Your guide to Raleigh's First Friday

It only happens once a month, but First Friday is a great way to see experience downtown Raleigh. The next First Friday event is Feb. 7.

Events run from 6-9 p.m., unless otherwise noted, and involve tons of galleries, restaurants and other venues in downtown Raleigh. 

All places participating in First Friday will have flags outside. 

Our Best Bet for this month's First Friday: 

Animal lovers will want to head to Artspace for a look at photographer Shannon Johnstone’s project "Landfill Dogs." For this series, Johnstone photographed shelter dogs awaiting adoption at the local landfill, and it has earned her national attention from a segment on Diane Sawyer’s World News, Buzzfeed and the Huffington Post. Proceeds from this lobby exhibition will go toward funding the project.

There are so many other First Friday events, we had to make a list of them all. Browse through the listings below:

Food and drink (All First Friday deals are 6-9 p.m. unless otherwise noted) 

The Big Easy - Free dessert with purchase of two entrees or free appetizer with purchase of three or more entrees

Bolt Bistro & Bar - Half price wines by the glass, seasonal drink features and appetizer specials

Boylan Bridge Brewpub - $5 select appetizers and $5 select cocktails

buku - $15 wine flights featuring a different wine region of the world each month

Busy Bee Cafe - $2 craft tap featuring local and regional craft beers

Caffe Luna - Free bottle of San Pellegrino with purchase of two entrees

Capital Club 16 - Half price select appetizers from 5-7 p.m.

Centro - $2 off tequila flights

Crema on Fayetteville - Free cone with purchase of ice cream

Cupcake Shoppe - Buy one get one

Dickey's Barbecue Pit -  Free dessert with purchase of barbecue meat plate and drink or one free Kid's Meal (12 and under) per paid adult meal of equal or greater value

Donato's Pizza - $5 off a second large pizza

Dos Taquitos Xoco - Free queso dip with the purchase of an entree and kids eat free if they dress like Frida Kahlo

Five Star - $5 appetizers and $5 glasses of wine

Irregardless Cafe - Half price bottles of house wine

Isaac Hunter's Oak City Tavern - $4 glasses of wine, $4 select local pints, and complimentary light finger food

Jose and Sons - Half-price select appetizers from 5-7 p.m. and live music from 7-10 p.m.

Kimbap - Special entree features and buy one, get one half price appetizers all evening (open 5:30-10 p.m.)

Mo's Diner - Half price wine by the bottle and nightly features

The Oxford - Whiskey flights, artist feature from 6-9 p.m. and music feature from 10 a.m.-2 a.m.

Paddy O'Beers - Special selection of $4 crafts and drafts

Pogo - Buy one, get one free Pogo Bites and $3 draft beer

Posta Tuscan Grille - Half price appetizer with purchase of a bartender's specialty cocktail

The Remedy Diner - $5 glasses of house wine

Rum Runners - Free admission until 11 p.m., half off all shots, $3 beer special and $6 double Long Islands

Shish Kabob - Free hummus sampler and toasted pita with any gyro sandwich purchase

Sono - Monthly featured ramen dish for $14 from 5-7 p.m. and $7 featured cocktail

Square Rabbit - Buy one dessert, get one of equal or lesser value for free

Tir na nOg Irish Pub - $1.25 off all craft bottles, $4.50 Fireball shots, and half off appetizers from 4-6 p.m.

Tuscan Blu - 10 percent off any wine purchase

Woody's at City Market - Half price appetizers and wings from 4:30-6:30 p.m.; 20 percent off appetizers from 6:30-9:30 p.m.;  $2.50 PBR Tallboys; tequila shot specials and $5 Jagerbombs (open until 2 a.m.) 

Zinda - Free appetizer with purchase of two entrees

Other deals (All First Friday times are 6-10 p.m. unless otherwise noted)

Alter Ego Hair & Nails, 119 E. Hargett St., Suite 200 
What? Salon that specializes in hair care and exhibits art
Special: Monthly art exhibits and music and dance performances

Atomic Salon, 905 W. Morgan St. (Hours 7-10 p.m.)
What? The Triangle’s only rock-n-roll vintage hair salon featuring art exhibits on First Fridays

Balance, 304 Glenwood Ave.
What? A studio for the body and soul featuring local artists
Special: 15 percent off merchandise and 20 percent off massages scheduled during First Friday

City Market, 200 E. Martin St.
What? Houses multiple First Friday venues

City of Raleigh Museum, 220 Fayetteville St
What? City history museum featuring receptions and rotating art exhibits
Special: Admission for the museum and all special events are free

Contemporary Art Museum, 409 W Martin St.
Special: First Friday admission is free. Programs include after-hours access to galleries, hands-on activities at the creation station, music by local DJs, food trucks and a cash bar.

Deco Raleigh, 19 W Hargett St., Suite 108
What? A collection of unique and local decorative items
Special: Refreshments, entertainment and artist meet-and-greet

Downtown Dental, 205 Fayetteville St., Suite 100
What? Dental office hosting art exhibits and receptions with light hors d'oeuvres

HagerSmith Design, 300 S Dawson St.
What? Architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, historic preservation and art gallery

Hamlin Drug Company, 126 E Hargett St.
What? Raleigh's oldest independent pharmacy
Special: 30 percent off specialty lines

High Cotton, 19 W Hargett St.
What? 100 percent cotton bowties and apparel for gentlemen, handmade in North Carolina
Special: Free gift with purchase

Klish and Eldreth, PLLC, 304 Glenwood Ave.
What? Intellectual property boutique law firm featuring photography from local artists

LGBT Center of Raleigh, 411 Hillsborough St.
What? A safe and welcoming resource center for the LGBT community and friends
Special: Monthly art exhibits

Lisa Stewart Designs, 300 Blake St., Suite 7
What: Handcrafted leather, fine art and gifts made in Raleigh
Special: Free gift with purchase of $75 or more

Lumina Clothing Company, 123 E Martin St.
What? American made men's clothing designed in Raleigh
Special: Special changes monthly

Makena Skin Care, 304 Glenwood Ave. Ste. 7 
What? A skin care studio featuring local artists on a rotating basis
Special: Book a facial on First Friday and receive $10 off

Marbles Kid Museum (Hours 5-8 p.m.)
Special: Create | Innovate every First Friday night at Marbles as part of downtown Raleigh’s monthly art celebration ($5 per person, members play free)

Moon and Lola, 208 S Wilmington St.
What? Upscale jewelry and accessory boutique
Special: 15 percent off merchandise storewide

The Morning Times, 10 E Hargett St. (Hours 6-11 p.m.)
What? Coffee shop and gallery serving hand-crafted beverages and food
Special: Drink specials and an outdoor art market featuring live entertainment

Nora and Nicky's Designer Resale, 19 W Hargett St., Suite 104
What? Luxury and designer consignment specializing in high-end labels
Special: 15 percent off any single item

Nuvonivo, 111 E Hargett St.
What? Trendy fashion for babies & kids
Special: Special changes monthly

Oak City Coffee Roastery, 615 W Hargett St.
Special: $2 off select coffees

Oak City Cycling Project, 212 E Franklin St.
What? Independent bike shop selling new and used steel bike frames and fun
Special: 10 percent off t-shirts and free high fives

Ornamentea, 509 N West St.
What? Fine beads and jewelry making supplies
Special: Free jewelry project from 6-8 p.m. 

The Pour House Music Hall, 224 S Blount St.
What? Raleigh's premier live music venue presenting local and international bands nightly
Special: Free admission or 20 percent off admission (when applicable) with mention of First Friday

Raleigh Wine Shop, 126 Glenwood Ave.
What? Fine wine and provisions
Special: 10 percent off of bottle purchases from the WineStation to drink on-site or to go

Stitch & Holly Aiken Bags, 20 E. Hargett St.
What? Holly Aiken designs beautiful bags and the place also contains contemporary art
Special: 10 percent off all bags

Triangle Downtowner Magazine, 402 Glenwood Ave.
What? The Triangle's most popular magazine
Special: Enjoy local art, music and drinks

TRIG Modern, 328 W Jones St.
What? Design consultancy showroom and gallery featuring home furnishings, lighting and art
Special: Featured artist on-site during the monthly exhibition opening

Trinity Gallery, 549 N Blount St.
What? Art in the city for the city, featuring local artists and musicians

VanNess & Fellows Tattoo Boutique and Gallery, 226 E Martin St.
What? A one-of-a-kind art gallery, boutique and custom tattoo studio
Special: 10 percent off all terrariums

Vault Yoga, 234 Fayetteville St
What? A yoga studio in a bank vault featuring monthly exhibits

Videri Chocolate Factory, 327 W Davie St., Suite 100
What? Freshly-made chocolate and confections
Special: Free wine and beer, 10 percent off all chocolate products

Vintage Church, 117 S West St.
Special: The gallery hosts monthly art exhibitions featuring local or regional artists

The Wine Feed, 602 Glenwood Ave.
What? Wine oasis in a beer town.
Special: 20 percent off wine on tap at our wine bar

Art on display

There are also some art exhibits happening throughout downtown. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has a list of the exhibits and a complete rundown of the galleries and museums participating in First Friday.