First Friday July 2026 schedule

Downtown Sarnia comes alive with live music, art openings, a market, and community events spread across more than a dozen venues.

Downtown Sarnia keeps the summer celebrations rolling on Friday, July 3rd, with another edition of First Friday, the monthly event bringing music, art and shopping to the core.

Sarnia Legion Branch 62, 286 Front Street North, hosts live music and dancing with Full Disclosure from 7 to 11 p.m. All are welcome, no cover.

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church Sarnia, 261 Christina St. N, holds a Community Hymn Sing from 6 to 7 p.m., accompanied by the church's pipe organ. Everyone is welcome to this free event.

Several restaurants and bars feature live music throughout the evening:

• GRIND kitchen + bar, 265 Front St N (doors open around back, free parking on the north ramp): Ainsworth & Young, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Bad Dog Sarnia, 229 Christina St. N: Mat Gauthier, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.
• Ups N' Downs, 226 Front St N: the Martones, an upbeat family band, 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.
• Fork & Thistle, 170 Christina St N: the Scottish Side Duo performing Scottish rock/pop covers and other mainstream hits, 9 to 11:30 p.m.
• Tang's China House, 165 Cromwell St: live dinner jazz with Torrie Seager and Brenda Earle Stokes, 5 to 8 p.m., reservations recommended. Now open for lunch on Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Backhome Coffee, 112 Christina Street S: Isabelle Elise performing folk songs about life and love in French and English, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Regular hours 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., open until 8 p.m. on First Friday.
• The Veranda Sarnia, 148 Front St. N: the Lazy Wave Coffee Collective pop-up with live music from Kaz Deery, cold and hot drinks and treats, 5 to 7 p.m.
• AJ's Bar & Music Hall, 143 Christina Street North: karaoke, 9 p.m. to midnight, open until 2 a.m.

The Imperial Theatre, 168 Christina St. N, reopens its summer box office hours on July 7th, Tuesday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 519-344-7469 or visit imperialtheatre.net.

The Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery, 147 Lochiel Street, stays open until 9 p.m. for First Friday. A Red Dot Tours talk on Mark Stebbins' exhibit The Lingering Instant runs from 7 to 8 p.m. The gallery's exhibitions Together Apart | Under One Roof, featuring Aganetha Dyck, Diana Thorneycroft and Reva Stone, remain on view, along with Making Space: Recent Acquisitions, which closes July 12.

The Lawrence House Centre for the Arts, 127 Christina St. S, opens two new exhibitions, We Bear Witness 2 by Rabia Rizvi and Familiar Places by Sydney McKichan, with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Live music by Missy Burgess runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Seventh Rayn Design Co. sets up a pop-up and interactive community mural at The Gallery Sarnia, 150 Christina St. N, from 5 to 9 p.m.

Coldwell Banker Southwest Realty, 169 Christina St. N, hosts an evening of music and local artists with a meet and greet for Lakeside Properties from 5 to 8 p.m.

River Bank & Co., 172 Front St. N, offers 15 per cent off all original artwork and prints and stays open until 8 p.m. Regular hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Downtown Market, 140 Christina Street North, continues its Lens on Lambton exhibition, showcasing more than 50 local artisans with items ranging from home décor to jewellery, plus locally grown flowers. The First Friday ice cream special offers kiddie cones for $2. The market stays open until 9 p.m.

Several other businesses extend their hours for the evening:

• UE INC., 132 Front St. N, open until 7 p.m.
• Garbo's Fashions, 136 Front St. N, open until 7 p.m.
• Never Better Tattoo, 234 Front St. N, holds a flash sale from 2 to 7 p.m., $80 for one or $140 for two.

With A Side of Fun, 155 Front Street North, hosts the Art of Journaling from 4 to 8 p.m., $20, an evening of meditation, mindfulness, art and mindful movement. Drop in for part of the session or stay for the entire time. Registration is required; contact [email protected].

The Sarnia Library Theatre, operated by LCLibrary at 124 Christina St. S, shows Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), rated PG, from 2 to 3:45 p.m. The screening is sensory-friendly, with reduced volume and attendance and raised house lights.