Downtown St. Petersburg’s ‘First Friday’ block party is canceled indefinitely

A longtime nightlife tradition in The 'Burg may be coming to an end.

The organizers of downtown St. Pete's First Friday block party took to social media to announce a temporary pause on the popular event.

“As much as we love this event and the history behind it, First Friday St. Pete is still paused for now,” the organizers of the event wrote on Facebook this week. “It costs $12,000 to put on the event (insurance, city sanitation and police, permits, production, etc) with no profit to our company, and with a lack of interest from local businesses to sponsor the event, much less larger sponsors, we do not have the funds at this time.”

There will be no First Friday block party happening on Dec. 1 in addition to November’s canceled event, but it’s still uncertain if January’s event will happen.

The post ends with event organizers asking the community for more business sponsorships, one of the only ways that the annual party could continue. “We all love the event, but it takes businesses sponsoring the event to make it possible,” they wrote.

Kristen Lee, Director of Operations for Nightlife Productions, LLC, told St. Pete Catalyst that the her company has been filling the financial gaps to host on First Friday each month and that it’s just not able to sustain that model anymore. Lee also said that the City of St. Petersburg offered to help the event move further west on Central Avenue, but she and other organizers would prefer to keep First Friday where it’s been historically held for over two decades.

First Friday—a nighttime block party with live music, local vendors and entertainment—has been a St. Pete tradition since the '90s. It typically shuts down Central Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets and special permits would allow folks to drink on the street, frequenting the many bars and restaurants that populate the block.

The block party took a pause during 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and resumed in November of 2022. Even with its highly-anticipated resurgence last year, Nightlife Productions, LLC still faced obstacles associated with sponsorships and funds.

In addition to bringing locals and tourists alike to the bustling downtown block, First Friday also raised money for local nonprofits each month.

For the latest updates on the future of St. Pete’s First Friday parties, head to its Facebook or Instagram , both at @FirstFridaySP.

Any local businesses in The ‘Burg that would like to sponsor First Fridays can send an email to [email protected] or reach out via social media.

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