The first Friday of every month, Downtown Raleigh showcases its art, music and food during its First Friday Gallery Walk. The event runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., but venues’ hours may vary. It’s a free self-guided tour and a chance to visit art galleries, studios, alternative art venues and more.
Museums stay open late on the first Friday of the month. Live music is plentiful and many restaurants and retailers offer specials. Look for the First Friday flags to identify participating venues.
Here’s a First Friday map.
Here’s some of what’s happening Friday, December 7th. The following descriptions were provided by the venues.
See all of the events and get the addresses and more information here.
A VIEW FROM THE BARDO: NEW WORKS BY ADAM SENSEL @ GALLERY C
Exhibition Dates: Dec 1-Dec 31
“To produce works of art that resemble how I perceive my surroundings, with a “bardo” lens. What is the bardo? You know- life/death, well, that middle space between life and death, depending on your belief of course, well that’s the bardo, the in-between. These paintings are how I imagine that plane of existence to appear: how our world and our surroundings are perceived by those in, or traveling thru the in-between!” -Adam Sensel
Cost: Free; this is a for profit exhibition.
BLUE T – FIRST FRIDAY LIVE MUSIC @ IRREGARDLESS CAFE @ IRREGARDLESS CAFE
Come listen to Blue T @ Irregardless. Learn more about their music at https://www.reverbnation.com/bluet Every evening, Irregardless Cafe hosts live music and cocktails starting at 6:30pm. Come join the fun with appetizers, hand-crafted cocktails, and jazz artists from around the country.
Cost: Free
FIRST FRIDAY COOKIE DECORATING @ LINK APARTMENTS GLENWOOD SOUTH
Come join us to decorate cookies from Groovy Duck Bakery right here in Raleigh! We will have all the tools in hand to make your cookies beautiful, in addition we will have a hot cocoa bar for you to enjoy!
Cost: FREE
FIRST FRIDAY JAZZ AND BLUES SERIES FEATURING: ISAIAH SIMPSON QUARTET @ CIRCA 1888
For this First Friday Raleigh, we welcome the Isaiah Simpson Quartet for a live performance following your art walk. The show starts at 9 pm and is free with your one-time $1 Circa 1888 membership. Circa 1888 is a beautiful billiards bar in downtown Raleigh’s burgeoning Warehouse District.
FIRST FRIDAY WITH KENNEDI CARTER @ RUNOLOGIE
Join us for a special First Friday with work from Kennedi Carter. A bit about Kennedi, a Durham, North Carolina native by way of Dallas Texas, Kennedi Carter is a fine art photographer with a primary focus on Black subjects. Her work highlights the aesthetics of sociopolitical aspects of blackness as well as the overlooked beauties of the black experience as a whole: skin, texture, trauma, peace, love and community. Her work aims to reinvent notions of creativity and confidence in the realm of blackness. Kennedi’s most recent work was featured in the 2018 Photo Vogue festival, The Nasher Museum of Art’s “Across County Lines” exhibit, the renowned Photoville Festival in Brooklyn, and VSCO’s Walk In The Sun Exhibition.
Cost: Free
FIRST FRIDAY: MEMBER MAYHEM AT IMURJ @ IMURJ
Come down and enjoy the opening reception for Imurj’s December Gallery Exhibit, MEMBER MAYHEM. It’s all Members, all day, every day for the month of December.
MEMBER MAYHEM is a show designed to showcase the works of Imurj’s all-inclusive community of visual artists. Whether our artists have been a member since day one, or for just one day, everyone’s in on showing what our community has got to offer. During your First Friday tour of the city’s galleries, come see what our community has been hard at work on, including Carbo Atiya Batts, Lance Linett, Beverly Martin, Cheryl McCardle, Evan Griffith, Brook Suffridge, Lynn Alker, Wang Qing, and more TBA! You can also enjoy Imurj’s brand new cafe offerings including cold salads, sandwiches, and wraps. Imurj’s bar offers beer, wine, liquor, and non-alcoholic options as well.
FRIDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS @ BU•KU GLOBAL STREET FOOD
Join us every Friday as we visit a different wine region from across the world. Enjoy 3 pours of various wines for $15 dollars and expand your horizons!
Cost: $15 dollars for the flight
GREEK NIGHT @ TAVERNA AGORA
Our Greek Night is a celebration of Greek Culture, showcasing the food, drink, songs and dancing of our much loved heritage. Enjoy live entertainment, including belly dancing and bouzouki music, all while having an authentic Greek dinner! And don’t just think you’ll get away with watching all the dancing! We’ll be moving out the tables and encouraging dancing as the night goes on! Join Us! Stop in after visiting the downtown galleries or reserve your table!
LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, IT’S A WINTER SHOW! @ LOCAL COLOR GALLERY
A collaboration of works in different mediums by woman artists. Come meet and interact directly with the artists this First Friday’s winter show On view through December 29th.
SIP & PAINT AT BISHOPS @ BISHOPS
Get your paint on during First Friday, December 7th! Follow along with the artist to create your own painting while enjoying a glass of wine. A minimum $10 donation will be accepted to help support Toys For Tots.
Cost: Minimum $10 donation for Toys for Tots
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