Wake up, wake up, get up! it's the first Friday of the month... When people ask me what is First Fridays. I tell them it's just like a big block party that happens every first Friday of each month in the downtown/chinatown area. At this event, you will find that majority of the shops in the area anything from the bars, pubs, clubs, art galleries, etc. opens up in a big social gathering for everyone. There's a lot of space to walk around and discover the downtown side of Honolulu if you're not familiar with area. There's a bunch of parking structures that you can park in too. Majority of them has flat rate pricing but it can get filled up real quick so you have to be on top of it. If it does fill up by the time you get here then there's always street parking outside of the party zones. It can get crazy here later in the evening. Majority of the crowd doesnt show up until 10:30-ish. So people... get here before the rest of the herd does. Fair warning! Enjoy! read more

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First Friday is not for everyone. I get to experience it if I'm fortunate to be there when there's a first Friday. So Rianne, Melanio, the partner, and myself decided to check it out since they had never been. We started at Bar 35, then twentyninehotel, which we just walked through and didn't drink or anything. It's really interesting to watch all the different types of people in the same area. Professionals, homeless, posers, hookers, hipsters, families, old school Chinese, Yelpers artists, trannies, gays, lesbians, tourists, cousins, etc. Marks Garage had an interesting gallery. There were a couple others we wandered into...and we did this waiting for a table at Lucky Belly. It is a fun place to check out every once in a while. I don't know if I'd come every first Friday...it might lose its charm and appeal. Oh, and parking is a bitch and at a premium. My advice is to bus or cab it in. read more

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There hasn't been a review for some time, so I'll fill in. In 2011-2012 First Friday was extremely popular. So many people, food establishments/vendors, police blocked off streets, very hard to find parking. It had given life to a grimy and sketchy part of town: Chinatown. First Friday isn't what it once was. Now it is not as crowded and parking is generally easy to find. There are still places to see art, the most well-known being the Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM) and Mark's Garage. Other than that, there isn't much else to see. First Friday was the place to be how many years ago. They need to breathe new life into First Friday or give it more appeal to those who love art. Don't get me wrong it's getting there. Many food establishments, art galleries, and bars in the area frequently participate in First Friday. You can check out what's happening and who's participating at: www.firstfridayhawaii.com Most of the participating galleries are open until 9PM. From there people can do the social/drink scene at any the surrounding bars which are usually open until 2AM. There are lots of exotic food choices in terms of restaurants which is great (Ethiopian, French Latin, etc. ). It is something worth checking out in the beginning of the month. The more support they have, the better. If the word "art" was replaced with "party" people would be swarming all over First Friday again. Now First Friday is solely focused on the arts and budding arts and culture. With the Arts being its main focus; I guess it has detered the once big crowds. People used to just go to First Friday to get seen and to get wasted at the bars Good for Hawaii to give budding artists a way to showcase their work and to give local artists their support. Go check out First Friday if you truly appreciate the Arts read more

Chad O. got it right. First Friday has almost nothing to do with art, unless you consider make-up to be painting and batch-job clothing to be fashion. Which perhaps a lot of the attendees tonight did. Don't get me wrong: I like pretty, young, lithe, female eye-candy as much as the next person. And I am totally okay with no parking; over-crowded, over-priced bars; and random weirdness in the streets. What killed me was the smoke. Seriously, some guy walked by us and blew smoke directly in our faces. Most people just drunkenly waved their cigarettes about, or threw them still lit and smoking into the street. But when did so many people decide that it was important to get together and smoke endlessly? I actually didn't want to bar hop mostly because I did not want to go outside until all the smokers died of cancer. That and I didn't have my ID so it takes at least 10 min to convince anyone to let me in even though I definitely look like I've lived all three of my decades and all of my friends are exactly the same age. But mostly the smoke. Way to go, D.A.R.E., you really sucked! read more

It was my first time at the event last night and I was surprised by the large crowd of people in Chinatown with the drizzling rain. I had a good time just hanging out with friends and checking out a few small art galleries and exploring local artists' works. However, I felt that I needed to go with people who have been before or something to know where to go, what bar/galleries to check out. so, go with friends! read more

Opening AIM... Logging in... Chat Window open.... LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS is now online HotPolishChick: Hi! LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS: hi HotPolishChick: I'M GOING TO ART AFTER DARK! LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS: At the end of the month? HotPolishChick: No, today.... LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS: Today is First Friday.... HotPolishChick: Yeah that's what I mean.... LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS: Art After Dark at the end of the month, First Friday is at the beginning of the month. HotPolishChick: No it's Art After Dark.... LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS: Art After Dark is where you go when you are tired of bars playing Top 4ugly same old shit songs and are willing to listen to any crap band so long as it's different, because best friend's hot ex is maning one of the booths and friend of a friend of a friend of a co-worker of a co-worker is playing in said band. HotPolishChick: No I really think it's Art After Dark, I think First Friday is.... LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS: First Friday is where you walk around pretending to look at art with a notepad and draw your own art in writing up fake parking tickets to drivers violating the "Parking next to a REAL car" offense. And where you take that special pen cashiers use while bar hopping and giving the waitstaff funny looks then swiping it to check if it's legit to screw with their heads. HotPolishChick: Maybe I got it wrong... LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS: Yeah you did but I can see how you got them mistaken, Dark Art, First Art too similar for a blonde. However both are fun, just got to go in with a positive I'm going to have fun vibe. Not with the having a bitch-fit about work club shitty attitude that most go there in with.... HotPolishChick: Are you sure it's not Art After Dark, I'm pretty sure... LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS: *grumble* stupid haole.... *grumble* HotPolishChick: Huh? What was that.... LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS: Nevermind HotPolishChick: So you going? HotPolishChick: Hello? HotPolishChick: Are you there? LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS is currently idle HotPolishChick: Well my friend called and I am going to Art After Dark. AUTO AWAY MESSAGE: LikeYouCouldAffordTHIS is currently away from the computer. Message will be received when user returns from having a real offline life. read more

Every first Friday in China Town, galleries and restaurants are open until later. I don't usually see so many people downtown/China Town at night. This is a special day/hours (6-9pm). I usually avoid crowd but it is fun some time. Something different. Totally reminds me of a big city's night out. Used to like Nuuanu Block Parties. Used to be afraid of visiting downtown/china town at night or weekend. It used to be a ghost town. I don't like crowd but I don't feel comfortable with a deserted area either. Anyhow, worth a visit! YELP 365 - 118/365 read more

What was I thinking? Oh I know, I was thinking that me and the fam could check out local art, hear some music, and hang out in Chinatown. :/ It definitely wasn't family/child friendly. It wasn't stroller or wheelchair accessible (some galleries had stairs -- I understand that the buildings are older and don't have elevators but it just sucks when you're SOL). I liked some of the art pieces but couldn't really enjoy them because the galleries were too crowded or inaccessible. Positive: The one spot (don't know the name but was across the street from Little Village Noodle House) had a courtyard area with a musician catering to children (cool) and photography featuring children and families battling cancer (powerful). read more

just in case there's someone out there that hasn't heard about downtown honolulu's swelling art walk in the heart of chinatown, it's a 34-gallery cultural monthly event with support from the city and the Hawai'i arts alliance. find your way to nuuanu and hotel street and dip in and out of all the galleries situated everywhere. chinatown literally comes alive and it's actually causing me to not give all the stars here due to the larger than i'm comfortable with amounts of people everywhere. it's a must for visitors though, i think. get out of waikiki sometimes, you know? 5 to 9 p.m on the first friday of every month read more

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"First Friday" is a night in Downtown, Honolulu where Art Galleries are opened late and bars are filed to the maximum capacity. Held only the FIRST FRIDAY of each MONTH. From 6PM-9PM - all the art galleries in Chinatown/Downtown district are opened for showing. They are usually closed early on regular days. After 9PM - Bars start charging cover ~$10. WHAT I LIKE: +It's something to do +Exciting to be where the action is +I usually run into people I don't see often when I'm here +Great opportunity to check out the art galleries, which I don't get a chance to do as they close early (5pm) usually. +Interesting bands play on the streets, at different art galleries and bars +Interesting food stands on the streets to try out WHAT I DON'T LIKE: +Supercrowded +Lines out the door at every bar +Wait for restaurants are just too long +Cover fee at every bar (after 9pm) +Hard to find parking (all the garages are full) +Hard to leave the area with people walking everywhere, all over Definitely worth checking out once or twice. read more

Fun for singles, groups of friends, couples, but not for ma and pa. I felt bad dragging my whole family here thinking we`d see some art and have some street food. Instead we spent half the night looking for parking, and then half the night trying to make our way through the crowds. Definitely not for families and young kids, lots of hooched up folks, drinking, smoking, grinding...essentially it's a club...outside. read more

It actually has taken me over a year of living here to check this out. Actually was a pretty fun time with a mix of artsy type stores with alll sorts of art and 'organic' stuff, bars are open for business, and a cool little place to go people watching. Honestly, it was not as crowded as I expected. I guess Honolulu is not as big a city as I thought. Checked out a few bars and dance places, new yoga studio which served free food for checking them out, and art places (bunch of reviews yet to come). Overall, a great place to make the 365 Challenge a bit less challenging (still hard!). Will probably go here several times per year easily. I recommend parking on the outskirts of chinatown and walking, will probably get there faster than circling around chinatown to find a spot. 365 Challenge: #61/365 read more

Oh crowds...the masses that seem to come out on the first Friday of the month and crowd the streets of Chinatown! For some reason, everyone comes out of the woodwork once a month and descend upon Nuuanu and Hotel streets, while filling up the parking lots and packing the bars and galleries that dote the section. There are quite a few galleries and independent studios that will open their doors for this monthly event. As you peruse the various studios of sculptures, paint, photography, and much more, you will find a wide array that may or may not appeal to your aesthetic. The bars become quite lively and crowded with cover charges that run from $10 and up. There are lots of options, but I can guarantee they will be bursting at the seams and onto the streets! Parking can be a bit trying as the closer lots and municipal lots will fill up quickly. So as the later you get into the night, plan to be hunting or end up driving a bit more! Will you end up spending money? Yup, either on the art or on the drinks! read more

After years of neglect and decline, this event has almost single-handedly breathed new life into the area. There is a very fresh atmosphere and a very alive type of vibe on these nights. The atmsphere is great for two different purposes that can coincide with one another: To go out and appreciate local art, and to go out for a night of entertainment. All of the local galleries open their doors to the public to showcase their artwork. Passer-bys can come in as peruse and commentate. Though it doesn't seem like the galleries sell much. I'm not a big fan of much of the art here, but I love the experience. Besides venturing through the galleries, people can come to Chinatown to have dinner at the neighbor restaurants, or have a few drinks at one of the many bars/clubs in the area. The crowd is incredibly civil, and no unnecessary bullshit really goes on here. The crowds of people are nice and controlled, and this will help this event from continuing in the future. The array of people is quite diverse, ranging from the neighborhood regulars to business executives. Parking is a huge problem though, so come early. Besides people sticking around after getting off for the weekend, there are also droves of people coming into the area for the event. Definitely something to check out whether you're a native or a visitor, you should check out this event. read more

First time at first friday and lovin' it. May day lei for sale, vendors and great food! read more

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It was our first time going to Chinatown's First Friday of the month and it was interesting to see how busy it was at night... Curiously enough the place was packed and so sadly disappointed that the Bars/Restaurants lines were like so long. Indigos was packed and was looking forward to dining in and having a couple of drinks..Parking was not so much of a problem..guess cause of the rain. Certainly enjoyed the Art Walk and would probably go again but not on a First Friday. There are restaurants there that I would like to dine, just somewhat uncomfortable walking down the streets of homeless people... all in all China Town is a great place to venture but I'm probably feeling much safer in the day hours! read more

Artwalk? I suppose you could call it that. What would I call it? A gathering for the island's wannabes. You will rarely see a person actually looking at the art. It's more about being seen and getting drunk to most. I've been more than a few times, and I've got to say, I would actually enjoy it more if they called it what it was: a block party. Then at least art lovers wouldn't go and have to listen to pretentious snobs talking about imagery and light when they can't even tell the difference between a photo on canvas and mixed media. Call me picky, but I wanted to go to an artwalk to, well, walk around and see art. It can be enjoyable. Just set up tables outside, block off the streets, and call it a block party, it's much more honest and much more accurate. read more

If you like big crowds that are more concerned with standing with their backs to the art, having witty conversations while drinking complimentary box wine, then First Friday is for you. If you want to actually SEE the art, go to Third Thursday or Second Saturday. They're way less popular and more enjoyable. read more

I've been to the Chinatown First Fridays a couple of times.. but throughout the years.. it slowly started to lose its touch. Walked around to people watch. Not much art to look at night but Art at Marks Garage and other little places. If you're into the whole drinking and ragefest, definitely come here at night for that experience. I would prefer to go to Art After Dark at the Honolulu Museum of Art. read more

I wanted to like First Friday. I wanted to love First Friday. I'm an Art & Festival lover, so I was particularly excited to go. I read several blurbs about FF in several travel books and on the FF website, making it sound like a big party where Chinatown closes off several streets for pedestrians to drink and dance to live music and look at art galleries. Unfortunately, I realized rather quickly that First Friday has become a shadow of what is apparently once was. Pros: Parking was super easy (because it's not as popular of an event anymore I'm guessing). At least there are some tasty restaurants in Chinatown! Cons: No streets were blocked off when we wandered around, and it took awhile to find a gallery. They're very spread out from each other. Mark's was very nice (they'll give you a map), but the many of the other galleries we stopped by were more like resale shops and/or closed early (they're supposed to stay open til 9pm but several did not). I've never been to First Friday before so I don't know if this was maybe a fluke due to the upcoming Easter Sunday, but needless to say, I was very disappointed by the whole experience. read more

My first time at First Friday, and I didn't go just to go to bars. I went to see the supposed art galleries. Since it's located in China Town, we didn't take the car. Highly advised. Anyway, my friends and I took the bus down early (around 6) because we wanted food before we walk around. After we ate, we went into a nice gallery, and then to another, then another, and another. Later on, we went to a .. gypsy area? Some of the things amazed me. Especially for those who drew things by hand, or make. Some places has random items, some have a story behind their work, and others just want to show their work. Some of the art work... just have a paper, with glitter on top with some writing.. and it costs 6 dollars? It may be going to something better, but I think I rather have an origami at that point. There were a massive amount of people all around, and you see more people lining up for bars while drunk guys pass by and say howdy-do. The one thing that caught my attention at the art walk, was this...dancing martial art called Capoeira. It was fascinating! I couldn't stop watching... and the beat with nice to hear too. Sadly, I didn't go to bars, so I can't say much in that. For now, it's for the art walk. read more

Get here early if you want to actually see art. We got there at 8pm, and it was so crowded! You'll have a hard time walking around. The sidewalks are filled with people, with cops on almost every corner. Forget about getting into any of the bars, the lines are ridiculous! Thank goodness, I knew one of the bouncers to get into Indigos, otherwise I would have just gone straight home. This event is way overated. Its the same crowd every Friday, but if your older and over the clubbing scene this is the place to be. read more

I'm from SF, we have something similar and this whole First Friday Art Walk (I did not see any art what so ever) should just be called Chinatown blockparty. Lol. I had no idea there was even art involved. The atmosphere is pretty neat, parking wasn't too bad and the crowds were pretty calm (I heard different stories from different people). I liked it, I'll probably come back if I had nothing to do.. It gets super busy really early so come early and avoid the lines. Even if you get a stamp, you still have to get back in line to get back in! Which I thought was pretty nuts. Cover is $5 depending on where you go. Soho was super cracking and the line was ridiculous + the ambulance showed up and I still have no idea what happened. Good times and glad I popped my First Fridays cherry. lol read more

ART + FASHION + DRINKS -- need to kno yo -- - art galleries from 6p-9p - bars charge $10 cover - you're gonna be walking a lot, and standing-around even more - CROWDED!!! - only on the first friday of each month -- oooouu yeeeah -- there is a range in people and ages (but an older crowd, aka not really "family friendly". you can dress to impress!!! but you don't have to...there's a lot of men in tees and jeans... -- ugh -- can get pretty pricy...CROWDED is an understatement. people are in the streets everywhere. all the "hot spots" have crazy long lines... -- little insights -- lots of people talk about it, but it's only cause lots of people go cause it's the "cool" thing to-do. i'm not much of a fan for the late-night crowd because it gets crazy crowded. but the art galleries are something cool to check-out. some places have fashion shows which are pretty neat, but it can be a kinda hit-or-miss each time. the other thing i like about it, is that it's only once a month, so it's hard to get tired of it, and easy to miss it to where you kinda look forward to going the next month. should go if you're bored of the same-old-thang in hi... read more

Not worth the time. Hardly anything to see at all and in a sketchy area of town. If I could give a 0 star I would. Plenty of other way better things to do on a Friday night. read more

I just didn't get it. I expected so much more, especially after seeing wonderful downtown events like the Night Markets and Eat The Street, but after three hours here I was still wondering when all the individual 'parties' at various bars, restaurants, and art venues would coalesce into one giant, lively event. Part of the problem I had was that there was so much dead space between the venues that the lively spirit in one area faded before reaching another. Based on what others said, maybe if I'd waited another hour or two then things would've finally reached critical mass? For a party, there seemed to be too few people, too few bands (especially outdoors, where there was only one), and as I mentioned, too much dead space. (The few bands I did see and hear played a variety of music, depending on the venue, which was nice. A band called Streetlight Cadence -- four guys singing, playing a jury-rigged "standup cello," a violin, a guitar, an accordion, and a jury-rigged drum and tambourine [which the accordion played with his feet while keeping up with his primary instrument also] -- was particularly good and drew a huge crowd to the street corner where they played for a long while.) For an arts festival, there also seemed to be far too little art; what was there was interesting and covered a variety of mediums and styles, but there just wasn't all that much. I know most of Chinatown closes down by 4:00/5:00, but I guess I thought more places would be open for this event, lending light and sound, as well as art and culture, to the proceedings. read more

Coming from Portland, where we have vibrant First and Last Thursdays, we were rather disappointed in this "event". Very little art, very few galleries or boutiques. The only standouts were the cute glass exhibition at Marks, the great shop Owens & Co., and the restaurant Lucky Belly. These last two have nothing to do with First Friday, though. read more