ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The popular First Friday St. Pete remains on pause, according to event organizers.

According to a post on Facebook, funding is behind the decision. The event was held in October, but not in November, and it appears there will be no First Friday on Dec. 1.

The post said: "It costs $12,000 to put on the event (insurance, city sanitation and police, permits, production, etc) with no profit to our company, and with a lack of interest from local businesses to sponsor the event, much less larger sponsors, we do not have the funds at this time. To those businesses trying to help, we thank you."

The organizers — Nightlife productions, LLC and 22N Productions, INC —describe First Friday St. Pete as the city's "biggest block party." It's held on Central Avenue.

The pause affects business owners like Pete Boland, who says the Jannus block in downtown is the heartbeat of St. Pete nightlife.

He owns Mary Margaret’s Olde Irish Tavern, which he opened in February 2020, and has sponsored First Friday.

“There’s no other block really like it in Tampa Bay,” Boland said. “There’s 25 bars on this block. It’s the best.” 

The party has been taking place for more than 20 years and Boland believes it helped transform the block.

“There was, like, beauty salons and stuff here, and there was a printing shop on this block, and First Friday kind of changed all that,” he said. “All of this stuff is just active, tons of stuff going on all the time.” 

He is concerned about St. Pete losing its signature event and hopes organizers can rally some support.

“We want to continue to have that brand and have those events,” Boland said. “I think for us it makes a lot of sense to sponsor it, to keep things going and make sure that this vibe continues down here.

“I can’t imagine what this block would be like without First Friday."