First Saturdays encompass the Artist Village and East End districts beginning September 7

Downtown Santa Ana is pleased to announce the expansion of the ever-popular firstSaturday Artwalk into the community district branded as The East End. The East End is located between 3rd and 5th streets and Bush and French streets in the heart of the Downtown area. The monthly Artwalk that first launched in 1995 will now include gallery openings, special events and entertainment across the entire downtown area from the Artist’s Village through the East End. The first expanded Artwalk will kick off onSaturday, September 7 and continue monthly thereafter.

East End of Downtown Santa Ana recently completed an extensive building and landscaping renovation. The improvements included the opening of several new retailers and restaurants. Some current East End tenants include Yost Theater, Yost Studios, American Barbershop, Playground, Playground 2.0, Blends, Safehouse by Crooks and Castles, Bespoke Cut and Sew, Vapor Lair, Themgoods, Left of the Dial Records, Tarte Vintage, R&R Boutique, and Charlie’s Piercing and Tattoo Supplies

Numerous East End venues will be presenting special events for the September 7 Artwalk including product showcases, sample sales, trunk shows, art exhibits and live entertainment. Notable street artists Jouvon Michael Kingsby and Michael “JUNE22” Ziobrowski will be installing a permanent mural entitled “Something in the Sky” live in the alleyway adjacent to Yost Theater and behind Left of the Dial Records on French Street.  The temporary art exhibit “Something in the Streets” will also inhabit the alleyway and showcase works by Kingsby, Ziobrowski, Artemis Nolasco and Federico Medina.

Curators of Warehouse1425 and the owner of As Issued are pleased to introduce Space SNA with over 20 Southern California artists taking over a 4,500 square foot empty store front adjacent to the Yost Theater to create unrestricted art for one night only.  In concept with the ephemeral nature of street art, this artist driven project will include a variety of murals, installations, and fine artwork from some of the leading visionaries throughout Southern California.

Tarte Vintage will host a trunk show and sample sale in front of the parking lot adjacent to Yost Theater. The soon-to-open Frida Arthouse, formerly the Metropolitan Fiesta Twin Theatre, in partnership with the Long Beach Cinematheque will present a unique multimedia screening of 1927 German sci-fi masterpiece Metropolis performed with a live score in the cinema as part of the 4^th annual OC Film Fiesta. The performance starts at 8 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at thefridacinema.org. Local bands will also be performing live on Plaza Santa Ana at 4^th and French Streets from 4-10 p.m.

Several exciting new retailers, restaurants and bars are planned to open in the East End district of Downtown Santa Ana in 2014 including the highly anticipated 4^th Street Market, El Mercado restaurant, Native Son Alehouse, Yojie Shabu Shabu, Eat Chow, Bier Bar, Brooklyn Harper and The Frida Cinema.

Visit East End and experience the extended Downtown Artwalk, new Downtown businesses and neighbors, and the future of Downtown Santa Ana as it continues to grow and develop as the cultural epicenter of Orange County. http://eastendsantaana.com