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Press Release: Downtown’s First Friday ArtWalk: A Monthly Economic Powerhouse

Downtown’s First Friday ArtWalk: A Monthly Economic Powerhouse 

Corpus Christi, Texas – The Corpus Christi Downtown Management District (CCDMD) today announced the findings of the First Friday ArtWalk Economic Impact Study that was in conducted in partnership with the South Texas Economic Development Center (STEDC) at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. The purpose of the study is to get a better understanding of how an event of this scale and monthly occurrence impacts the economic ecosystem comprising of downtown businesses and job labor, as well as tax revenues, on a local, state, and federal level. 

Key highlights from the eight-month-long study show that First Friday ArtWalk: 

  • Sees over 14,500 event attendees on average consisting of Corpus Christi residents and visitors traveling from 50+ miles
  • Has a citywide economic impact of $16.27 million in total output
  • Supports 180 jobs citywide earning $5.5 million in labor outcome
  • Contributes $8.73 million to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) citywide
  • Has a downtown-specific economic impact of $7.44 million in total output
  • Supports 77 downtown jobs with $2.44 million in labor income
  • Contributes $3.9 million to GDP downtown
  • Fiscally contributes $2.22 million in annual tax revenue

Overall, ArtWalk in 2024 supported job creation, generated wages, and contributed significantly to local, state and federal tax revenues. In addition, ArtWalk has had tremendous social impacts with: 

  • 97% of survey respondents stated ArtWalk is the main reason they visit Downtown
  • Nearly 69% of survey respondents stated they would return to ArtWalk
  • On average, survey respondents attend an ArtWalk event 6.3 times a year, spending on average, 2.7 hours at the event
  • 97% of survey respondents strongly agreed or agreed that ArtWalk gives them a strong sense of community

For the past 14 years, First Friday ArtWalk presented by H-E-B is a monthly event co-produced by CCDMD where Downtown Corpus Christi comes alive. Each month, ArtWalk hosts 250+ pop-up vendors and food trucks, and 20+ downtown businesses. ArtWalk Block Parties and Downtown Businesses host a variety of activities and special programming for all ages including art exhibitions, live music and painting, pop-up bars, ArtWalk specials and sales, and more all within a 10-block footprint. 

To learn more about the First Friday ArtWalk Economic Impact Study and see the full report, visit https://downtowncorpuschristi.org/do-business/studies-and-data  

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