Fayetteville will kick off the first of 2023's First Thursday series on May 4 at the Downtown Square from 5:30-9:00p.

• Spacing out: First Thursday on the square is an annual event series by Experience Fayetteville intended to gather the community around a combination of music, food, art, and fun! Break out the lightsabers and Jedi capes because May's First Thursday theme is "May the Fourth."
• Good times: The arts and music celebration will include a diverse lineup of art installations, vendors, food trucks,, a Slow Roll group bike ride with Trailblazers & Bike Fayetteville, and live music from Papa Rap, the C4 Clarinet Squad, and headliner The Irie Lions.

Find all the details for May's First Thursday HERE. 

May is National Bike Month, and what better way to celebrate than the Square 2 Square Spring Ride this Saturday, May 6, beginning at 7a from Walker Park in Fayetteville?

• Let's roll: The trek from Walker Park in Fayetteville to Lawrence Plaza in Bentonville is about 24 miles. Event organizers will offer shuttles, multiple rest stops, and on-trail aid stations, so you've got support whether you're racing a friend or just out for a casual roll.
• Better together: Square 2 Square rides are hosted twice yearly by the Fayetteville and Bentonville Parks & Recs, drawing cyclists from Northwest Arkansas together to enjoy the beautiful Razorback Greenway.

Online registration ends Wednesday, May 3. Sign up before it's too late HERE.

Applications opened today for the 2023-2024 cohort of Artists 360, providing professional development opportunities and $214,000 worth of grants to regional artists of all disciplines.

• Uplifting artists: Partnered with the Mid-America Arts Alliance, Artists 360 seeks to elevate the leading artists of NWA by providing a platform to succeed and grow through funding, professional development, and networking opportunities.
• Multiple grants: Those who apply will have a chance to receive one of six $1,500 student grants, fourteen $7,500 project grants, five $15,000 Community Activator grants, or the single $25,000 Creative Impact Award.

Applications are open until Jun 28. Join a virtual info session tomorrow at noon to learn more HERE.

FORMAT returns Sept 22-24 for the second edition of Northwest Arkansas’s three-day celebration of music, art, and technology, featuring 60+ performances from artists like Alanis Morissette, LCD Soundsystem, Leon Bridges, Modest Mouse, Jamie xx, Little Simz, Bob Moses, and many more. 

• Creative space: Talented artists from around the world, including JR’s Inside Out Project and Kameelah Janan Rasheed, will create incredible art experiences for attendees to explore throughout the festival’s unconventional venues, including The Cube, The Hangar, and the Bizarre Bazaar. 
• World of Oz: Set in the beautiful Ozarks, affectionately known locally as the World of Oz, festival-goers will experience Northwest Arkansas’s unparalleled access to outdoor recreation, art, and culture, such as the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and world-renowned mountain biking trails. 

Tickets are on sale now, starting at $20 down with a layaway plan, HERE.

May is National Bike Month, and it’s time for Bike Month Challenge, Trailblazers’ biannual program to encourage movement and community through a little friendly competition! 

• Go for a ride: People can participate in Bike Month Challenge as an individual, as a group, and as a workplace, gaining points for the number of rides taken, miles ridden, commutes to work, and more during the month of May. Prizes will be awarded to persons and organizations that rack up the most rides! 
• Share your ride: Stats are posted to the Love to Ride platform, which can be linked directly to a Strava or Map My Ride account, making trip-tracking simple. Trailblazers will host group rides, clinics, and workshops throughout the challenge to foster community and assist new riders.

Join the May Bike Month Challenge HERE.