About Us
First Fridays Ypsilanti’s mission is to cultivate a vibrant community connecting the arts and local businesses. We do this by hosting and promoting monthly art events. We value artists and their essential role in our community to engage, enrich, and unify Ypsilanti.
First Fridays Ypsilanti was created in 2013 with the vision of connecting local artists and businesses to host events and bring community members to the commercial districts to have fun. For years, it could be counted on that on the First Friday of every month (April through December), there would be art and music events, gallery openings, and more — all happening in Ypsilanti.
When COVID threw us for a loop in 2020, we pivoted, and when businesses were at restricted capacities or needed to be only outdoors and couldn’t host artists inside their venue, we brought programming to the streets hosting live art competitions, music, and performances. We created a sustainable platform for the arts and brought business to local venues even in a pandemic. We continued this work through 2021.
In 2022, we are hoping venues gain the capacity to host artists in their spaces again, and we will are here to help promote and market these events. The streets won’t be closed through the summer this year, but we will be hosting a few events including the Festival of the Honeybee in 2022. Check out our events map to learn what’s happening around Ypsilanti every First Friday.
We look forward to seeing you in Downtown, Depot Town, and in the West Cross Street districts this year!