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First Friday 2025 ….is HERE!
Downtown Bentonville Inc. invites the community on a "Passport to Adventure" - A season-long journey that transforms the Square each First Friday into a new location.
We are thrilled to have Walmart back as our presenting sponsor for the 2025 season. We also want to give a big THANK YOU to our incredible community partners, including the City of Bentonville, Visit Bentonville, and the Walton Family Foundation.
1. April’s Theme: Family Fun Land
April First Friday is generously sponsored by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Family Fun Land will feature fun for the whole family, complete with...
- Toddler Zone: little kid-sized fun, bunny set, ball pit, and bounce house
- Pet's Place: All things pet palooza!
- Teen Zone: 2 Escape Room Trailer! The Mermaid’s Escape & Temple of Razum and NWA Rolling Video Games
Crystal Bridges will be showing up in a big way for April First Friday! Picture this: a fun activation that celebrates their latest special exhibition, KAWS: FAMILY. Drop by to check out their expanded Mobile Art Lab, featuring a selfie moment, community art making, and more information on this iconic exhibition, on view through July 28.
Since the late 1990s, KAWS has been creating a cast of iconic characters steeped in the American zeitgeist that populate his work. Each with their own distinct personality pulled in part from their creator, these characters have been a constant throughline in the artist’s career.
The exhibition takes its title and thematic jumping-off point from the sculpture titled FAMILY (2021), which brings together four of KAWS’ characters posed in the style of a family portrait. As witnessed throughout the show, the relationships between the figures can be complex, familiar, and astonishingly heartfelt entryways into human emotions.
KAWS: FAMILY at Crystal Bridges is KAWS’ Arkansas solo exhibition debut, featuring drawings, paintings, sculptures, advertising interventions, and product collaborations. Drop by the museum to see it IRL!
11:00 AM Lunch on the Square - The Food Truck lineup is listed below.
12:00 PM Mommy & Me Yoga on the Square with Yoga Story
3:00 - 9:00 PM First Friday booths and activations are officially open!
Get ready to jam out to stellar tunes! We are pumped to partner with City Sessions NWA for April's music activations!
4:30 pm Perry Ryan Theater
5:00 pm Common Roots
6:00 pm Sons of Otis Malone
7:30 pm Dawson Hollow
Here’s the full food truck lineup for April: Stroll up Main Street for these food truck options…
Neighborhoods make their return for our 2025 First Friday season! Divided into two distinct zones: Venture Village, sponsored by Deep Roots Health Center, and Travelers Trail, sponsored by McLarty Daniel. Each zone will be packed with fun vendors and activity booths for you to explore. Tune into your sense of adventure and community and get ready for a stellar time!
First Friday is a large, loud event that can be overstimulating. Downtown Bentonville Inc.’s Sensory Alley is an inclusive space for individuals who experience barriers in attending First Friday. We want all individuals who experience these barriers to have a safe and inclusive space inside the First Friday footprint in order to attend and enjoy First Friday.
Sensory Alley is a drop-in, cool-down space. To ensure a safe and inclusive space, all individuals requiring support must be accompanied by a family member/caregiver while visiting the space.
This month, our friends at Powerback Pediatrics are taking over!
*Sensory Alley is generously funded by The Schmieding Foundation Incorporated.
Located behind Studio 412 on Main St, FBC hosts a FREE KIDS ZONE including bouncy houses, blow-up slides, yummy waffles on a stick, and so much more!
This season at First Friday, we will have a new non-profit partner for each month. April’s non-profit partner is the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter. While you're exploring Main Street, be sure to stop by the NWA Children’s Shelter Booth and learn how you can make a difference.
Help Kids Pack for a Brighter Future! Every great adventure begins with a packed bag. The shelter needs suitcases to help the children they serve transition with dignity and ease. Check out their list of needs to see how else you can best support them!
Whether you're donating or spreading the word, every little bit helps these kids feel safe, loved, and ready for their next journey.
We want to offer as much guidance as possible when it comes to parking downtown because we know it can get tricky. As our town is growing and developing, we are here to help.
Please remember that roads directly around the Bentonville Square will be closed to accommodate the crowds.
Use this link here to access our updated Downtown Bentonville Parking Map.
Downtown Bentonville Parking Map
As always, we recommend carpooling with your friends and family. Arrive in Downtown Bentonville early and explore the many shops and restaurants this sweet town has to offer. To explore more, click the link here.
@DowntownBentonville is the official social media account for Downtown Bentonville Inc. We’ll post all event updates on our accounts first, so follow us for the latest news, and be sure to check out our stories for fun sneak peeks.
Be sure to tag us for a chance to have your photos and videos reshared!
