Downtown Modesto again will be hopping the first Friday of the month, from spring into fall.
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DoMo First Fridays, presented by the Downtown Modesto Partnership, return beginning April 5 with an all-ages “celebration of community, culture, and cuisine,” according to a press release.
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They run the first Fridays of the month through Oct. 4, with a break in June for a Graffiti Summer event.
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The two-block street fair — on 10th Street from I to K streets — features local artists, food vendors, live entertainment, giant street games and more.
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A change this year comes in the event’s hours; it will run 5 to 9 p.m. every first Friday. Previously, it ran 6 to 10 p.m.
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Also, some vendor fees have been “slightly lowered,” the release said.
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Stephanie Foster of the Downtown Modesto Partnership said in an email that they hope to attract more vendors this year, focused on unique, handcrafted goods.
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“The goal is to fill the market with more variety and attract people who have big ideas and need small spaces to showcase what they’re passionate about,” she said.
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What else to expect this year
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The lineup for the 2024 season also includes a rotation of local craft breweries, beginning with Contentment Brewing Company. Apparel Graphics will have a live screen-printing station with a novel Modesto-themed T-shirt design every month.
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Other familiar highlights of the street fair include a “celebration of culture and community through dance,” the release said, from salsa to break-dancing. The popular hip-hop area also will return.
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“The fact that you will see people of all ages dancing salsa in the streets together, I think that highlights the event’s organic growth and deep roots within the community,” Foster said in the press release. “You cannot manufacture a scene like that. That’s human magic.”
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A pop-up roller skating area by Modesto Skates offers Modestans a spot to enjoy something not available in the city since Roller King closed in 2015.
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For more on the street fair, see www.downtown-modesto.com/first-fridays.
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First Fridays began in 2017, with a pandemic break in 2020, and has evolved over the years.
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“Our journey over the past eight years has been a labor of love,” Foster said in the release, “fueled by the passion and creativity of our community.”
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