Hello!!

We’re extending one last call for you to join us out at the First Fridays SubZERO Festival & STREET MRKT indie urban art faires.

By participating you’ll be in the company of other incredible artists, performers, poets and musicians, not to mention the opportunity to be introduced to an epic audience that appreciates the arts and is seeking the likes of you!

I’ve included the confirmed artists list and this year’s participation fees below.

PLEASE take a moment and CONFIRM your participation now as we’re proceeding to the promotions phase very soon.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions along the way.

Thank you so much!

Cherri

2025 SubZERO Festival & STREET MRKT Urban Indie Art Faires

SubZERO Festival is a DIY, artistically bent, hi/lo-techno mashup where street meets geek featuring over 100 artists, performers, musicians out on S. 1st St. in SoFA District on First Friday & Saturday June 6th & 7th

STREET MRKT indie urban art faires coincide with the First Fridays ArtWalk in SoFA District in Aug., Sept., & Oct. and give artists additional visibility, connection and sales to ArtWalk patrons.

(For many patrons this is their opportunity to revisit a piece they’ve been considering purchasing, and for gallery/museum curators it’s a chance to talk with an artist to learn more about their vision and process.)

2025 is our 16th gathering of the Progenitors of Culture.

We look forward to coming together once again; all doing our best to light up those paths that we’re all seeking; some paths we go alone; others, we travel with like minds to share expressions and knowledge to help along others. It is in this path together that we move the arts and culture forward while maintaining our unique and authentic individual selves.

We thank you all for continuing to create (especially in these most challenging of times) that which has not yet been seen, heard or experienced before. Your creations extend far beyond the canvas, words, movements, and couture….it breathes new realities..

Now – more than ever – “Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence.” ~Osho

It is in this spirit that we invite you to participate in this year’s SubZERO Festival and STREET MRKT indie urban art faires.

- Vendor spaces will be the standard 10' x 10'. You'll need to bring everything you'll need to exhibit, display, perform and/or sell your work (we will provide confirmed artists a “things to remember to bring” checklist).

- Discounts for additional space is available (please inquire).

- Electricity will be provided.

- Special pricing will be given to participants that sign up for the season (the two days of SubZERO June and the three First Friday Street Mrkts of Aug., Sept and Oct.).

- Selling of sponsorships / subleasing of individual booths is not allowed as we have to be considerate to the festival sponsors. You are more than welcome to go after grants and/or have a benefactor support you (just no logos on your booth other than your own identity).

- Sharing of booth space with another artist is permitted but they must first submit their work and be approved. Invoice will only be sent to the lead artist.

- Invoices will be sent to your email address. Our system now allows for partial payments so you can spread out your payments over the next few weeks.

SubZERO & STREET MRKT events are part of the monthly South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk which brings 1000s of patrons that are interested, seeking, and supportive of the likes of you.

DATES:

SubZERO Festival:

First Friday June 6th 5pm–11pm

and Saturday June 7th 2pm–8pm

(You’ll Install your booth Friday afternoon, take down Saturday night - we'll provide overnight security but valuables should not be left overnight.)

STREET MRKTs:

First Friday Aug. 1st, 5pm–10pm

First Friday Sept. 5th, 5pm–10pm

First Friday Oct.3rd, 5pm–10pm

*First Fridays is the downtown San Jose Art Walk in the SoFA District and beyond.

• 2025 Participation Fees:

Participating artists receive 10x10’ vendor space, access to electricity, listings on our website and promotions on social channels plus an estimated Art Walk audience of 20,000+ over the course of these summer events*.

– SUMMER SEASON Package Deal - $550.. (best value breaking down to just $110. per event and maximum number of ArtWalk event attendees)

Includes ALL First Friday ArtWalk Festivals: SubZERO June 6th & 7th plus all Street Mrkts Aug 1st, Sept. 5th & Oct. 3rd..

– SubZERO Festival Only:

both days June 6th & 7th= $475. for both days

single day June 6th OR June 7th = $275. /per day

– Street Mrkts Only:

Aug 1st, Sept. 5th & Oct. 3rd..= $150. / each Mrkt date

This is an indie urban art faire held out on S. 1st St. in SoFA District in conjunction with the August, September & October ArtWalk SJ so artists have direct access to the ArtWalk patrons.

–PERFORMANCE / DEMO Only (No Selling)

This discounted rate is exclusively for artists, performers, and creators who showcase their work through dance, ritual ceremonies, live demonstrations, or other non-commercial activities. It is intended to support those who contribute to the cultural experience of the event without selling merchandise or services. This package is strictly for performance or demonstration purposes. Selling of any kind (merchandise, services, etc.) is not permitted under this rate.

Includes performance area and / or 10’ x 10’ booth space

Season Package Deal: All SubZERO & Street Mrkt Dates: $250.

$195. for both SubZERO dates

$150. for single SubZERO date (June 6th OR June 7th)

$100. per Street Mrkt date.

–Marketing / Info Only booth inquiries, please contact us with a proposal.

–Food truck inquiries: please contact us for current pricing.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

This gathering happens because we all pitch in to make it happen and we are very grateful to have such amazing people in our community and our lives.

We can’t wait to share you with our broader amazing community of seekers!

Please RSVP by email with your confirmation and your participation dates (indicate "summer season deal”," just SubZERO", etc.) as soon as possible to secure your spot and pricing.

All Hail the Progenitors of Culture!

Many thanks in advance,

Cherri & Brian

2025 Participating Artists so far….

Bay Area Glass Institute

Isaac Bassard

The Blunt Letters

Julianne Bonnet

Breanna Contreras

Bryan Corbin

Bungalow Glow Candle Co.

CADRE SJSU

Christina Del Alto

COLUMN techno / synth hosted by Peter Nyboer

Content Magazine

Crossroads Trading Co.

Current Tattooing

Jennifer DeChenne

Joesph Demaree

Marion Dimas

DJs J Swizza & Notorious PIG

Lorenz Dumuk

Eraeon Designs

Bernadette Fahmy

Game Dev SJSU

Leysar Garcia

Go Go Skateboarding hosted by Teen Tech Center at MACLA

Jared Gochuico

Heiko Greb

Katherine Green

Hand in Hand Henna

Higher Fire Clayspace

Maureen Holcomb Designs

Hull House Market

Inside Out Clothing

Zak Jahn

Jodi 408

MAGWest

Mahsa Emoventur

Joe Mandrick

Martha Gardens Artists

Mikey’s Used Car Circus

NOA–

Roger O.

Karen Oeh

Purl Bailey Crafts

Leah Ragavon

Francisco Ramirez

Steven Rubalcaba

Jacob Sandoval

Anya Satysheva

“The Seeds Of Harmony Hourly Ritual” by Containher Erthangel & The Yay Area Love Cats

SJ Poetry Center

South Bay Sonic Circuits. hosted by Steve Cooley

Space Palette by Tim Thompson

Sundry 3D Treasures

Talk of the Town / Miguel Gonzalez

“UpSwell SJ Showcase” curated by Kyle Clifton Patrick

Heylu Wheat

plus amazing bands, beer garden and food trucks.

South FIRST FRIDAYS ArtWalkSJ
Year round (except Jan. & July) rain or shine.
366 S. 1st St.
SoFA District in downtown San Jose, CA 95113
www.southfirstfridays.com

“By trying to kill the human spirit, the answer of the human spirit is to revenge with beauty.” ~Music of Strangers film

It is in this spirit that we invite you to join us for SubZERO Festival & Street Mrkt indie urban art faires 2025!

YOU, the Artists, Poets, Performers and Musicians are the visionaries who transform your unique spirit into profound experiences and possibilities that link all of us to beauty, hope and resilience. As the pendulum of the masses swings toward the artifice, we are determined to gather, acknowledge, and celebrate your imaginative creativity so that WE collectively shape the culture we all want to thrive and so many are desperately seeking.

This is an initial invitation to our core list of artists—those who have participated in past festivals or expressed interest recently. We want to ensure that you have the first opportunity to secure your space before we open applications to our broader audience.

We do want to let you know that we have an important update on the SubZERO event times this year. We have been carefully observing our attendance trends over the past few years and have decided to shake things up a bit on Day 2 of SubZERO Festival.

The First Friday evening of SubZERO is well attended with 3-4 different waves of art patron demographics throughout the evening. The Saturday evenings have been lively although fewer than Friday. After many conversations with people in our art / community sphere - but not attending these evening festivities - we learned that there are still a significant number of potential art patron attendees that avoid coming downtown at night.

So we are planning on daytime hours for Saturday (day 2 of SubZERO) from 2pm–8pm. We believe this day time experience will be beneficial in capturing additional waves of guests we may not have reached before to discover and connect with your work.

Additional benefits include:
• Many galleries and neighborhood businesses are open during the afternoon which can draw additional visitors to the event.

• Saturdays are often “family day” for people with children, relatives, or out of town visitors looking for unique activities to do as a group.

• People often have other ticketed event plans (concerts, theatre, etc) on Saturday nights that conflict with their ability to attend our event.

• For some, a Saturday afternoon will feel more relaxed and inviting allowing them to take their time exploring all the artworks and connecting with artists.

We feel these hours will also benefit your experience as you’ll still get a good night’s sleep Friday night, can arrive at 12noon on Saturday to re-stage your booth, and be done and home by 10pm Saturday evening (instead of 1am or 2am as in the past).

All events coincide with First Fridays ArtWalk SJ:

• SubZERO Festival:
First Friday & Saturday June 6th & 7th
Friday: 5pm–11pm / Saturday 2pm–8pm

• Street Mrkt indie urban art faires::
First Fridays August 1st, September 5th & October 3th
5pm–10pm

We encourage artists working in diverse artistic disciplines:
•Visual Arts
•Performing Arts
•Literary Arts
•Fashion & Wearable Art
•Installation Art
•Interactive & New Media Art
•Art/Performance Organizatoins
•Indie owned subculture arts / performance businesses
•Live Music

PLEASE take a moment to RSVP by replying to this email for details about participation, vendor fees and logistics.
(please keep the original text in the subject line.)

Let’s come together to honor all of you, the Progenitors of Culture!

We look forward to hearing from you,
Cherri & Brian

South FIRST FRIDAYS ArtWalkSJ
Year round (except Jan. & July) rain or shine.
366 S. 1st St.
SoFA District in downtown San Jose, CA 95113
www.southfirstfridays.com

Upcoming Events:
• First Friday ArtWalk SJ May 2nd
• First Friday ArtWalk & SubZERO Festival June 6th & 7th "All Hail the Progenitors of Culture!”

Two Fish Design

366 South First Street

San Jose, CA 95113

T: 408.271.5151

IG: @Astrogirl

Contributing writer at KQED Arts & Culture