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.
Idaho Art Gallery
702 W Idaho St • (208) 733-4134
Art Shop Activity
Opening Reception: Seasons and Soliloquies by Zack Thurmond
702 W Idaho St STE 105 – Idaho Art Gallery
Thursday, May 7, 2026 | 5–9PM
Join us for the opening reception of Seasons and Soliloquies, a solo exhibition by Zack Thurmond, on Thursday, May 7 from 5-9pm at Idaho Art Gallery in downtown Boise.
Born in St. Louis and shaped by years in the Mountain West, Thurmond’s work is rooted in a deep and enduring connection to place. Largely self-taught, with a BFA from Boise State University, his paintings draw from direct observation, often beginning as small plein air studies before expanding into larger studio compositions. Whether working from a single creek drainage or a stand of aspens, Thurmond returns again and again to the landscapes that surround him, exploring a distinctly “hyperlocal” sense of place.
In Seasons and Soliloquies, these landscapes become a vehicle for reflection. At its core, this exhibition considers the passage of time not as something to resist, but as something to experience more fully. Each painting holds space for quiet observation, echoing the artist’s own awareness of time’s steady movement and the beauty embedded within it. Through changing seasons, weather, and light, Thurmond invites viewers to slow down, to notice, and to reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world.
Thurmond’s work is held in public and private collections across North America and Europe. He currently lives in Idaho with his wife, two children, and three dogs, and serves as Chief Preparator at the Boise Art Museum.
Alongside Seasons and Soliloquies, explore our current open-theme group exhibition featuring local and national artists, as well as our curated gift shop offering original works, small-format pieces, and locally made goods.
Join us for an evening of art, conversation, and community in the heart of downtown Boise.
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
The Warehouse Food Hall
370 S 8th St • 986-999-4081
Music Food & Beverage
The Warehouse Food Hall is bringing live music to the heart of downtown Boise every First Thursday. Guests can enjoy performances from local artists while exploring 10+ food and drink vendors under one roof. With cold drinks, bold flavor, and no cover, it’s the perfect spot to kick off your evening and stay awhile.
Voodoo Cellar Boise
200 N Capitol Blvd • 2089180881
Food & Beverage
$5 Craft Beer Flights Every First Thursday!
Lenses & Brushes
404 S 8TH ST, L100 • 2085902612
Art Shop Kid-Friendly Activity
First Thursday: The Found Camera Project
What happens when you hand a camera to a stranger and ask them to tell a story?
Join us at Lenses & Brushes for a First Thursday exhibition of The Found Camera Project—a community film photography experience where cameras were hidden throughout downtown Boise and discovered by curious explorers. Each person who found a camera captured their own moments before returning it to be developed and printed in our darkroom.
This showcase features a collection of those images—raw, honest, and beautifully unexpected—creating a shared visual story of Boise through many different perspectives.
Let’s make art together.
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
Trillium Restaurant
245 S Capitol Blvd • 208-333-8002
Food & Beverage
Join us every First Thursday in Downtown Boise to experience Live Jazz performed by The Ohadi Trio inside the lobby of The Grove Hotel from 6pm-8pm!
The Art Room Inc.
508 South 5th Street •
Art Food & Beverage
The Art Room features a new local artist every month. That means new art on the walls of the coffee shop, classes available to the public taught by the featured artist, and a free artist showcase every First Thursday. Join us each month in encouraging local artists and building the Art Room.
Our vision is to see a generation consumed by consumption experience revival in creation. Our mission is to serve Boise with art, coffee, and community and shine the light of Jesus.