Our local merchants plan exciting, engaging in-store events including food and beverage tastings, local art exhibits, retail trunk shows, live music, family activities, and entertainment in a special and unique way you'll only find in Downtown Boise. Stop into your favorite establishment or check out someplace new!
Events typically run from 5–9pm, but each merchant creatively plans their own event so check each listing below for individual hours and details.
House of Wine
1008 W Main St • 208-297-9463
Shop Food & Beverage Activity
Come join us at House of Wine for our exciting “April First Thursday” event April 2nd!
For this night we'll put aside our regular wine by the glass options and offer a COMPLIMENTARY three wine tasting from famed local producer, Telaya Wine Co.! We'll also have local favorite YUMMS Charcuterie offering samples of their delicious products.
The festivities begin at 5pm and last until 8pm. This is a free event and no registration is required. We look forward to welcoming you!
Leap Photography
106 N 6th St • 208-703-7360
Art Activity
Need an updated headshot but short on time?
Join Leap Photography for a special First Thursday Headshot Event on April 2 in downtown Boise. This is a quick, in-studio option for professionals who want a clean, modern image without a full session.
What’s included:
• 15-minute studio session
• One outfit
• Guided image selection right after your session
• One professionally retouched digital image
• White background for a versatile, professional look
Appointments are limited and will fill quickly.
Date: Thursday, April 2
Location: Downtown Boise (Pioneer Tent and Awning Building)
Reserve your spot:
https://leap-photography.vsco.page/schedule/first-thursday-headshots-april-2026
Art Source Gallery
1516 Grove St • 208-331-3374
Art Shop Music Food & Beverage Kid-Friendly Activity
Join Art Source Gallery for the opening of “Artistic Evolution,” featuring the artwork of Russ Garn, during First Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. April 2, 2026.
Garn’s expressive works in pen and ink with watercolor combine architectural accuracy with bold, cubist-inspired design. The exhibition reflects his evolving creative process and commitment to exploring new styles and ideas. Visitors are invited to experience the emotional depth and visual energy of his latest work. Free and open to the public.
JUMP (Jack's Urban Meeting Place)
1000 Myrtle St • (208) 639-6610
Kid-Friendly Activity
Are You Smarter Than a 4th Grader? – Family Trivia Night
Presented by the City of Boise in partnership with Idaho State Museum and Idaho Public Television and hosted at JUMP
Join us for a night of family trivia fun in commemoration of America's 250th anniversary! Inspired by the hit TV Show, "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?", this trivia night will ask participants to test their knowledge of 4th-grade Idaho history facts while uncovering some of our state’s rich past.
It’s free to attend, with pre-registration required at CityOfBoise.org/America250.
Event Schedule
5:00 p.m. Drinks & small bites available for purchase
6:00 p.m. Team check-in and seating (5th Floor, JUMP Room)
6:30 p.m. Trivia begins
JD's Bodega
161 N Capitol Blvd • (208)519-5516
Shop Food & Beverage Kid-Friendly Activity
Swing by JD's Bodega on your First Thursday journeys and grab a free popcorn and play a game of pinball on us. Check out all the delicious snacks and local vendors that we carry.
Solid Grill & Bar
405 S 8th St • (208) 345-6620
Music Food & Beverage Kid-Friendly Activity
½ Off Draft Beers, Well Drinks, $2 off all wines and $1 off appetizers from 4pm-6pm & 10pm-Midnight.
Free! We also have a free Comedy show! Just The Tips in Liquid Laughs Underground. Free To Attend at 7pm
Idaho Art Gallery
702 W Idaho St • (208) 733-4134
Art Shop Activity
Opening Reception: Florilegium by Emily Farish
Join us for the opening reception of Florilegium, a solo exhibition by New York–based artist Emily Farish, on Thursday, April 2 at Idaho Art Gallery in downtown Boise.
Farish is widely recognized for her monumental charcoal drawings of flowers, transforming fleeting botanical subjects into powerful, large-scale compositions. Working from flowers gathered and studied in her studio, she meticulously records each bloom’s subtle imperfections—rumpled petals, bending stems, insect nibbles, and even the tape and staples used to pin them to her studio wall.
Join us for art, conversation, and community in the heart of downtown Boise.
Pennecard Real Estate
121 N 5th St • 208-861-8295
Food & Beverage Activity
Kick off spring with us downtown at our First Thursday celebration! Swing by for a Masters-inspired putting contest, prizes, drinks, and tasty bites while enjoying the lively downtown vibe. Dress up in your best golf attire and you’ll
be entered into a special giveaway! Whether you’re stopping in between shops or making a night of it, come hang out, have some fun, and celebrate the season with us. See you on the green! 🏌♂Kick off spring with us downtown at our First Thursday celebration! Swing by for a Masters-inspired putting contest, prizes, drinks, and tasty bites
while enjoying the lively downtown vibe. Dress up in your best golf attire and you’ll be entered into a special giveaway! Whether you’re stopping in between shops or making a night of it, come hang out, have some fun, and celebrate the season with us. See you on the green!
Liquid Lounge
405 S 8th St • (208) 287-5379
Art Shop Music Food & Beverage Activity
Free Comedy Show at Liquid Laughs Underground!
- Come have some fun at Boise's newest comedy show JUST THE TIPS! This is a free, tip-friendly show featuring the best local, regional, and touring comedians that will take place on the first Thursday of every month at Liquid Laughs Underground!
-This month's headliner will be Eli Singleton of Bozeman, MT! Eli is a regular at Last Best Comedy Club and he's also a booker/producer for Don't Tell Comedy in Montana. He's opened for many big names and done the road all over the Western U.S.
-He will be joined by longtime friend and Bozeman comic Stone Casad, Zander Yuan of Pocatello, ID as your host and a couple other special guests!
- THIS IS A FREE SHOW! Seats are first come, first served so get here early, have some dinner and drinks downstairs and let's party!
Curbside Books April Pop Up
1105 W Idaho St • (208) 344-8010
Art Shop Music Food & Beverage Kid-Friendly Activity
Curbside Books' Trolley Gallery First Thursday pop up event on April 2nd from 5-9pm will feature works from local linocut artist Jessica Evett.
Look for the red trolley parked in front of the Record Exchange. Grab a coffee drink special inside the store and enjoy some live music from buskers outside near the trolley when you're perusing art. Curbside Books' mobile bookstore/pop up art gallery will hold a variety of Evett's editioned prints, monoprints, upcycled textiles, handmade patches, bookmarks, cards, and linocut zines. Describing her style as "beauty and the beast," Evett's work ranges from fun creatures for the young at heart to subtle jabs at the heart of the matter. For the DIY crowd, there will be a Stamp Your Own Stuff station. Bring a garment or patch and put a bird on it (or skull, or a few other creatures) with a variety of Evett's pre-cut stamps and fabric ink as long as supplies last. $5-10 dollars per stamp, light or dark garments. The Record Exchange will offer coffee drink specials and live buskers throughout the evening. Visit Evett's Instagram @jessicaevettartist for examples of work and available stamps, then visit the Trolley Gallery and Record Exchange as part of your First Thursday!
Hemlock
500 S Capitol Blvd •
Food & Beverage Activity
Join us at the bar from 3–6 PM.
Indulge in:
Boise’s Best Burger.
Steak skewers. Oyster shooters. Gaucho meatballs.
Duck-fat potatoes. Fries. Marinated olives.
$7 drafts.
$9 select wines.
$10 classic cocktails.
Two Hemlock Happy Hour rituals to get the most of First Thursdays:
Hemlock Happy Meal
Haute Girl Dinner
Barbarian Downtown Beer Bar
1022 W Main St • 208-387-2739
Music Food & Beverage Activity
Swing by Barbarian Downtown for April First Thursday and grab a glass of our new beers: HEY ARNOLD! and BELGIAN STYLE TRIPEL.
ROCK'N BINGO starts at 7pm. Free to play for paying customers.
Must be 21+ to enter Barbarian Downtown.
--------------------------------
~ HEY ARNOLD! ~
Kettle sour with black tea and Sicilian lemons.
6% abv
Draft & 16oz Cans
~ BELGIAN STYLE TRIPEL ~
Our Belgian inspired Triple was brewed traditionally in the manner of the Trappist monks. This golden ale is spicy with a sweet finish and hints of fruit notes.
10.5% abv
Draft & 16oz Cans
Meriwether Cider House
224 N 9th St • (208)972-6725
Art Food & Beverage Activity
Join for for Downtown Boise Association's 1st Thursday! We will provide all the supplies you'll need for FREE to dye your very own Easter Egg! Hang with friends, sip some cider, and make your masterpiece!
The Cider House is 21+ dogs are allowed on the patio.
JUMP (Jack's Urban Meeting Place)
1000 Myrtle St • (208) 639-6610
Art Kid-Friendly Activity
Hula Hoop Making Workshop
In this hands-on workshop, you'll design and build your very own custom hula hoop, tailored to your size, style, and spirit. You’ll choose your tubing, pick your colors, and learn the basics of hoop sizing and taping. Leave with a beautiful, functional hoop that you created.
Takeaways:
One custom hula hoop per person
Materials Needed:
All materials are provided
* 1 child per adult
Instructor Bio:
Krissy Humphreys
Since 2007, I've taught flow arts, performed in hundreds of shows, and participated in master classes in Paris, deepening my craft and connection to the global community.
Fred Astaire Dance Studios Boise
1511 W Main Street • 208-514-0440
Music Food & Beverage Activity
Boise's ONLY guided social dancing party!
The perfect opportunity to get comfortable on a social dance floor in a safe and fun environment!
Practice your moves and meet our dance community! Come for a few minutes just to check the place out, or stay and practice to music from a variety of dance styles.
No partner required — or bring your friends. We love to see couples who want to dance together, too. Everyone is welcome, no experience required!
Dance Demos & Free Newcomer Group Variety Class from 7:00pm—7:45pm
Social Dancing Party from 7:45—8:30pm