Every month, the Roosevelt Row Arts District closes its streets for a multi-block party with local vendors, artists and music — except for this April.
A recent statement from Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation said there will be no street closures or vendors this month, but businesses, galleries and arts and culture organizations will still be open.
The statement says First Friday was canceled to "accommodate the high volume of events" in downtown Phoenix on April 2.
This month's change has led community members to reflect on the evolution of First Friday over time, as well as its future.
First Friday began in 1994 as a monthly art walk, where many galleries were free to the public. As vendors were introduced, the event transformed over time into a city spectacle with, on average, more than 14,000 attendees.
Joshua Hunter Hensley, a Phoenix resident, began attending First Friday in 2007 and sold his poetry as a street performer for many years.
"I'm from Los Angeles, which is considered a pretty artistic place," Hensley said. "Phoenix First Friday blew anything I ever experienced in LA away, in terms of an art walk."
Hensley has fond memories of attending the event. He said the street performers, punk bands, artistic expression and community togetherness made it the greatest community art event he's ever attended.
However, after stopping by in recent years, Hensley noticed a shift that deterred him from going.
He said the art galleries he used to visit were shut down and replaced by food trucks and vendors selling trinkets.
"The art has definitely been taken out of it," Hensley said. "Now it just seems to be very corporatized and all based around consumerism."
READ MORE: Becoming Roosevelt Row: First Friday's evolution in downtown Phoenix
After Covid-19, the city of Phoenix stepped in to help organize and expand First Friday, according to Joe Mehl.
Mehl began as a vendor selling jewelry about 11 years ago at First Friday, and later became a paid independent contractor and coordinator of First Friday for the nonprofit Roosevelt CDC.
As of March 2024, when Mehl left the position, he said the street fair spanned nearly 10 blocks and accommodated over 300 vendors.
Now he is the operator of Central Arts Market, where he manages small businesses and art galleries.
Mehl said most of the criticism of the event has been that it no longer supports local artists. In his time as coordinator, he conducted surveys to understand vendors at the event.
"What I found was that there was a large amount of resellers," Mehl said. "Probably two-thirds of the vendors were not handmade artists."
He noted that half of the vendors consisted of minority women-owned businesses. Mehl believed this was because they faced difficulty accessing banking or commercial space, ultimately making street vending an easy way to create an independent business.
"They're the ones who built the event," Mehl said. "Now to be told that they're not welcome anymore? You know, it's, for me personally, very disappointing."
After he left as a coordinator, Mehl said there was not really as much of an emphasis on prioritizing balance between vendors while also catering to artists.
There have also been concerns regarding safety at the event.
On March 6, a late-night shooting occurred near Roosevelt Row, injuring a woman and a child, according to ABC15. On the same night, police fired pepper balls into a crowd to break up a fight after the event, according to 12News.
A spokesperson for the Phoenix Police Department said in a statement that the incident is still under investigation, but at this time, there is not "a direct correlation between the incident and the event being held."
The spokesperson added that, typically, events such as First Friday are staffed with additional Phoenix PD personnel.
"We ask those in attendance that if they see something that causes concern to please say something to an officer of contact us by phone," the spokesperson said in the written statement.
Jeremy Fairchild, owner of Overdue Vintage, said he witnessed pepper balls impact vendors and left March's First Friday with teary eyes and a cough.
"Unfortunately, I do think the right choice is to cancel something that is continuously becoming more and more violent," Fairchild said.
Fairchild worked as a vendor at First Friday when Mehl was a coordinator. He said the event used to look for specific vendors who valued artistic expression, but now, according to Fairchild, the vending application is open on a first-come, first-served basis.
Fairchild said the public wants the family-friendly, arts-focused event back. He said he would like to see people from the arts and creative community in leadership roles and to turn the focus away from profit.
WATCH MORE: Video: Creative expression thrives during First Friday
"Moving forward in the future, the answer is not to do away with First Friday, but it's for that organization to take heavy criticism and listen to what the community (wants), the public wants the art back," Fairchild said.
In 2025, Fairchild made a petition advocating for a change in the way First Friday has been run. He added that the best thing the city of Phoenix and Roosevelt Row CDC can do to support its artists is to listen to them.
In a written statement, a spokesperson for Roosevelt Row CDC and Downtown Phoenix Inc said the organizations are working with community members and stakeholders to gather feedback and address concerns.
"When the decision is made to forego street closures (as is the case for April 3), we encourage the Valley to support local businesses and enjoy the unique arts and cultural offerings that define our community, as Roosevelt Row is always open and ready to welcome visitors," the spokesperson stated.
Hensley said he would love to see First Friday return to the artistic haven he remembers. He hopes that after a reset, First Friday can "find itself again."
"I believe that there is hope for it to get back to that place," Fairchild said. "I believe that there's people that want to do it, there are people that want the work. It is not a lack of support, it is a lack of access."
Edited by Henry Smardo, Senna James, Sophia Braccio and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at ajanusee@asu.edu and follow @lexijanusee on X.
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Lexi Janusee is in her second semester with the State Press. She is a freshman studying Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in Theatre. Lexi also works for Blaze Radio, and is an on-air host for Open Mic.
