First Friday event series returns to downtown Flint for the summer

Flint, MI—First Friday Sound and Vision, an event series highlighting local artists, DJs, and musicians, will return to downtown Flint this week with a new collaborator and location.

The event will be held Friday, June 3 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Flint’s Buckham Alley, a change from last year’s Brush Alley.

The event series will also include vendors from Night Market, an after-hours event from Flint Social Club which was previously held at Flint Farmers’ Market and featured a variety of Latinx and minority-owned businesses.

Artist Pauly Everett of Flint Underground began the First Friday Sound and Vision series in 2021 with the goal of fostering community engagement with the city’s creative scene.

Everett said this year is exciting because of the partnership with Tony Vu, founder of Flint Social Club, the organizer behind Night Market.

“We’re combining forces to have a really awesome time,” Vu agreed, adding that he and Everett saw strong attendance between their events last year, so he expects a rather large turnout.

For his part, Everett said he is hoping the change in location from Brush Alley to Buckham Alley will allow the collaborators to “do more and grow” their efforts “to highlight local talent and creative culture.”

The First Friday Sound and Vision x Night Market series is supported through the What’s Up Downtown Project and will be held on June 3, July 1, and August 5.

However, both Everett and Vu said they are working on trying to extend the series into early fall.

“We want to be able to do a Latin Heritage Month one with the Latinx Center,” Vu said, meaning the series would continue into September/October 2022 should he and Everett get their wish.

Performers at the June 3 event include Caleb Robinson + Reaching, Big Donut, DJ Thunder, and Eduardo Scizzahandz; visual artists include Everett alongside Amanda Jannet, Isiah Lattimore, Andrea Nicole Tinsman, Venus Blu, and Cryptic Filth; and vendors include Night Market favorites as well as Totem Books and Hoffman’s Deli.

More information can be found here.