St. Petersburg's First Friday is back in business after two-month hiatus

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After an involuntary two-month hiatus, First Friday returned to the streets of downtown.

"It’s awesome, more than what I thought it would be, everybody is so fun, the band sounds good, it’s not Mickey Mouse, it’s good," said Esther Hastings, who attended the block party for the first time.

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The monthly event came to a halt in November because of lack of sponsorships and funding.

Event organizers told FOX 13 the party costs about $12,000 per month to put on and barely broke even last year. A big change happened in the new year.

"When you rally folks that have common goals, that share common goals, and you solve problems, you find more sponsorships, and you reignite excitement," said Mark Acchione, co-founder of Forward Hospitality Group, which manages several nearby bars.

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Forward Hospitality Group, CMK Construction and My Florida Bath were the lead sponsors of the block party.

Acchione said sponsorships are a key ingredient to keeping the party going.

"If you walk out and walk around, you compare this to First Fridays of the past, sponsors were pretty thin, which is why the lack of funding," Acchione said.

Organizers are working with the city to make sure First Friday has a healthy future.

"When you match it up with trying to get the thing cleaned up at night, security which is a top priority for us, you have a much bigger problem than just funding."

For more information, visit firstfridaystpete.org.