Art Walk

On the first Wednesday of every month downtown Jacksonville museums, galleries, restaurants, bars, and businesses play host to Art Walk, a parading of Jacksonville's more creative side featuring various works of art by local residents.

I've been aware of Art Walk's existence for a couple years now and had been planning to go for the past few months but something always came up or it simply slipped my mind. Firmly resolving to attend the June 6th festivities, I recruited two coworkers to accompany me in my adventures and headed off towards downtown.

While not teeming with people (does downtown ever get crowded?) I was surprised to see so many people walking the city streets. Downtown Jacksonville always seems so desolate or post-apocalyptic and that is a major part of its appeal to me but it was nice to see a sizable amount of people wandering around. We meandered through a few galleries, whispering our opinions, listening to the musicians on the sidewalks, and grabbing food and drinks here and there but my mind was mostly occupied with the task of just absorbing the dynamics of it all. I'm not fond of crowds and large gatherings but this was a different situation, a much more fascinating romp than the typical mass assembly. Perhaps the atmosphere was so much more enjoyable because there was really no single point of focus nor a single motivator. Multiple reasons to be there and many things to do.

My favorite part of the experience was the wonderful opportunity it afforded me to wander around downtown and observe the strange mingling of modern and historical architecture, boring and beautiful buildings, and crumbling structures amid new construction.

There is never a cost for admittance and you can probably snag a few snacks and drinks for free or a small donation but be prepared to do a lot of walking. As I understand it, there's typically an after party and this time it was at Mark's on E. Bay Street where turning in your flyer got you one free drink, a nice cap to the night.

Now that I've experienced Art Walk and discovered how enjoyable it can be I'll be sure to make arrangements to attend in the coming months.

Art Walk
100 N Laura St. (art walk headquarters)
Jacksonville, FL 32202