Students waking up Saturday morning will arise to find the town of Hanover transformed into an outdoor bazaar.
The 17th Hanover Street Fest will kick off its activities at 10 a.m.
"People from 25 different towns in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts will be here," said Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce Information Booth Manager Everett Wood. "If the weather is good, it's just crowded."
The Street Fest, which encompasses Lebanon and Allen Streets, will begin in front of the Hanover Inn on Main Street and continue for three blocks up to the Fleet Bank, according to Wood. All three streets will be closed off to traffic.
Live entertainment will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the Oom Pahs band, who will walk through the streets playing their instruments. Clowns and jugglers will also tour the streets throughout the day.
Eight Upper Valley radio stations will broadcast the event live from local businesses.
An international food garden, located in the middle of South Street at the intersection of Allen Street and the Town Hall, will sell food during the day.
"We've done this every year for the last 14 years," said Everything But Anchovies owner Charlie Dowd. "We are going to grill hamburgers and sell pizza by the slice."
Dowd said the Street Fest is an economic boom for local restaurants and merchants.
"For retailers this is the biggest day of the year short of Christmas," he said.
Carol Robert, owner of sporting goods store Omer & Bob's, agreed.
"This is our biggest day, bar none," she said. "We have tons and tons of stuff, and we usually offer at least 50 percent off."
Robert said most of the merchandise her store will sell during the Street Fest will be ski equipment and clothing from the past winter.
Dowd said the event is targeted at families, but students might be attracted by the reduced prices retailers plan to offer.
"There are a bunch of good deals," he said. "It is sort of like a fair without the rides."
Admission and parking at the Street Fest is free.
The Street Fest will conclude at 5 p.m after a performance by Douglas the Magnificent Magician in the Town Hall Plaza.
