Napa Merchants, Artists Team Up for "First Fridays"

Friday, April 1, Napa visitors and residents are encouraged to come downtown to check out original art and participate in a digital scavenger hunt as part of downtown’s brand new First Fridays initiative. First Fridays is part of a larger movement to bring tourism to downtown Napa and revitalize the area with culture and a fun, urban feel.

First Fridays will kick off in conjunction with Napa Valley Arts in April, a new program that brings Napa’s fine wine tradition together with arts and culture in communities throughout the Napa Valley. Special events and promotions will be held all month long in tasting rooms, wineries galleries, and performance venues. Patrons may purchase a “Founder’s Pass” to take advantage of all the program events and discounts for $20. Arts in April, developed by in partnership with the and the , will run through the end of the month.

“First Fridays will be a fun, ongoing way to promote arts and culture in Napa and will appeal to a younger demographic, encouraging them to come downtown,” said Sara Brooks of the Napa Tourism Improvement District.  “We are thrilled at the response we’ve had so far to some of our other events, and we hope everyone will support First Fridays, too.”

Every first Friday of the month, downtown Napa will host an urban scavenger hunt around the downtown core. Everyone is welcome to participate, and the community is encouraged to follow Napa Downtown on Facebook and Twitter for clues leading to the one-of-a-kind piece of art created by an participating artist.

ART on F1RST showcases original art installations in downtown Napa’s shop windows along First Street. Twenty Bay Area artists created the installations. ART on F1RST, which launched February 25, will run through the end of the year and participating artists will be highlighted during First Fridays. The featured artists will donate pieces to First Fridays as part of the digital scavenger hunt, which the lucky winner will be able to keep.

Immediately following each month’s scavenger hunt, participants and community members are invited to a reception with the artist. Details for each First Friday will be revealed on Facebook and Twitter as each month approaches as well as on NapaArtonFirst.com.

For more information, “like” Napa Downtown on Facebook and follow the organization on Twitter. You can also visit NapaArtonFirst.com.

About the Tourism Improvement District

First Fridays is a project funded by the Napa Tourism Improvement District and developed in partnership with Arts Council Napa Valley. The goal of the Tourism Improvement District is to promote the City of Napa and its downtown core as a premier destination in the Napa Valley region. Through initiatives such as First Fridays and Art on First, their mission is to revitalize downtown and its surrounding areas with activities that will bring more visitors and residents into the city itself.

From the Napa Downtown Association and the Napa Tourism Improvement District.