First Friday event a success in Digbeth
A monthly event in Digbeth is seeing success after giving locals the opportunity to discover art and culture in a social setting.
Digbeth First Friday, which has been established in the area for three years, takes place on the first Friday of every month. The event, which sees venues from across the area take part, has grown in popularity and now welcomes more than 250 people who get involved each month.
The event offers visitors the chance to explore exhibitions, late-night openings and special events. It also encourages people to see and experience culture in unexpected spaces, as well as enjoying a range of live music and performances, DJs and street food.
Digbeth First Friday, which receives no funding, was created in a bid to show people something different each month, with a changing line-up at every event. Organiser Emma McKinney believes that the event is the perfect opportunity to discover more of the city. She said: “The reason behind First Friday is trying to create an environment where people can come into, see new things and experience new things.
“Taking place can be everything from exhibition openings to performances, as well as live music and poetry events. It all depends what is going on that evening. But it is also about creating a social space for these events and making it less intimidating for people to go into and take part in.”
The event is open to all venues within Digbeth and is proving to be a popular resource for local companies to show what they get up to on a daily basis, as well as experimenting and encouraging visitors to see the area in a different way.
Different venues take part each month, meaning that visitors only find out in the days leading up to the event what is on offer that month. Emma said: “Digbeth First Friday is based at a range of venues and they change every month. Of course, there are core venues who put something different on every month, but it does tend to be a good mix each time.”
In order for people to know what is taking place and where, a map is created for people to follow, giving visitors the opportunity to head along to the events that they want to attend and seeing what else is on offer.
The next Digbeth First Friday is set to take place on April 7. Taking place from 6pm until late, the event will see internationally-acclaimed artist Sonia Boyce perform at Eastside Projects, an exhibition from Leeds-based artist collective SEIZE at Minerva Works and music from London-based Benin City at The Edge.
