This Friday night, four parked cars morphed into tiki bars, demolition cars and bedazzled auto canvasses will call Eighth Street and Penn Avenue home.With initial popularity in the Southern United States, these artists aim to increase mobile art interest in the Northeast, debuting at Pittsburgh’s quarterly Gallery Crawl. “They [patrons] are probably going to wonder why. Why would you do that to a car?” said Jason Sauer of Pittsburgh Art Car in a phone interview on Thursday. “Hopefully people will recognize the preciousness and uniqueness of changing their cars.”  On Sept. 27, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will host 2013’s final Gallery Crawl. This free event runs from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.New this year is the “Art Car Round Up” featuring “Mobile Masterpieces” by art car artists Sauer, Greg Phelps, Melanie Harris and Clarke Bedford.Phelps’ “That Car #3” is a newer vehicle, bejeweled and covered with stickers. Harris will showcase her “Tiki Car” while Sauer’s car embodies a demolition vibe. The exhibit will conclude with Bedford’s award-winning “Vanadu,” a van covered in assorted metal objects.“Six or seven years ago, people probably saw art cars thinking it was a passing fad,” Sauer said. “I believe these people did not realize it is a part of people’s lives, part of their daily commute. They have a car that is funky, unique and represents their personality. That is something we most want and absolutely encourage.”The night of the Gallery Crawl also marks the launch of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. Cultural District businesses signal their participation with custom stop signs at their doors. According to the festival’s website, for 16 days international artists will have the opportunity to premiere their work in the United States. “The Rubber Duck Project”by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’swill kick off the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. The 40-foot-high Rubber Duck has been navigating international waters and will make its U.S. debut by the Roberto Clemente Bridge. It will be displayed on the North Shore until 10 p.m. on Sept. 27 before floating to Point State Park where it will be moored for a few weeks.A bridge party hosted by local radio station KISS FM will announce its arrival.“As soon as I saw an email blast from the Sydney [Australia] Festival [with pictures of the duck] I envisioned it on the rivers coming to the Point,” said Paul Organisak vice president of programming at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in a Friday afternoon phone interview. “What I love about the duck is how many people it brings together. It will have a huge economic impact not just for this Friday, but the whole time it is here.”“[The rubber duck] is a huge gift to the city of Pittsburgh and the Trust; it is a phenomenal way to launch this festival,” Organisak said. “We are anxiously waiting to see how many people will attend; it might be the largest crowd.”The pieces involved in the festival, such as the rubber duck, challenge the traditional art forms and promote audience connection. Organisak referred to the duck as “a community engagement project.”Another art exhibit that encourages audience participation is Hive, an exhibit to be featured at Wood Street Galleries by Austrian artist Kurt Hentschläger.“An immersive environment is an art piece that is catered to the totality of the experience,” said Murray Horne, Curator- Wood Street Galleries during a Wednesday afternoon interview in his office. “You have to be involved. You are not a passive observer.”The exhibit includes wearing 3D glasses to watch images projected into silver screens. Cultural district businesses other than art galleries look forward to the crawl each year as well.Tonic, a bar and grill at 971 Liberty Ave. participated in the crawl for the past three years. This year, they will feature a variety of photography accompanied with live music from the modern jazz band Stranger Convention. “People can have dinner and our signature drinks while enjoying art,” said Krystal Shannon, a manager at Tonic in a Tuesday phone interview. “We participate because we are part of the Cultural District, and I can see us continuing to participate in the future.”“Gallery crawls benefit the patrons by opening up many district venues and art offerings free of charge,” said Darcy Kucenic, manager of education and operations for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in a phone interview on Friday. “It is like an open house of the cultural district.”For more information on the Gallery Crawl and a mobile map of all attractions visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website.