Every Thursday night, with the exception of major holidays such as Thanksgiving, the Arts District hosts the Scottsdale ArtWalk. Main Street and Marshall Way are packed with people who are moving through the many art galleries that line the streets; the galleries exhibit a wide variety of art from Western art, ceramics and oil paintings, to bronzes and more. The Scottsdale ArtWalk also allows for visitors to get a chance to meet and talk with the artists.

The Scottsdale ArtWalk, which has been coined “America’s Original Artwalk,” celebrates the 38th season on Oct.18. From 7 to 9 p.m., there will be a number of different special attractions for the Anniversary ArtWalk. There will even be live music and artists creating works of art as visitors watch, and for those who get hungry, Shine Coffee will be serving brioche doughnuts prepared by FnB’s Charleen Badman, in support of the Young Emerging Artists Project (YEA!).

Many of the galleries will be hosting noted artists, including first-time exhibitors in Scottsdale and local artists. Visitors will even get their own chance to take part in the creation of a 7-by-9-foot canvas at Art of Merlot, which will host a group painting session led by Lucretia Torva, who has created many fine-art pieces featured across the United States and paints decorative murals in homes across Phoenix. At Touchstone Gallery, visitors can buy a piece of 225-million-year-old petrified wood. The exhibit “Exquisite Arizona Sunsets” displays petrified wood that has been sculpted into tables, bookends and wall art.

There is public parking offered in a couple areas around the Art District, but if you’re not lucky enough to find a spot close by, the Scottsdale trolley is free and stops throughout the Art District.

For more information on the Scottsdale ArtWalk and the Anniversary ArtWalk events, visit scottsdalegalleries.com.