The sense of community is strong in Thomasville. Residents love coming together for the numerous festivals and events, but First Friday Sip and Shop might be the most popular of them all. On the first Friday of each month, residents descend on Downtown Thomasville for shopping, live music, and more. The event runs from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and is a fantastic way to hang out with the community while having tons of fun. If you’ve never attended First Friday Sip and Shop, you probably want some details. Let’s take a closer look at this popular monthly event. Then clear your schedule on the first Friday of each month so that you can attend.
Sipping and Shopping
Participating stores, bars, and restaurants stay open until 10:00 p.m. during Sip and Shop. You can find out which establishments will be open on the city’s website. It provides a full list before each event, so you’ll know how to plan your evening.
Once you arrive, you can grab a drink if you wish and then stroll through the streets and check out the stores. If you want to walk around with a drink, make sure you get an armband from one of the bars or restaurants.
As you move from store to store, you’ll get to jam out to tunes. The streets are filled with music, adding to the fun atmosphere.
If you get tired, you can grab one of the seats outside for some people-watching. With dozens of participating restaurants and shops, you’ll do quite a bit of walking, so a break is nice from time to time.
You might also like: Go Antique Shopping At These Local Spots
Live Music
While you can listen to music throughout the event, it heats up at 8:00 p.m. That’s when people flood to the Ritz Amphitheater for a two-hour concert.
The organizers have already released the music schedule for the rest of the year, and it’s really impressive. The lineup includes local favorites such as the Futurebirds, Billy Rigsby Band, AJ Ghent Band, and Mac Arnold and Plate Full O’ Blues. The diverse offerings ensure that everyone will get to listen to their favorite genre of music at one point.
Then the year will end with a bang with a performance by the Lauren Mitchell Band. Lauren Mitchell is a renowned soul and blues artist, and she books gigs around the country. The fact that she’s going to be in Thomasville is something to celebrate. She’s already getting big, and soon, it might be hard to get tickets to see her live. Fortunately, you don’t even need a ticket for this gig, so you don’t want to miss it.
Be sure to set aside some time on the first Friday of each month to participate in this event. You will support local businesses, meet new people, and find lots of things to buy. Plus, you’ll get to listen to some of the region’s best bands. Adding all that together, it’s clear that this is one of the best events in the area.
Disclaimer: The stock image is being used for illustrative purposes only, and it is not a direct representation of the business, recipe, or activity listed. Any person depicted in the stock image is a model.