Downtown Fridays will return to Santa Maria on Friday for its 11th year, with a new location along McClelland Street downtown.

The family-friendly event will be held Fridays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on a closed portion of McClelland Street between the Santa Maria Public Library and Boone Street, about two blocks from its original location at Town Center West. Admission is free.

Organizers said this year’s event will run for 27 consecutive weeks through Sept. 25, featuring a rotating group of more than 70 vendors, including 25 food trucks, retail businesses and nonprofits.

“The energy is so much fun. It’s a ton of families that come out and you get to meet a lot of great people,” said event organizer Ed Carcarey.

Carcarey said the move to McClelland Street has been a long time coming.

“We’ve tried for years to move from the parking lot. Not that we weren’t grateful for having it, it’s actually a really good location, good visibility from Broadway and Main Street,” he said. “But it’s in a parking lot.”

McClelland Street offers a setting that Carcarey said is better suited for the kind of community event organizers have long envisioned.

“[McClelland] is a really good street for events,” he said. “It’s extra wide. There’s grassy areas, palm trees, shady areas, and it’s surrounded by parking.”

In addition to the vendors, Carcarey said attendees can expect many of the same attractions, including a beer garden, live music and a kids area with a bounce house and face painting.

Nearby parking will be available at the Santa Maria Courthouse, 312 E. Cook St., the Santa Maria Public Library, 421 S. McClelland St., and the Town Center mall parking lot at McClelland and Cook, about a block and a half from the event site.

Carcarey said organizers maintain waitlists for both food and non-food vendors, and those interested in participating can contact him at edcarcarey@yahoo.com.

More information, including a list of live bands performing each week can be found on the Downtown Fridays website.