• Be one of the following:
  • A visual art gallery (a space that offers the sale and/or exhibits original artwork and whose regular inventory consists of at least 60 percent of that commodity during regular business hours)
  • A museum (a space that exhibits a collection and meets the definition of American Association of Museums (AAM) and has regular business hours)
  • A historic site (a facility of historic significance that also presents regular exhibits, is visitor ready and has regular business hours)
    
    
• Be open free to the public on First Fridays from 6:00pm-9:00pm.
  
  
• Have staff or volunteers present at site during those hours.
  
  
• Be open at least six out the twelve official First Fridays.
  
  
• If serving refreshments, offer them free of charge to visitors.
  
  
• Have paid all fees in advance.
  
  
• Provide all exhibition information to COCA by the established deadline.
  
  

Destination Benefits:

• Be a gallery or gift shop that carries original artwork (may be less than 60% of total inventory), or an exhibition space or place of business that features special arts events on First Fridays.
  
  
• Be open free to the public on First Fridays from 6:00pm-9:00pm.
  
  
• Be open at least one out the twelve official First Fridays.
  
  
• If serving refreshments, offer them free of charge to visitors.
  
  
• Have paid all fees in advance.

• Listing with location and contact information under "Fringe Sites" box in the First Friday Gallery & Musuem Guide and the COCA's First Friday Gallery Hop page.
  
  
• Listing submitted for the featured insert on the Gallery page of The Limelight each First Friday (Fringe sites may or may not be included every month, at the discretion of the Tallahassee Democrat)
  
  
• Most importantly, you will be a part of the community of cultural organizations working together to raise the profile of arts and heritage to the community.
  
  
  Note: First Friday Fringe Sites are not normally eligible to be shuttle stops.

• Be a designated First Friday Destination
  
  
• Be able to accommodate at least 33 visitors at once
  
  
• Provide a safe parking area for the shuttle and an unobstructed path from the parking area to the entrance
  
  
• Be registered by appointed deadline
  
  
• Provide up-to-date information and script material to COCA by the established deadlines
  
  
• Have paid all fees in advance.
  
  
• Agree to COCA's authority in determining schedules and routes

The First Friday Gallery Hop is a city-wide program managed by COCA, in which participating galleries and museum are open free to the public each first Friday of the month from at least 6-9 pm. An average of 25 galleries and museums participate each month.

The First Friday Shuttle is one part of the overall program, and can accommodate only 8-10 sites per month.

COCA applauds and supports the exhibition of local art in restaurants. Unfortunately, we cannot include these restaurants as official First Friday Destinations. One of the criteria is that all refreshments served be free of charge, so unless you are interested in giving away all food served from 6-9 pm on First Fridays, that requirement cannot be met.

We encourage you to participate in First Fridays in a different way, perhaps by advertising with a special First Friday coupon in the First Friday Gallery and Museum Guide or Capital Culture Magazine, or by partnering with a nearby museum or gallery to create a First Friday package.

Shuttle stop availability is extremely limited, and normally fringe sites do not qualify.

Very occasionally we have a special request from a group booking its own shuttle, or a tricky route that requires an extra stop, and in those circumstances we will consider fringe sites on a case-by-case basis. (But don't get your hopes up - it's very rare, and we normally have more Destinations wanting to be stops than we can accommodate.)

Our research and data collection has consistently indicated that approximately 20 minutes is the optimal amount of time for a shuttle visit. Including travel time, this allows patrons to visit approximately 4-5 sites per trip.

The intention of the shuttle program is to give a brief introduction to your site, rather than to provide each visitor time to experience it fully. The goal is to whet their appetite to return to your location, paying admission charges and bringing family and friends along.

Each summer, First Friday participants as well as interested businesses and organizations gather as a task force to review the program criteria and recommend changes for the coming season. COCA staff considers recommendations of this task force as well as data gathered throughout the year.