Thousands of visitors are expected to descend upon Batavia this weekend as the Batavia Park District holds its annual Windmill City Festival from Friday through Sunday.

The majority of events will take place in and around the Peg Bond Center at 151 N. Island Ave. downtown. The fest will run from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Officials noted the event has a long history, dating back to 1956 when it was known as Boo Boo Days.

Gail Gaboda, creative communications specialist for the Batavia Park District, said the Windmill City Festival is now in its 47th year and that it remains the premier event the district offers each year.

“If you trace our history back, it started in 1956 as a sidewalk sale, organized by the Batavia Chamber of Commerce and was called Boo Boo Days and merchants sold discounted stock and provided a fun shopping experience,” Gaboda said. “Over the years, it grew and activities and refreshments were added to attract the shoppers, and in 1978 it was changed to the Windmill City Festival.

“This is something that we gear up for every year. It’s our signature event and people put this on their calendars,” Gaboda said.

Officials are expecting anywhere from 10,000 to 13,000 to attend this year.Once again, the event will offer three days of activities including food trucks and a beer garden open each day, live music nightly, a carnival that will be open each day on Houston Street, the popular golf challenge held at the Depot Pond and some new offerings that Gaboda said officials “hope will attract more people this year.”

“We’re having the beer tent again and Sturdy Shelter Brewing will be serving three different beers,” she said. “What we have new this year are two events that we hope will stir some good-natured competition among families or groups of friends.”

One of those will be a football toss to be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday as well as a Windmill City Bean Bag Tic-Tac-Toe competition at 2 p.m. on Sunday where, according to a press release from the park district, “participants take turns tossing bean bags onto a giant tic-tac-toe board, aiming to get three in a row with plenty of chances to win.”

“That game will see who has the best arm and will be played on a giant board and both the football and tic-tac-toe are free,” Gaboda said. “We also have a free friendship bracelet-making activity on Sunday from noon until 1 p.m. It’s a fun chance for the creatives to make a unique piece of jewelry.”

Gaboda said she believes music is one of the reasons “people come back every year and we have a great assortment of bands this year.”

“We have local favorites like Liz & Hala who do acoustic music as well as regional favorites like Sixteen Candles which is an ‘80s band,” she said. “We’re also having for the third year Radio Gaga. People look forward to them every year. It’s a Las Vegas-style production who play the hits of Queen and Lady Gaga.”

Other bands scheduled include The Fortunate Sons from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday (a Credence Clearwater Revival tribute band) and Libido Funk Circus from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Sunday will feature Totally Taylor, a Taylor Swift tribute band, from 1 to 3 p.m. as well as The Simple Remedy, playing a mix of country, Americana and soul music, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Gaboda said the event includes a carnival and other activities including a pet competition on the main stage on Saturday at noon, as well as a sidewalk chalk art contest that will be offered on the same day from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the South Riverwalk Plaza. “In the evenings, there’s the beer tent still going on and the music is a big draw,” she said.

Organizers are also offering for the second year a special SootheSpace Tent – “a safe sensory space for recentering” – that is being provided by Fox Valley Special Recreation Association and is open to everyone.

The tent will be located behind the Peg Bond Center adjacent to the playground.

“It’s for anyone that needs a little break from obviously what is a big festival,” Gaboda said.

For a full festival schedule, go to www.windmillcityfest.org/full-festival-schedule.

Along with the fest, the downtown area this weekend will celebrate the historic roots of Boo Boo Days, dating back to the 1950s and ‘60s, with vintage storefront ads, sidewalk sales, retro cocktail specials and a social media contest.

For more information, go to DowntownBatavia.com or contact Batavia MainStreet at 630-761-3528 or info@downtownbatavia.com.