First Thursday Art Walk

First Thursday Art Walk

Hours

Every First Thursday

See individual galleries for information on hours of operations.

Come Experience Pioneer Square’s First Thursday Art Walk

Pioneer Square’s First Thursday Art Walk is the longest running established art walk in the nation. Since the early 1960’s, Pioneer Square has provided a haven for Seattle's artistic community, housing esteemed galleries, innovative exhibition spaces, and working artist studios alike.

Today, Pioneer Square is the center of Seattle’s art scene, exhibiting the depth and range of the vibrant Pacific Northwest arts community, all within one square mile. Because of the organic nature of the event, there isn’t an official Art Walk map or list that anyone managing group curates. However, we do our best to regularly update this page with events.

Please note: In 2024, July's First Thursday will be held on July 11th instead of July 4th in observance of the holiday.

 

Events & Openings for the Upcoming Art Walk: April 4th, 2024

Events:

The art of John Rizzotto and the music of JonMarie.at Locus Wines

210 Night Market at 210 Seattle from 6p - 9p

April Art Show at Foggy Tea Shop, with featured artist Sony Purba, free live music by Randy Bowles from 4:30p - 7p

...more announcements soon!

 

Opening Exhibitions:

"FEW & FAR BETWEEN" opening group exhibition at RailSpur from 5p - 9p

"Fluidity" by Jan Hoy opening exhibition at J. Rinehart Gallery from 5p - 8p

"Seedling" an exhibition by 40 Holy Names Academy High School artists at Nino Studio from 5p - 8p

"Celebrating a Lifetime of Art" exhibition by Joan Wortis at ArtX Contemporary from 5p - 8p

"Work and Play" opening exhibition by Chris Engman, and the Semi-Occasional Exhibition of Secondary Market Offerings at Greg Kucera Gallery from 6p - 8p

"The Last Shaman" opening exhibition by Alden Mason at Foster/White Gallery from 6p - 8p

"Introducing: Susan English" opening exhibition by Susan English at Foster/White Gallery from 6p - 8p

"Love Notes" and "Life's a Chessboard" opening exhibitions by Kurt Erickson and Paige Anderson at Gallery 110 from 12p - 8p 

...more announcements soon!

 

The History of First Thursday Art Walk, Originated in Pioneer Square

First Thursday in Pioneer Square was the very first Art Walk in the United States. In 1981, a group of visionary Pioneer Square art dealers printed the first walking maps and painted footprints on the sidewalks outside leading to their galleries. On the first Thursday of the month, they collectively encouraged arts patrons to come and tour each of the Pioneer Square galleries in the spirit of having a community event.

First Thursday soon evolved into the popular gathering that it is today, becoming the preeminent night to debut, celebrate, and share art with the greater public. Every first Thursday of the month, Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood welcomes you to join us to continue this venerated tradition with exceptional artists, innovative works, and creative kinship.

 

Free Parking During First Thursday in Pioneer Square

Take advantage of free parking from 5p – 10p during First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square at one of three participating garages on a first-come-first-serve basis:

  • Frye Garage (117 3rd Ave S)
  • Butler Garage (114 James Street)
  • 450 Alaskan (450 Alaskan Way - entrance on King Street)**

To receive free parking during specified hours, you’ll need to pick up a FREE PARKING voucher on the Art Walk at a participating gallery or venue. ​Hand the voucher to the parking attendant as you leave the garage**. Congrats! You just got free parking! 

**SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR 450 ALASKAN

Note: Valet attendant will not be able to issue Art Walk vouchers AND vehicles left after closing (10p) subject to regular parking fees and $85 after hours release fee.

  • Enter garage after 5p and take ticket from spitter.
  • Obtain parking voucher from Art Walk venue.
  • Present your voucher to valet attendant on P1.
  • Valet attendant will issue an exit chaser ticket (yellow).
  • Insert your original entry ticket (white) into pay station then insert chaser ticket.
  • Gate will open for exit.

Please note: The Alliance for Pioneer Square is not responsible for any loss, theft or damage to vehicles and personal property nor is it liable for parking tickets that may occur to First Thursday Free Parking program participants. Parking facility participation may vary and is subject to change. View our First Thursday Parking Map to locate participating parking garages and other parking options in the neighborhood.

How to participate in First Thursday Art Walk

FOR BUSINESSES

We’re so glad you’re interested in Art Walk. First Thursday is an organic neighborhood event. The event allows participating galleries, studios, and venues to open their doors to the public every first Thursday of the month to celebrate art and creativity in Pioneer Square alongside their neighbors. Many venues promote First Thursday to friends, customers, and supporters as a special cultural evening out in the Square. 

Because of the organic nature of the event, there isn’t an official Art Walk map or list that anyone managing group curates. However, we do our best to regularly update this page with public events. If you have an event you want to include, please email: info@pioneersquare.org. You are free to post your event on the Pioneer Square calendar (www.pioneersquare.org/calendar) and on the Pioneer Square First Thursday Facebook event page for that month (which can be found here www.facebook.com/pg/pioneersquare/events once we create it). The Alliance also sends out a reminder email each month to participating venues to provide the updated monthly Facebook event link. We can make sure to add you to that communication going forward.  

Art Access, The Stranger, City Arts Magazine, and Real Change each put together First Thursday previews, guides, and/or maps that are unique to each month. It might be helpful to inquire with each of these publications about being added to their coverage. FYI: Art Access is a paid advertising publication.

The Alliance also manages the First Thursday Free Parking Program, which allows Art Walk guests to park for free at participating garages while attending First Thursday. This comes at no cost to you and is easy to participate in and include in your communications. Please contact us to be supplied with parking vouchers to give to your First Thursday guests. 

We hope this is enough info to get you started, but please don’t hesitate to email back if you have further questions.  

FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC

We’re so glad you’re interested in Art Walk. First Thursday is an organic neighborhood event, and thus there isn’t an official Art Walk map or list that anyone managing group curates. However, we do our best to regularly update this page with public events.  Art Access, The Stranger, City Arts Magazine, and Real Change each put together First Thursday previews, guides, and/or maps that are unique to each month. We would encourage you to check with these publications to get started planning your Art Walk route, and to contact the individual galleries, studios, and venues for their event details and specific hours. We hope this helps you to plan your Art Walk evening. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have further questions. 

FOR ARTISTS

We’re so glad you’re interested in exhibiting during Art Walk. To give you some background info, First Thursday is an organic neighborhood event. The event allows participating galleries, studios, and venues to open their doors to the public every first Thursday of the month to celebrate art and creativity in Pioneer Square alongside their neighbors. Each venue selects their own artist or artists to feature in their space. We would encourage you to contact the venues directly to enquire about their process for selecting artists. 

Because of the organic nature of the event, there isn’t an official Art Walk map or list that anyone managing group curates. Because of the organic nature of the event, there isn’t an official Art Walk map or list that anyone managing group curates. However, we do our best to regularly update this page with public events. If you have an event you want to include, please email: info@pioneersquare.org. Art Access, The Stranger, City Arts Magazine, and Real Change each put together First Thursday previews, guides, and/or maps that are unique to each month. It might be helpful to check each of these publications to get a better sense of which venues are actively participating in Art Walk.

On the Pioneer Square website, we have also created a list of arts and culture galleries, studios, and venues that are in Pioneer Square. You can find that here: www.pioneersquare.org/the-neighborhood/arts. Most of the listed businesses and organizations participate in Art Walk, however it’s always a good idea to check with them directly. You may also want to touch base with Shunpike, the Office of Arts & Culture, and 4Culture to learn more about additional artist opportunities. We hope this helps you to get started. Good luck!