Once a month, thousands of people head downtown Colorado Springs to experience local art and for the galleries hosting them, that one night can make all the difference.The First Friday Art Walk is more than a celebration of cre ativity. It brings people out of their homes, introduces new faces to local businesses, and helps galleries stay open and grow.Clay Ross, co-owner of The LookUp Gallery and Yobel and a practicing artist, said the event carries the energy of opening night."It's kind of like theater. You worked for this show for months and months and now it's like showtime," said Ross.For galleries operating in a tough economy, First Friday is often a financial lifeline."In this economy, if you look at all the numbers it's just down down down down. We kind of live on these one day a month opportunities," said Ross.The event is also one of the busiest nights of the month for participating venues. Ross said the LookUp Gallery alone sees significant foot traffic."We'll have somewhere between 200 and 300 people."Ross said the broader downtown art scene has exploded in recent years."In the last 5 years it just seems like someone lifted a rock and all these creatives just came flooding out," said Ross.Beyond First Friday, Ross is nurturing that growth through his nonprofit, Primer, which financially supports 32 local artists including artist Dan Sampson.Sampson said the support from the LookUp has been transformative."Primer and The LookUp have really helped me come out of my shell and the days of the hermit artist broken in the basement in the cave, there's some romanticism of that, but man, if you want to grow as an artist, Colorado Springs is a great place to be and get out there," said Sampson.Ross said his goal is to support 32 artists for twelve months. He is currently trying to raise $60,000. A lifeline that is beneficial to artists who want to keep mastering their craft."Creating is like oxygen for us, but most artists,have to have the real job to fund their art career, so that means they're funding it, but they're also working," Ross said, "We started primer to come alongside artist to reduce financial barriers to professional art spaces. We're super proud that in our first year we've been able to award 21 subsidies to artists."For Sampson, First Friday feels like a recurring celebration."Like Christmas every month."The numbers back up the enthusiasm. According to the Downtown Partnership, more than 22,000 people attended 12 First Friday Art Walks across 42 businesses in 2025.These numbers add to the idea that downtown is a creative district. From now back to 2019, 30 murals were brought downtown by Art on the Streets.But both Ross and Sampson believe the event can grow even further. And that downtown can become even more of an arts hub. Sampson said there is something for everyone downtown on First Friday."Please come for the art. That's the idea. But there's restaurants, there's all there's a whole date night. There's a whole day around the first Friday."Ross said awareness remains the biggest barrier to growth."I think there's still a big disconnect. I feel like for the town at large, downtown's a little forgotten, so you don't know that there's extraordinary artwork," Ross said.The First Friday Art Walk takes place every first Friday of the month from 5 to 9 p.m. in downtown Colorado Springs. ...read more read less