Proposed First Fridays vendor pilot program is on Phoenix City Council agenda

Vendors could be returning to the First Fridays art walk in downtown Phoenix — but without street closures.

First Fridays suspended its vendor market on a closed section of Roosevelt Street in April amid rising public safety concerns. A scaled-back version of the cultural event continued in the Roosevelt Row and Grand Avenue arts districts, but attendance fell significantly and local businesses suffered.

Now, the Phoenix City Council is considering a plan that would allow businesses within the art walk’s original downtown footprint to apply for permits to sell locally produced arts-focused items and food on private property until 10 p.m. on the first Friday of each month.

The city worked with stakeholders and the community on the Downtown Arts Vending on Private Property Pilot Program, which is on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting, which starts at 2:30 p.m.

“The goal is to provide an opportunity for additional arts activation opportunities on private property that integrate with existing businesses, help attract attendees interested in the arts and minimize potential public safety impacts. It provides an opportunity for a property owner/business owner to apply for arts vending on private property during FF [First Fridays], in addition to their already permitted performance art activities,” the agenda item says.

If the program is adopted, the city will evaluate it and provide recommendations for the future after 12 months.

What is First Fridays?

Artlink, Roosevelt Row CDC and Downtown Phoenix Inc. operate and promote First Fridays, which began in 1994. While the city provides support, it has always been a privately planned event.

First Fridays attracted over 20,000 visitors at its peak. But as crowds grew, the focus shifted away from art and more violent incidents were reported.

In April 2025, the Phoenix Police Department implemented a curfew on minors during First Fridays.

In January 2026, a teenager was killed in a shooting near Seventh and Garfield streets while First Fridays activities were underway around the corner.

When the vendor market was suspended earlier this year, R.J. Price of Downtown Phoenix Inc. said the event was no longer serving the downtown arts and business communities as intended.

“So many public safety resources have been deployed to First Fridays on Roosevelt in response to the rising concerns for public safety and, frankly, the incidents that have happened in close proximity to the event footprint. So, again, we deduced that we had to take it [the vendor market] away, at least temporarily, in order to fix it,” Price told KTAR News 92.3 FM in April.

The next First Fridays art walk is set for Oct. 2.

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