First Thursdays Cape Town

First Thursdays started in 2012 with a simple arrangement: galleries in the central city agreed to stay open until late on the first Thursday of each month so people could see shows after work, free and without appointment. It worked far beyond the galleries - within a couple of years the streets around Bree and Church were full on those evenings, with pop-up bars, street food, music and a crowd that treats it as a night out rather than an art walk. That success is also the complaint: serious gallery-goers point out that the art has become background to a street party, and some galleries have opted out or moved their openings. Both things are true at once. Church Street's antique dealers, the Association for Visual Arts, Stevenson and other established galleries are on the route, and the free map published each month is the way to plan an actual art evening.

What you actually see

• The late galleries - central city spaces open free into the evening once a month.
• The street crowd - pop-up bars, food and music that grew around the openings.
• The tension - a serious art event that became a party, with galleries divided on it.
• The monthly map - a published route for anyone wanting the art rather than the crowd.

When to go

The first Thursday of the month, from about 5pm. An evening. October to April for warm weather.

Honest expectations

The crowd is large and the art is often secondary to the social event. Streets get congested and parking is difficult. Pickpocketing occurs in the crush. Some of the best galleries no longer participate - check the map.

Nearby

Bree and Loop street bars are on the route; the Company's Garden is uphill.