A throng of people will block the sidewalks across from the historic downtown Rialto Theatre on Saturday night.

Live music? Check.

Excitable crowd? Check.

Expensive tickets? Guess again.

On the first Saturday of the month, the downtown art district’s galleries open their doors long after most businesses and gallery spaces would close up shop.

Wine bottles are opened and cheese and crackers are arranged carefully on trays and tables. The Congress Street restaurants and bars are open for business as usual if those kind of hors d’oeuvres aren’t sufficient, though the suggested donation prices can’t be beat for happy hour appetizers.

The music coming from the sound systems in each venue up and down Congress Street ranges from classical ballads to electronica. Galleries often feature live local music as a background soundtrack for the exhibitions. Bedlam Rex’s solo show, “”I Poop Rainbows: a pop art explosion”” will be backed by music from DJ and producer Mr. Meyer at Lulubell Toy Bodega this Saturday.

The art walk, which takes place the first Saturday night of every month, is part of an ongoing effort to redefine the downtown Tucson area. It attracts avid art enthusiasts as well as passersby.

“”I’ve seen people who don’t even know that the studio is here, come into the openings and partake. I’ve seen great traffic coming through because we’re open and available and welcoming,”” said Alice Dance, a volunteer at The Drawing Studio. The Drawing Studio is one of the many venues to host their opening receptions on these first Saturdays.

There may be more students who have spent their Monday morning in a traffic court hearing than have spent a Saturday evening taking in Tucson’s art scene. Gallery hopping may not be the first thing that comes to mind in terms of desirable ways to spend a Saturday night.

Keep in mind, though, that most of the artists’ receptions are open from around 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; there is plenty of time to fit in a little culture before the weekend really begins.