text: A collection of Art, Music, Food, Drink, and good times.....First Friday is a monthly event held in the Downtown Las Vegas arts district.  I'm not sure if you can call it a 'district', but it's the closest thing Vegas has to what outsiders and new residents refer to as 'culture'.  The streets are blocked off and food vendors, art vendors, galleries, and music stages pepper the surrounding area......think of a massive block party or small festival.\n\nI enjoy coming down here with the family from time to time to check out the scene.  It gets really crowded, so it's difficult to really appreciate the art if you're into a more quiet and calm setting like I am.  One First Friday I saw a guy smoking inside the Arts Factory gallery.....that's crazy, the smoke can ruin the artwork!  Of course, nobody said anything to him.....and when I mentioned it, he gave me a \"who the F___ are you?!\" look and walked away.  *sigh*  Some people come to First Friday for the party and not the art.....that's cool, but not really my style.\n\nThere's a lot of local musicians represented down here and a few stages where they perform.....it's kind of cool to see local bands perform since there aren't too many places in Vegas to listen to them.  There's usually a few food trucks and concession stands as well as restaurants down here.  We rarely eat at the event though as the lines can get very long and we don't really enjoy our meals when there's nowhere to sit and enjoy the food.  Definitely worth a trip if you've never been before though.\n\nSome TIPS:\n\n- Parking is very difficult to find.  There is paid valet parking at the Arts Factory on the corner of Charleston & Main St, but it fills up quickly.  Street parking close to the event is sometimes hard to find too.....my recommendation is to get there early or be patient to find a spot.\n\n- Wear comfortable shoes.  The First Friday event covers a few city blocks, so if you want to get the full experience be prepared to walk.\n\n- Bathrooms are a premium.  Because of the large crowds, expect long waits at the restroom.  The Arts Factory has one, some of the smaller galleries around the area won't let you use their private bathroom....keep that in mind.\n\n- If you bring your kids, make sure you keep an eye on them.  It's easy to lose them in the crowd and remember that you're on the streets of Downtown Las Vegas.....not a cool place to lose your kid at night.\n\nOverall, it's a pretty cool experience if you know what to expect.\n\nReturn Factor - 80%