Downtown’s newest summer festival is hoping to be an instant classic.

Gates open at 1 p.m. Saturday for Downtown Crawfish and Music Festival on Walnut Street directly behind The Vicksburg Apartments, said Steve Drumm, one of the event organizers. 

Admission is $20, and crawfish will be on sale for $10.

Children younger than 12 will be admitted free.

“I would love for it to be an annual event downtown,” Drumm said. “We would like to see it become kind of a RiverFest event for a different demographic of people.”

In addition to the crawfish, burgers, beer and other fare will be available.

Music begins at 2 p.m. with the Tallulah band Silo, who recently had a record release party at the Strand Theater. Other acts include Kim Warren, Tupelo’s Crashing Broadway and headliner Haystack.

‘We’re going to have a lot of stuff going on,” Drumm said.

The festival will wrap up by 8 p.m., allowing patrons to visit downtown attractions.

“I want it to be done and over with before it gets dark and have a chance to go downtown, eat the restaurants and go to the bars down there,” Drumm said.

If the event is a success, it will continue next year as a way to draw residents downtown in the early summer, Drumm said.

“We noticed that there’s no event to get people downtown during the month of June. Every other month has something,” he said.

Tickets are available at 1311 Washington Street or online at www.eventscreamer.com.