The event is being scaled back a bit this year to create a more attendee-friendly weekend for festival goers and neighborhood residents alike.

Steve Hostettler, owner of Gnome’s Nook, 1078 S. Gaylord St., and president of the Old South Gaylord Merchants Association, told The Profile, “We’ll have fewer vendor booths this year so we can open things up a bit and have comfortable seating areas up and down the block. We’re not targeting 30,000 people, but more like 8-9,000. We’re setting up an over-sized block party – not just tents. I think everyone would enjoy a more relaxed environment.”

As always, kids will be well served with a mix of mechanical rides and inflatables and, in a new twist, instead of bringing in outside food vendors, South Gaylord restaurants will be offering up their own festival treats out on the street, and guarantee plenty of great food and drink.

Also new this year, musical offerings will break free of the traditional pop/rock/country/blues mix, and focus on “100 percent percussion,” according to Hostettler. “We’re expecting Japanese Taiko drummers, African drummers, steel drums and more. We hope it will be something people are going to like.”

The weekend festivities will actually kick off late Saturday afternoon, May 24, when Washington Park Grille, a landmark at 1096 S. Gaylord St., celebrates its 20th anniversary with a street concert running 4-10p.m., featuring the bayou-tinged rock/funk/blues of The New Orleans Suspects. The Suspects are made up of members who play with, or have played with such well known bands as the Neville Brothers, The Radiators, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the James Brown Band.

Grille owner Jeff Estey told The Profile only the southern half of the block will be closed on Saturday night, with the stage set up on Mississippi Ave. “We’ll have some beer and spirits booths in the street, some food, and three opening bands – The Bumpers, The Wash Park All-Stars and another to be announced – with The Suspects closing things out. We appreciate the support we’ve had over the past 20 years and just want people to have a good time celebrating with us.”

Those wanting to continue the party can catch Ignatious Reilly inside the Grille starting at 10p.m.

For details about the Old South Gaylord Street Memorial Day Weekend Festival, call 303-997-7103. For the latest on Wash Park Grille’s anniversary street concert, call 303-777-0707.