Phoenix City Council unanimously approves First Fridays vendor pilot program

Art vendors are returning to the First Fridays art walk in downtown Phoenix — but without street closures.

The Phoenix City Council voted 9-0 Wednesday to approve the Downtown Arts Vending on Private Property Pilot Program, which allows 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 will host a permit workshop Monday, Sept. 14, at 2:30 p.m., and permit applications will be accepted starting Wednesday, Sept. 16. The new program will be in effect for the next art walk on Oct. 2.

“Decades of First Fridays have turned Roosevelt Row into a destination, bringing people through the doors of the businesses and creative spaces that call it home,” Devney Majerle, president and CEO of Downtown Phoenix Inc., said in a statement. “In partnership with the city of Phoenix, this pilot program builds on that legacy, giving artists, property owners and small businesses new tools to succeed and thrive.”

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.

“This pilot really returns First Fridays to its roots of art and it encourages art vendors to really take up space downtown,” Councilmember Anna Hernandez said before the vote. “This pilot will support the businesses on Roosevelt, return visitors to the area and once again make Roosevelt Row an exciting destination on First Fridays.”

The city will evaluate the program 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.

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