Four hours, 38 local businesses, one awesome night out.

Thursday night, from 4 to 8 p.m., downtown Washington is the place to be, as local merchants host the second annual Girls Night Out Fall Crawl. From Gladden Street to Bonner Street, downtown will be alive with special sales, giveaways, live music, wine and beer tastings and dining opportunities.

Now in its second year, the Fall Crawl was the brainchild of sisters Landis Pinkham and Brooke Newman, proprietors of Cottage Junkies and The Graceful Goose. As the 2017 holiday season approached, the two wanted to do something to get Washingtonians in the spirit of the season.

“We decided to put on something before the holidays to get everyone in the holiday spirit and kick off holiday shopping,” Pinkham said.

From that idea, the holiday kickoff snowballed into the Fall Crawl, building to include a wide variety of businesses. With a number of new businesses opening up downtown both last year and this year, the event also is an opportunity for exposure for those just getting started.

“The way the Fall Crawl is set up, it gets people to go into these businesses that they might not necessarily go into on a regular day,” Newman said. “A lot of times when people shop downtown, they come downtown, hit up those and then leave when there is a lot more that is offered that might appeal to them.”

At each participating business, participants can pick up a check sheet with a list of all the stores and restaurants taking part in the event. After visiting each location on the sheet, shoppers will be entered in a drawing to win a variety of prizes donated by those businesses.

By encouraging participants to visit new businesses and rediscover old favorites, the event serves as a chance for downtown merchants to show off the best of what they have to offer. By banding together to put on a collective event, Newman says that the Fall Crawl is good for downtown as a whole.

“I think everybody participating in this event shows community over competition,” Newman said. “I think it shows with all the merchants participating, everybody just wants something successful to show off our downtown. We’re hoping for a good turnout this year.”

Participating stores include Cottage Junkies, The Graceful Goose, Market Street Massage, Shep’s, Rachel K’s Bakery, Art On Market by Kay Woolard, The Wine Crate, Sam’s Rustic Shop, Lone Leaf Gallery, Down on Mainstreet, Nauti Life, Russell’s, The Purple Plume, Stewart’s Jewelry Store, River Walk Gallery, The Southern Nest, Bardot, Art Tyndall Gallery, Lemonade Gallery, South Market Antiques and Little Shoppes, The River Girl, The Knotty Mane, Tantalize, Lady J. Boutique, Esthetic Complexions Day Spa, Special Events at 158, Eva’s Creation, The Lash Studio, Parlor A Hair Studio, Studio 111 Hair and Nails, Secret Garden Gallery, The Contemporary Art Exchange, Southern Grace Boutique, Patty Cakes (Inside G.W. Walker and Sons), Copper Canyon Spa, The Bank Bistro, Grub Brothers and Diversion Escape Rooms.