First Friday Santa CruzThe deadline to submit your First Friday event listing is the 21st of every month by midnight.
The First Friday Santa Cruz Art Tour is an exciting monthly event that features art exhibits and events in galleries and art spaces across the county. It is an opportunity for the community to discover and explore the creative culture that lives and thrives in Santa Cruz.
What you get: Listing your First Friday event on our website gets you a listing on our events page, inclusion in our 3-4 page ad spread in the Good Times, social media blasts & tags and inclusion in our e-newsletter! We also offer a marketing tool kit with links to our logos, a poster file and other tips for promoting your event.
To get started as a First Friday venue, follow the step-by step instructions below. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us. We can’t wait to see you on the First Friday Santa Cruz Art Tour!
1. Register as a Venue
Follow the prompts to create an account.
2. Purchase Event Credits
Manage your account and purchase credits securely on Stripe. Venue participation costs $50 per month, $150 for 3 months, $275 ($25 savings!) for 6 months, or $500 ($100 savings!) for a full consecutive year. Credits must be used within one year of purchase. Once the event credits have been purchased, you will be able to set up your venue profile and submit events.
3. Create your venue profile
Login to create and manage your profile. Your profile is the place folks can find relative information about your business: address, contact info, website, social media handles, and a brief overview of your business.
4. Find an artist
Artists are the core of First Friday. If you already have an artist or artists lined up, great! If you are looking for an artist, please visit the First Friday Artist Registry. This is a great directory of active and interested artists complete with images of their artwork and contact information. Search by medium or just browse the incredible talent.
5. Create and submit an event
From your account, add your upcoming event. Use lots of images of the art and check for errors! Your listing will appear on our website once you’ve published it.
Tips For Venues
Event Listing Tips
Use lots of images of the artwork and avoid using images of your space (photos of your space belong in your venue profile.) Be thorough with your description and link to artist’s websites and socials.
Rotating Exhibition of Art
This is an Art Tour, and people are out to experience art. Ideally you’ll feature a new artist or show for each month. For venues with a longer rotation (2-3 months), we recommend changing the featured image and text on your event listing to keep it fresh.
Make it an Event
Have fun with it! Have your artists there for the opening reception, feature a demo or interactive exhibit, bring in live music, offer snacks and libations … be creative!
Be Patient
If you are a new venue, we recommend committing to having a First Friday event 3 months in a row. Sometimes it takes several events to create a scene. Be persistent and consistent.
Don’t Be Late
The earlier you submit your event, the more we will be able to promote it in advance and the more people will hear about it, but at the latest, please submit your event by the 23rd of the month for the upcoming First Friday.