Weekend Spotlight: First Friday

Everyone knows about the insanity that is First Friday, but a lot of the special stuff happening sometimes gets lost in the confusion. To keep you on track and make sure you don’t miss any of the good stuff, here’s our First Friday guide for the month of August:

-Grand Opening of The Loading Zone @ 47 N. Hotel St.: Join the new DJ/dancer/art space for its official grand opening with an Essence of Hawaii art show. 7-9 p.m. VIP only, 9 p.m.-midnight, open art exhibition ($2); all ages.

-Presenting 808 Urban at The Plaza Club @ 900 Fort Street Mall: The young and talented artists of 808 Urban will be selling their graffiti art on canvas to raise funds for 808 Urban’s community programs. 6-8 p.m.; free; all ages.

-Marks Likes Lofters @ The ARTS at Marks Garage: Residents of the Chinatown Artists Lofts, including Cheyne Gallarde (photography), Kris Goto (pen and ink), Ruth Sorensen (oil on canvass), James Anshutz (digital images, portraits), Sergio Garzon (prints), Professor Pandemonium (installation), Michelle Poppler (set design), Jackie Mild Lau (installation) and Abi Goode (sculpture). 5-10 p.m.; free; all ages.

-Mish Mash First Anniversary @ 1164 Smith St.: The awesome little vintage boutique known as Mish Mash celebrates one year with art, drinks, sidewalk performances and vintage buys. 6-10 p.m.; free; all ages.

-Like Sample? @ SoHo Mixed Media Bar: Art by Chelsea Iwami, Laney Martin, Richard Martin and Christina Soo, with a surf sample, art and clothing sale… plus they’re serving deep dish pizza til 2:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m.-2 a.m., 21+; no cover before 9 p.m., $10 cover after.

-First Friday @ NextDoor: Live performances by Saving Cadence, Virgin Mary and DJ CCNT. 7-10 p.m.; 21+.

-First Friday @ Mercury: Live performances by Coral Stabz, the incredibly talented Pamela Poles, Beaman and others. 8:30 p.m-2 a.m.; $5 includes complimentary Sailor Jerry cocktail, 21+.