Tivoli, the northern Dutchess County village with a full-court press of cool, is once again proving that small can be mighty. First Fridays, the monthly celebration of local food, drink, art, and retail therapy, kicks off Friday, May 2 and runs through October 3. The initiative, started by the grassroots collective Tivoli Merchants + Artists (TM+A), is less an event than a vibe—a roving block party for the aesthetically inclined, the cocktail curious, and the casually chic.
Follow the trail of red heart balloons to over a dozen venues offering extended hours, live music, drink specials, and curated chaos. The Corner at Hotel Tivoli is pouring spring-forward cocktails, Traghaven Whiskey Pub is tuning up the Irish folk, and Tivoli Artists Gallery is pushing pixels and paint. Thrift 2 Fight has deals, Fabulous Yarn is spun out, and The Corner Store is dishing up snacks with attitude.
This year’s First Fridays also double as a coming-out party for the new kids on the block: Club Sandwich (from the Fortunes Ice Cream brain trust, so you know it’s good), Bad Times Bar (where the drinks are strong and the lighting forgiving), and Strega Flora, a flower shop with major main character energy. New mayor Emily Majer is also making her First Fridays debut, as Tivoli’s latest village leadership embraces this renaissance of revelry.
“Tivoli is still a hidden gem to many people,” says Chad Phillips, co-founder of the art/design/why-not space Available Items. “We started First Fridays to create a village-wide cultural event—giving people a reason to spend the whole evening in Tivoli and discover new businesses and artisans along the way.”
First Fridays may be a marketing strategy, but it’s also something rarer these days: a genuinely good time. A chance to walk around and say, “Hey, this is nice,” without needing to buy a ticket or put on uncomfortable shoes. Go for the cocktails, stay for the community. And if you accidentally leave with a hand-dyed scarf, a new favorite band, and a vague plan to move to Tivoli—don’t say we didn’t warn you.
This article appears in May 2025.
