Final Fridays

It is a great thing to do for a chill night. You will get exposed to many different people (including ones who were raised in a cave and don’t know to shut the door when walking into an air-​conditioned space). The types of art are also really diverse and interesting.

Such an amazing part of our community here in OTR. This is something I look forward to all month. It brings all walks of life together to celebrate with food, wine and most of all Art! There is something about walking down Main Street on a warm summer night with all the lampposts lit up and hearing laughter and celebration on both sides of the street. There is so much to see you often don’t make it to every gallery but if you do you will not be disappointed.
As an art lover myself I think it’s great that there is such a range of differences. Some galleries have $ 500 murals of the city, and others have $ 20 pop art that I could paint myself, but the beauty of it is being able to experience it all in one place and that is what you will get with Final Friday :)

I went to May’s Final Friday. It was my first time and I had a lot of fun! I ran into some friends who had a table set up, selling herbs outside of Park + Vine along with several others! There are lot of interesting stuff to look at and think about. People, art, clothing, ideas, projects, the works. Often there is some live music wafting out of a building. Lots of stuff is free to try. If you like to meet people, I suggest Final Friday. Everyone here seems to be passionate about… something. You just have to find out what it is!

Final Fridays are amazing.
It’s a chance for people to come together, to explore a neighborhood bursting with more and more life every day. The stores of Main Street stay open late, much later than normal, their lights shining into the darkness like beacons. Check out what they offer, you won’t be disjointedness.
Some sell things, some make food, some have art displayed. It’s all part of the evening’s scene.
Hungry? Find a food truck or one of the stands. Thirsty? Make your way to a bar. Bored? Impossible. Walk to the next store and find something new.
It can be a little strange. It’s like every hipster in the city has been called to the streets of Over-​the-​Rhine by some insane bug-​like instinct and there’s now swarming, looking for places to stand in front of.
That being said, walk by them and go into a bar or an art gallery or just experience. It really is an amazing time to walk the streets of OtR on a final Friday. You get to see how alive this city really is.

I have been to Final Friday a few times, sometimes without realizing it at all, and it’s still kind of weird to me.
I graduated from DAAP, so I should probably love it, right? Honestly this is a really neat event, but it’s definitely super strange. There is a random variety of people, from hip and cool college kids to older men and women driving Mercedes. There is some awkwardness that occurs with the mix of people, and this is hard to describe, obviously because I keep saying strange, but that’s what it is.
I’m all for art. The galleries can be great, not always. Some people are really talkative about their stuff — galleries and stores alike — some ignore you. They might not ignore everyone — it might just be me.
There are a lot of great food and bars though. It is just super crowded — which is good or bad depending on how you look at it. And parking is usually a mess.
I’d actually rather come for food/​drink on a non-​Final Friday. But if you are bored and want something free (though you will probably want to buy something) to do with a lot of people, this is your place.

Final Fridays is definitely something to bring your suburbanite friends out to that still have the OtR stigma.
This is a great place if you’re into art. Some places can be a little crowded, and a few more still can even be a bit off the wall. As long as you go into browsing with an open mind all will be good. This is much the same with any gallery preview anywhere you go, some are hit and miss. Some will have great people that will welcome you and chat with you, and others just seem to be there to be there, but that’s much more the person/​artist than anything else.
A lot of shops run specials at this time as well which is totally awesome! I love the pop shop that pops up in one of the buildings and wish there were a few more of those to really get some local people out there who may not normally have a shop of their own. I think its an awesome idea! I definitely recommend going with a small group of people, and check out the local nightlife as well!

Wow, seriously – only two reviews? Folks, this is a great thing to do to get to know the OTR neighborhood!
This wonderful event happens on the last Friday of every month. Most of these shops aren’t generally open in the evenings, and now there are all sorts of galleries, creative spaces, thrift stores, etc just open (and often serving free food and wine) and ready for you. All up and down Main Street, shops are open and receiving visitors. Also, the whole of Pendleton is open, as well as the Gateway shops.
Have a drink at Neon’s! Buy some art (or just look) in the many galleries! Shop the specials over at Mica 12/​v and Metronation! Have dinner at ForkHeartKnife! Just look around at all the amazing architecture – whatever you do, just get over here and join the fun.

Along with lots of art galleries over the city, these open up on a Friday evening for a nice arts stroll in the Gateway Quarter’s Pendleton arts district. Except this event only happens on the final Friday of each month.
During this events a handful of storefront galleries open up and appear along Main Street and it’s surrounding blocks. Other food and drink establishments along this strip also open up and have special deals for this event. The art is of all different kinds. There really is something for everyone.
This event is one of many like events going on in this same area. Lots of festivals and events are bringing people downtown and it’s not a place to be afraid of anymore. It’s gorgeous and happening.

If you’re still scared of Over-​the-​Rhine, here’s a set of training wheels to overcome your fear. Final Fridays opens up a cluster of art galleries and turns that scary Main Street into a warm, well-​lit creative paradise. Most of the work on display is contemporary (in style, not just chronology), but still broad: experimental multimedia, pop art, severe photography, psychedelic. And it changes every month, so you should always come back.
Also, every gallery has free food and/​or drinks, so it’s a cheap way to start your Friday evening. As the name implies, it’s the last Friday of every month, rain or shine.