London can be a hostile place, but add a touch of sun, free art and cheap beer and the transformation can be quite extraordinary! That’s the effect of First Thurdays; a late night art event which sees more than 100 galleries and museums in east London open their doors until 9pm on the first Thursday of each month (get it?!).

Having heard about this mythical event, I set out with a friend one balmy May evening, clutching a map of the venues I had pinpointed for a visit printed from the website. Meeting at Bethnal Green tube, we head in the direction of Vyner Street, a road well-known for its galleries, but before we get to our destination, we stumble across our first First Thursdays stop – well, when I say stumble it was hardly difficult to miss. Using the exterior as an extension of her exhibition Real Phoney, New York artist Sinta Tantra had covered the walls of the monikabobinska gallery in a vividly coloured three-dimensional pink mural. The gathering of happy, smiley, people congregating outside was also a dead giveaway – and that’s the beauty of First Thursdays – people!

People help defuse what can otherwise been an intimating experience – stepping into a gallery (beer at £2 a pop helps too). The other key pulling point is it unlocks a whole secret underworld. What were once closed unassuming doors are now flung open and inviting you in.

After a quick chat with Sinta (that’s another tick for First Thursdays, access to the artists), we take a leisurely stroll to Vyner Street, which has the look and feel of a good old East End street party. My carefully-planned map is all but discarded now, as a dozen neon gallery signs call to us in all directions, not to mention the pub brimming with relaxed punters.

We get started at DegreeArt.com, where William Nixon is showing his debut solo show, Lost Britain. Images of colourful beach huts and sad-looking seaside entertainment halls offer a nostalgic look at a once British ideal as William (and his dog) mingle.

Next, we pop into a group show, The Hidden Land, at the Nettie Horn gallery and get hypnotised by an electric guitar rotating on the wall.

A stone’s throw away is VINESpace, where we pick up an official First Thursdays map and lap up Neil Drabble’s photographic piece Roy. An eight-year collaboration, the documentary-style portrait of a boy approaching manhood has attracted an impressive crowd, as each image is scrutinised and discussed, not least by the artist himself, who is more than willing to shed some light.

A few more galleries later and our art-crawl is coming to an end, but with close to 80 galleries still to cross off, we will be coming back again next month!

The next First Thursday event is on Thursday, June 4, 6-9pm. A free curator-led bus tour operates from the Whitechapel Gallery. Details: www.firstthursdays.co.uk