MARIETTA — The 2012 season of the First Friday Art Walk begins tomorrow in Marietta Square, kicking off the fifth year for the event.

More than 30 galleries, museums, restaurants and boutiques will host artists within their businesses. The art walk will be held, rain or shine, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of every month through October.

Patrons can select a route or begin from Artists’ Alley. Look for “Art Walk” banners in the windows of participating venues. Maps are available at participating locations.

Between 1,000 and 1,500 people are drawn to the event each month, said Theresa Jenkins, director of the Marietta Welcome Center & Visitors Bureau.

“The first year we did it on a shoestring budget with very little advertising and promotion,” Jenkins said. “It caught on and then every year it grows more and more. It’s always a very busy night on the Square.”

The Artists’ Alley — an exhibit of juried artists showing handcrafted works — has moved indoors to a 3,000-square-foot warehouse space at Art Forum at DuPre’s Antique Market at 17 Whitlock Ave.

Jenny King runs J. King Artworks, an art studio, above the Australian Bakery Café at 48 South Park Square. This is the fourth year that the Impressionist oil painter and 1990 Pope High School graduate will be participating in the Art Walk.

“The people that drop by are buying directly from the artists,” King said. “Galleries are usually a 50/50 split or 60/40 on a good day. But I’m able to charge less and save people money (at Art Walk).”

Visitors to the Art Forum at DuPre’s Antique Market, 2 Rules Fine Art, Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art and Historic Marietta Trolley can register to win a “Hip to Be Square” $100 gift certificate redeemable at any participating merchant.

Parking is available on the Square, the Mill Street lot and Cherokee Street Parking Deck near the courthouse (free after 4:45 p.m.). The Historic Marietta Trolley will provide free shuttle service from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at all Art Walk stops, which will be marked with flags.