First Friday in Downtown Gadsden

Date: November 27, 2026

Time: TBD

Location: Gadsden

Area: Gadsden, Etowah County

Category: Markets & Shopping

Tags: Shopping & Markets, Live Bands, Networking Mixers

April - October & December Downtown Gadsden is the place to be the first Friday of the month from April to October! Stores stay open late in the evening and downtown rocks with live entertainment, special events, sales, food, and artists from all over. The day after Thanksgiving, the merchants of downtown Gadsden embrace the holiday spirit and invite shoppers to take part in Plaid Friday, a fun and festive alternative to the hustle and bustle of Black Friday, created to promote the unique experiences and personal connections that come with shopping small and supporting local businesses. Plaid Friday is a movement that offers an alternative to the fast pace of big box shopping while showing support for local merchants. It originated in Oakland, Calif. in 2009 and the name was chosen from the idea of weaving individual threads of small businesses together to create a strong fabric that celebrates independent businesses. Plaid Friday promotes the diversity and creativity of local and independent businesses and aims to transform holiday shopping for family and friends into a more connected, pleasurable activity than Black Friday. Plaid Friday precedes Small Business Saturday, meaning holiday shoppers can turn their two-day, post-Thanksgiving shopping excursions into 48 hours of opportunities to support small businesses. Shoppers should look for signage or hashtags on social media, such as #plaidfriday, #shoplocal and #dinelocal and are encouraged to wear plaid clothing on Plaid Friday to show support for locally owned businesses in the community. For a list of DGI member businesses, visit https://downtowngadsden.com/member_type/retail/. Downtown Gadsden is also filled with a nice selection of local-owned restaurants that are sure to please the whole family. Visit https://downtowngadsden.com/member_type/restaurants/ ahead of time to see what is available and to make a plan.

Organizer: Not listed.