South Tacoma Way’s First Friday returns today, with 18 participating businesses offering food, shopping, music, activities and specials. The businesses stretch roughly from South 52nd to South 56th streets, making this an afternoon for exploring the neighborhood on foot.
The centerpiece is a free business passport. Pick one up at Anaïs Coffee, collect stickers from five participating passport stops, then bring it to Manic Mermaid to spin a prize wheel. The passport runs from noon to 6 p.m., and no purchase is required. Organizers say the wheel holds more than $1,000 worth of prizes altogether—not a single $1,000 prize.
Anaïs Coffee is marking its official grand opening from noon to 4 p.m. inside Edison Square, with vendors and giveaways planned. The café has already been serving customers, so Friday is a celebration of its arrival rather than its first day open.
Another stop has a brief comeback on the menu: Radnor’s Burgers & Beignets is bringing back its Gargiulo Burger for one day. It’s a collaboration with Beyond Thunderdome Café that appeared last month and is returning for First Friday.
There are ways to join in beyond eating and shopping. Armor Athletics has free classes scheduled at 3, 4 and 5 p.m., while other businesses are planning their own activities. You can follow the passport route or simply drop into a place you’ve been meaning to visit.
The passport is a relatively new addition to First Friday. According to local reporting, more than three dozen people completed one in September, recording at least five business visits apiece. For the current list of stops and activities, see the event listing here.
Discover more of Tacoma in today’s Tacoma Local Minute. Catch the rest of today’s local news, events, and updates in the full issue here.