Seven spots for First Friday fun

Let’s face it, Friday already has a well-deserved reputation as one of the best days of the week, but communities, museums and other groups have found a way to make it even better: First Fridays. Maybe it’s the urge to get out and celebrate the first weekend of a new month — maybe it’s just the catchy alliteration? — but whatever the reason, the first Friday of the month has become a go-to day for all kinds of fun. Local groups are no exception in staking out that special day on the calendar. Here are seven ways to enjoy First Fridays on the Peninsula and beyond.

Los Altos First Friday
Live music and art converge in downtown Los Altos in a longtime favorite Peninsula event that has only continued to grow since its founding in 2011. Each month, 10-15 local bands bring a variety of music to Los Altos’ State Street and its surrounding blocks — some area restaurants host First Friday bands as well. Downtown galleries such as Gallery 9 and Viewpoints Gallery hold opening receptions for their latest shows while Arts Los Altos offers walking tours of the sculptures and murals it has placed in public spaces throughout downtown. “Earth Month” is the theme for April’s event, with community booths, demos, hands-on crafts and activities — even locally sourced craft cocktails — at State Street Market.
April 5, 5-9 p.m., in downtown Los Altos. Free admission. For band lineup and details for Earth Month events, visit losaltosfirstfriday.fun. For art walk info, visit artslosaltos.org/walkingtours.

CuriOdyssey
Update: The April edition of CuriOdyssey’s First Fridays has been canceled due to high winds in the area.
Mark your calendar for next month’s first Friday, May 3, as Peninsula kids’ science museum CuriOdyssey hosts a Friday event that always gets a little wild, with the opportunity to meet some of the museum’s resident critters and learn about them. Families can also take part in science activities and crafts based on a unique theme for each month and enjoy live music, a rotating lineup of local food trucks — even a cash bar for the grownups.
April 5 event canceled. CuriOdyssey’s First Fridays take place the first Friday of the month 5-8 p.m., at CuriOdyssey, 1651 Coyote Point Drive, San Mateo. $15.95 children and $19.95 adults. curiodyssey.org.

San Mateo County History Museum
The museum welcomes visitors for free all day every first Friday of the month. In addition to a chance to check out the current exhibits, visitors can take a docent-led tour of the museum. Inspired by the museum’s “Extraordinary Cow Palace” exhibit, this month, the youngest visitors can play cowpoke with a cow-inspired craft and cowboy-themed storytime. During a 1 p.m. talk, Carolyn Hoskins, founder of the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum & Learning Center, discusses the Hoskins museum’s origins and shares important innovations made by Black inventors.
April 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; preschool crafts and storytime at 11 a.m.; docent-led tour at 2 p.m. San Mateo County History Museum, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City. Admission is free. historysmc.org.

Woodside Arts & Culture Committee
Presented by the town of Woodside’s Arts & Culture Committee, this First Friday event offers a slice of Peninsula life, with everything from talks about regional history and wildlife to discussions with local authors and live performances by Bay Area musicians. (For those who can’t attend in person, the committee posts recordings of the events online afterwards.) The April edition is unusual, going beyond just Friday as the event teams up with Woodside Plein Air Painters for a two-day show. Meet the artists and enjoy refreshments at an opening reception on Friday, April 5, with the exhibition continuing all day Saturday, April 6. 
Reception April 5, 4-8 p.m., and exhibition April 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at Woodside Independence Hall, 2955 Woodside Road, Woodside. Free admission. Register at tinyurl.com/WoodsideFirstFridayApril.

Feldman’s Books
Not surprisingly, First Fridays at Feldman’s Books have a literary theme. The Menlo Park bookstore has teamed up with the California Writers Club to present a monthly poetry open mic. The April event features readings from local poets Marianne Brems, Anne Marie Wenzel, Kate Adams and Raymond Louis Acevedo. Between readings, musicians Rory McNamara and Henry Nagles will perform.
April 5, 6-7:30 p.m., at Feldman’s Books, 1075 Curtis St., Menlo Park. Free admission. tinyurl.com/FeldmansPoetry.

Che Fico Parco Menlo
What better way to welcome the weekend than with pizza and wine? On April 5, Che Fico Parco Menlo hosts its inaugural First Friday. Each month, the restaurant will host tastings that highlight the wines of a particular region, paired with pizza, cheeses and charcuterie. For April, guests can learn about the wines of Italy’s Mount Etna region and if they like what they taste, they can pick up a bottle at the restaurant’s newly opened market.
April 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Che Fico Parco Menlo, 1302 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. $75 per person. eventbrite.com.

South First Fridays
One of the Bay Area’s first among First Friday events, this long-running South Bay art walk got its start in downtown San Jose’s SoFA (South First Arts) district, but has since expanded to other downtown areas: Martha Gardens District, about a mile southeast of SoFA and Fountain Alley, about five blocks to the north of SoFA. In all these neighborhoods, visitors can check out the latest shows at galleries and other venues, which stay open later into the evening and host receptions, live music and more. Some highlights include: ICA San Jose holds a curator-led tour, 5-6 p.m., of its show “P L A C E : Reckonings by Asian American Artists;” MACLA hosts a preview of its 24th annual Latinx art auction plus live music by Bululú, playing tunes from Venezuela and the Caribbean; Opera San Jose offers sneak peak of its upcoming production of Daniel Catán’s “Florencia en el Amazonas;” Chopsticks Alley Gallery delves into ancient iconographies and tattoos in the show “Mythological Icons and Fresh Ink;” Works/SJ previews its community art auction, and Art Ark Gallery holds an opening reception for its “Maverick Photographers” show.
April 5, all venues open 5-9 p.m. at various downtown San Jose locations. Free. Find a map of venues and more info at southfirstfridays.com.