Downtown Lansing 101 incorporated live entertainment, contests, give-aways and a scavenger hunt along Washington Square and the Stadium District.

Downtown Lansing Communications and Marketing Manager Cathleen Edgerly said the events weren’t just meant to get students to come to downtown Lansing, but an attempt to keep them coming back year-round.

“We want students to know that Lansing is somewhere they can invest their time,” Edgerly said. “We aimed to help students see that they can really create a life here in Lansing.”

Edgerly said there seemed to be a decent turnout, but whether or not the city’s goal of encouraging students to frequent Lansing that remains unclear.

“We weren’t really sure what to expect,” she said. “You’re never sure how it’s going to go over and how many people are going to show up.”

Cup of Dessert co-owner J.T. Dachtler, whose business participated in the event, said he didn’t see more of a student crowd than was typical of an average night, but enjoyed an influx of Lansing residents excited for the deals.

“We had a few students come out and check us out for the first time,” Dachtler said. “It was a good event… and it actually brought not just students, but a lot of the Lansing residents came out and took advantage of the business being open a little bit later.”

Troppo offered specialty cocktails for students 21 and up called “Troppotinis;” however, manager Zach Bellinger said it was hard to tell how many students actually came out.

“We had a lot of out-of-towners and a lot of young customers, but it’s hard to say if they were students,” Bellinger said. “We didn’t really experience a larger crowd than we’d normally see on a Friday night.”

Capital Area Transportation Authority, or CATA, Director of Marketing and Public Information Officer Laurie Robinson said the idea for First Fridays came about after CATA presented the concept to a group of local businesses and community leaders.

“The objective was to showcase the vibrancy of our community through a wide variety of entertainment, dining, shopping and cultural options available to Greater Lansing residents and visitors,” Robinson said. “The response was overwhelmingly positive.”

Although First Fridays and Downtown Lansing 101 were similar and separate events, Edgerly said it was important to hold them on the same day so that students could use the free transportation for both events.

“We really wanted to make students feel welcome in downtown Lansing and just expose them to all of the businesses that are available,” Edgerly said.