On the first Friday of every month, Albany hosts First Friday. This monthly event promotes the artistic community in the area. Galleries stay open later, and some restaurants/bars/shops turn into galleries for the night. It lasts from 5 pm - 9 pm, although things usually start winding down after 8 pm. They have a free trolley ride, and I snagged the first one when I rolled in early. As you can see, at 5 pm, things are still very quiet. Most visitors come after work, and so do some artists, so activities start picking up around 6 pm.
It got busier later on. I met up with a friend later on, and we saw some people dressed in costumes. I took the trolley again. It's very fun on a hot day. And free! The girl was dressed up like SuperGirl. I'm not sure what the boys were dressed up as. I am guessing they attend one of Albany's many colleges.
Now it's getting busy! Many more people are standing outside of the UAG (Upstate Artists Guild). This is like the central hub for First Friday.
Went to Grand Street Community Arts to see a multi-culti exhibit of different cultures. It seemed mostly full of people who were going to perform later on. This space used to be very beat up and worn. The GSCA folks have put in a lot of hard work to make the space better.
Also went to The Furnace, an indie group that reminds me of the Capital District Federation of Ideas, which has been inactive for about two years. Artsy, into helping the community. 
I was excited to see many terrariums. They look beautiful.
There was also someone doing performance art. Someone said it was the performer's interpretation of how Christmas started.... I don't know if they were joking or not. I don't get a lot of performance art - I probably never will.
Went back to GSCA to check out a Tibetan performance. Very intricate. The men and women danced differently, and sang as they danced.
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