds are usually fun and boisterous — as a good friend put it this is grown ups going out, not the crowd mentality you’d find in other hot spots around Denver (cough, LoDo, cough.)
Whether you come across paintings, photographs, street performers, mid, modern, or more you can enjoy all of it for free for a few hours on a Friday evening while sipping wine from a plastic glass. If it’s the free stuff it’s probably Franzia, but you can also spend a few bones and get something a bit classier or a beer if you’re feeling it. And when you get hungry stop by one of the many food trucks parking down there these days or head into one of my favorite standing restaurants — Interstate Kitchen or Tace de Mexico for a treat.

Holy Hipsters, Denver!
As others have noted, this is a PACKED even. TONS of people… NOT a ton of parking, and seriously, if I see another pair of skinny jeans, I’m going to scream.
The art and atmosphere itself, though? Fun. Hysterical, actually. People watching at it’s finest, and YES, that’s an Art in and of itself.
The real art varies from performance artists, pop, modern, photography, and more. The hustle and bustle is just perfect for a night wandering among the galleries and bars, and this is a little slice of big city in little Denver.
It certainly occupies me for a few hours and kept my brain interested and my mouth smiling. (And drinking.)

One of my biggest complaints about Denver has been the lack of creative, organic fashion. Perhaps living in Minneapolis set that bar a wee bit too high. I have a pair of red, shiny high heels that I wear pretty frequently, and they get more attention here than they have anywhere else, probably because North Face and Patagonia reign supreme in Colorado.
(Plus, I once bought a pair of BCBG gold stiletto high heels for $ 35 at Buffalo Exchange on 13^th and Grant that had been sitting on the shelf for three months. That, folks, is just effed up.)
HOWEVER, after attending First Friday on Santa Fe, I’m intrigued! I had much more fun watching the outfits and shoes than the artwork (which was… you know… hit or miss). There were Steampunkers and fashionistas and hippies in full-​on chill garb and real, honest-​to-​god hipsters, Minneapolis-​style.
I was in absolute heaven, and I’ll be bringing a camera next time! Denver Fashionistas, heads-​up! There’s a new place to romp!