As of June 2026, Flagstaff's First Friday ArtWalk runs 5:00 to 9:00 PM on the first Friday of every month. It's free, self-guided, and spread across historic downtown and the Southside district. You'll spot a 6–9 PM time in a few older listings around the web — that was the earlier schedule; the current window is 5–9.
Quick answer
| Question | Answer (as of June 2026) |
|---|---|
| What time does it start? | 5:00 PM |
| What time does it end? | 9:00 PM — many venues stay open later |
| When? | First Friday of every month |
| Cost? | Free |
| Format? | Self-guided — wander at your own pace |
| Where? | Historic downtown Flagstaff and Southside |
| Maps? | Paper maps at Heritage Square in warmer months, or our interactive map anytime |
Why you'll see two different times
Search "what time is First Friday in Flagstaff" and you'll sometimes get two answers. Here's the breakdown.
The current answer — 5 to 9 PM — comes from the people who run the event. First Friday ArtWalk is organized by Creative Flagstaff (the regional nonprofit arts agency, formerly the Flagstaff Arts Council), whose 2026 pages list 5:00–9:00 PM. NAU's student newspaper, The Lumberjack, reported the same 5-to-9 window when covering the September 5, 2025 ArtWalk.
The other answer — 6 to 9 PM — is simply the earlier schedule. The ArtWalk has been a downtown staple for more than a decade, and the hours have shifted along the way, so a few older listings around the web still show 6–9. Easy to run into; just go with 5–9 for 2026.
For the record, we're an independent community companion to the ArtWalk — not the official event (that's Creative Flagstaff). We just like making the practical details easy to find, so you can spend the evening on the art instead of figuring out when to show up.
The asterisks on 5–9
Three honest caveats before you set your watch by us.
The 9 PM end is soft. Many venues stay open later — your best bets are the bar-and-brewery stops like Hops on Birch, Dark Sky Brewing's beer garden, and Mother Road Brewing Company on Southside, plus the Weatherford Hotel, which pairs its art with live music. Arriving at 7:30 doesn't mean you missed it.
Winter editions have run shorter. First Fridays have historically continued in some form through the colder months — a December 5, 2025 event is documented — but at least one third-party listing for that December edition showed 5–8 PM, and winter scheduling for 2026–27 hasn't been confirmed. From November through April, confirm hours closer to the date rather than trusting anything written in June. Including this.
July 3, 2026 lands on Independence Day weekend. The ArtWalk is on the calendar, but it's worth double-checking individual venues the week of — and venue lineups rotate month to month even in normal months.
What the 5-to-9 window looks like on the ground
The 5 PM start matters more than it sounds. In summer it's still full daylight, which is the best stretch for the gallery-dense blocks: Gallery Row on N San Francisco St holds The Artists' Gallery (an artist co-op since 1992), West of the Moon Gallery, Fire on the Mountain, and Bright Side Bookshop, all within a couple of blocks of each other.
By 6:30 or 7, drift to Heritage Square. During the 2026 season, Car-Free First Fridays close Aspen Ave between Leroux St and San Francisco St for street performances and pop-up art, and the square hosts performers and vendors in the warmer months. It's also where the paper maps get handed out.
Save the last stretch for food and drinks: Drinking Horn Mead Hall, Flagstaff Brewing Company, or Firecreek Coffee Company along Route 66 — or cross the tracks into Southside for Phoenix Avenue Gallery, the Clay Center, and Awa Kava Bar if you want a social stop without alcohol.
One local note: Flagstaff sits at about 7,000 feet, and evenings cool off fast even in July. Bring a layer. And since this is the world's first International Dark Sky City, it's worth looking up between stops — on a clear night you'll catch actual stars over the brick storefronts.
2026 season dates
| 2026 date | Theme |
|---|---|
| May 1 | ARTx |
| June 5 | Pride & Pollinators |
| July 3 | Art & the West* |
| August 7 | The Art of Dark Skies |
| September 4 | Steamroller Printmaking |
| October 2 | Theater Collaborations |
*Holiday weekend — double-check individual venue participation the week of.
November through April: First Fridays have historically continued in some form, but dates and hours for the 2026–27 winter aren't confirmed yet. We'll update this post and our FAQ when they are.
Plan your night
The official 2026 list has 25+ confirmed venues, and our venue directory tracks 40+ art-friendly stops, since participation rotates month to month. Pull up the interactive map, pick a cluster or two — Gallery Row, Heritage Square, Birch Ave, Southside — and start walking at 5. You'll run out of evening before you run out of art.