Boulevardia 2017 kicked off on Friday at its new location inside the Stockyards District.
This year's event marks the fourth year for Boulevardia, which has previously been held in the area near 12th Street and Hickory Street in West Bottoms.
On Friday, staff at locally owned businesses inside the festival area knew the change in location could make for a big weekend.
"For us, I think it's great," explained Amigoni Winery owner Kerry Amigoni. "40,000 new people are going to walk by the sign that probably were never down here before."
With Amigoni Winery sitting right in front of where many people will enter this weekend, Amigoni told 41 Action News that the new location made for a much different weekend for her business than in previous years.
"In the past, Boulevardia was enough blocks away that we had no impact," she explained.
For other businesses, like Rockstar Burgers, the weekend served as a way to show off the Stockyards District and West Bottoms.
"Exposure is huge for us," said Paul Lewis, a manager at the one-year-old restaurant. "Everybody talks about us but nobody actually sees us or knows where we are."
Several people who attended Boulevardia on Friday night and spoke to 41 Action News said that the change of location made for a better event.
"There's more space to roam and more things to do," explained Kelsey Baska. "They were more limited where they were last year."
With 50,000 people expected to attend the festival this year, staff at locally owned businesses said they were ready for the special opportunity.
"We prepped for it. We're ready for it," explained Lewis. "We're staffed for it. We got everybody ready."
Boulevardia 2017 continues through Saturday.
Gates will open at 11 a.m. and close around 11 p.m.
