Social distancing is about keeping everyone safe but it also keeps us from enjoying large-scale public events. The City of Aurora is trying to work around that. It is practicing social distancing while still giving people a taste of a popular community event.
First Fridays in Aurora gives the community a chance to support local businesses, enjoy art, music and great food. It usually draws large crowds to the city’s downtown area. But this month’s event will be virtual. A full schedule of events will take place through social media on Friday, April 3, from 5-9 p.m.
Marissa Amoni is the manager of Aurora Downtown. She said the City wanted to do something for the community during this Covid-19 pandemic.
“We just really want to show hope to the community. We want to encourage the community to stay at home during this time. And we have such an amazing art and music community that we knew that we could put this together," she said.
She said the great thing about this virtual First Friday is that people across the world can tune in.
Amoni said 13 venues will virtually show up in people’s homes.
“The ArtBar is hosting a virtual gallery,” she said. “They’ve asked the community to draw rainbows and make rainbow art.”
Some other venues will include the Aurora Regional Fire Musuem, SciTech Hands on Museum, Society 57 and Zen Loft Wellness Center. Aurora Downtown has a full list.
Participants can chat during the event by tagging #virtualfirstfridays on Facebook or Instagram. They can also be entered into a drawing to win gift cards from local businesses by taking part in a virtual scavenger hunt.
First Fridays in Aurora started eight years ago. The event takes place each month except January and July.