Statement from the Board of Directors 18b The Las Vegas Arts District

April 6, 2026

In light of recent public discussion about the future of the First Friday event and the evolving needs of the Arts District, the Board of Directors of 18b The Las Vegas Arts District offers the following statement.

First Friday began in October 2002 when Cindy Funkhouser, Julie Brewer, and Naomi Arin invited local artists to set up on the sidewalks of the future Arts District on a Friday night — to share their work, and to invite the community in. A couple of hundred people showed up and walked between the Arts Factory on Charleston and the Funkhouse on Casino Center and Colorado. More than two decades later, that same spirit — creativity shared freely, neighbors showing up for one another, a neighborhood that believes art belongs to everyone — draws thousands of people to this district every month. The First Friday Foundation has worked diligently with the neighborhood to make sure that the First Friday event  is not just the most successful cultural arts event in Las Vegas history, it is the inspiration for what the Arts District has become.

18b exists to promote and protect this neighborhood — its artists, its businesses, and its residents. We welcome the growth of the Arts District, including new cultural institutions, new creative voices, and new investment. Growth is what we have long advocated for. But growth must be guided by the values that built this community: openness, accessibility, and a shared commitment to the people who live and work here every day.

The Board stands firmly with the First Friday Foundation behind the principle that First Friday must remain free and open to the public. That accessibility is not incidental — it is the reason the event works. It is how emerging artists find their first audience, how small businesses reach new customers, how young people are creatively inspired, how families and visitors experience something in Las Vegas that exists nowhere else. Removing that access would betray the purpose First Friday was founded to serve.

We also recognize that the businesses and residents who call this neighborhood home bear real costs when the event strains the district's infrastructure. Vandalism, public safety concerns, street access, and the impact on properties beyond the event footprint are not abstract problems — they affect our neighbors directly, and they deserve more than acknowledgment. 18b is committed to working with the First Friday Foundation, the City of Las Vegas, LVMPD, and the broader community to address these issues concretely and ensure the event and the district continue to thrive together.

The Arts District belongs to everyone who shares these values — the business owners, the artists who show their work, the residents who call it home, and the visitors who keep coming back. 18b will continue to serve as the institutional voice for this neighborhood and the people who make it extraordinary.

Respectively,

Board of Directors,

18b The Las Vegas Arts District Neighborhood Association

18b The Las Vegas Arts District Fund