WHEELING — What started as a creative idea to attract people downtown in celebration of West Virginia Day quickly grew into a first-of-its-kind music festival backed by a herd of community support.

Jamboree City Wheeling W.Va. takes place Saturday, with nearly two dozen musical acts performing at venues throughout downtown Wheeling and Centre Wheeling. And it’s all free.

Joe Beers, general manager of The Bridge Tavern, collaborated with local small-business owners Peyton Bourgeois of Two Times: Clothing & Collectibles and Nic Provenzano of Outdated Threads on the idea for the event. Bringing in Aaron Varlas of Hollar Merch and assistance from Mike Carl of The Bridge Tavern, the team sought support from others in town to put it together.

They got it — in a big way.

The concept for Jamboree City grew out of a St. Patrick’s Day weekend bar crawl this spring that Bourgeois and Provenzano helped organize. Beers said they expected to attract around 20 to 30 participants for the “Green Mile” bar crawl. Instead, they saw a steady stream of revelers throughout the day, making it a popular success.

“It was fun,” Beers said, noting that after that weekend they began organizing a similar event to celebrate West Virginia Day on June 20. “We had our first meeting on March 29. We went around town and basically called all of our friends, and it ended up becoming this giant, citywide festival.”

The team collaborated with local business owners, sponsors and musicians who quickly embraced the concept.

Beers said a key goal was to spread performances among multiple venues, giving visitors the opportunity to map out their own route through the city based on a carefully planned schedule.

Making money was never the goal, he noted.

“We want to drive business to downtown Wheeling,” he said. “Our businesses will be busy that day, but this isn’t for us to fill our own pockets. The intention is to have a day to celebrate West Virginia and hopefully drive a lot of people into town.”

Thanks to sponsors, all of the performers will be paid their asking rates. Visitors, however, won’t pay admission at any venue.

Other hired professionals also will be working that day, but other than the creative talent hired for the festival, organizers have volunteered their time.

“We have about 10 photographers — some coming from Indianapolis, Columbus and Pittsburgh — to just come and document the whole day,” Beers said. “They’re all great. I’m really excited to see them.”

Beers explained the name Jamboree City Wheeling W.Va. came from brainstorming sessions focused on Wheeling’s musical heritage.

“Wheeling has such a rich musical history,” said Beers, who works beneath the glow of the giant neon guitar on the side of The Bridge Tavern. “We’re paying homage to what the word ‘Jamboree’ means to the Wheeling area. It catches the eye of people in the city.”

The name is woven into the fabric of local music history through events such as Jamboree In The Hills, the Wheeling Jamboree and the Victoria Jamboree.

“You can’t tell the history of Wheeling without mentioning the name ‘Jamboree,'” Beers said. “You know how Nashville calls itself the ‘Music City.’ We want to be the Jamboree City. That was the conversation we had. We were trying to think of something to name this, and we just thought it was a cool thing.”

The lineup represents an eclectic mix of genres, including country, rock, hip-hop and more.

“We have everything people want to hear,” Beers said.

The event also highlights the city’s walkability, particularly as the Downtown Streetscape Project nears completion after years of construction.

Participating venues include The Bridge Tavern, The Urban Collective, River City, Waterfront Hall, Centre Market and Esoterica. Nail City Record kicked things off Friday night with a pre-party featuring two live performances.

Beers added that the event showcases the potential of Wheeling’s PODA (Private Outdoor Designated Area) district, which allows pedestrians to carry alcoholic beverages in approved to-go cups between participating businesses.

The entire Jamboree City footprint lies within the city’s PODA district.

“That’s a huge asset, not only to our day-to-day operations, but also, it’s so inviting to bring people to Wheeling and have them be able to walk from place to place,” Beers said. “The PODA really gives everyone the sense of a walkable community.”

For those who prefer not to walk between venues, IC Cab will offer free transportation throughout the day.

“We encourage people to walk,” Beers said. “But if patrons want to go directly from the north end of downtown to Centre Market without walking the entire way, they can jump in a cab.

“It’s just a really cool way to celebrate West Virginia and Wheeling’s history,” he continued. “And it costs nothing. Come and see downtown Wheeling if you haven’t seen it in a while. The Streetscape is done and it looks great. If you want to come down here and not spend a dime, you can do that. Everything is completely free. If you want to buy food or support a local business or shop at Centre Market or anything like that, you can. But in terms of just coming and enjoying the community, it’s all completely free, so anyone can come and enjoy it.”

For more information, visit the event’s official social media pages.