Mesa's Cannon Beach launches First Friday events

• The event is separate from and unaffiliated with Roosevelt Row's First Friday events.
• Cannon Beach's First Fridays will be much more family-oriented than the Roosevelt version, says Ryan Armstrong, special events and partnerships coordinator for Cannon Beach and Revel Surf.
• He says the event isn't meant to piggyback on First Fridays in Phoenix, Goodyear, Ahwatukee or anywhere else, telling Axios, "It's just a day of the month."

State of play: The First Friday included live music, DJs and some vendors, Adan Madrigal, one of the organizers, tells Axios.

• They're looking to include an artistic element — the venue boasts one of the state's largest murals, he says — but they're "trying to really elevate the experience and give that beach vibe out at Cannon Beach."

Zoom in: The event is intended to promote and amplify Cannon Beach, which has a surf park, high dives, sand volleyball courts, pickleball courts, skate and trampoline parks, an escape room and restaurants.

• Other amenities, including an entertainment center with go-karts, a movie theater and bowling alley, are planned, Armstrong says.
• "It's going to be art. It's going to be sports. It's going to be adrenaline. It's going to be face-painting and stuff for kids. So it's going to be kind of everything. It's going to be a fun time, almost like a block party," he tells Axios.

What's next: Last Friday's event was just a soft launch. The big First Friday kickoff will be on Sept. 4, over Labor Day weekend.

• They'll have a separate car show as well.

Meanwhile, First Fridays on Roosevelt Row haven't gone anywhere, though the monthly event has undergone some major changes recently.

• In May, organizers scrapped the street fair component over safety concerns.
• But artists, galleries and businesses in the Roosevelt Row area still host monthly art walks, per the Arizona Republic.