Families filled Boston Avenue for food, carnival rides, games and fun on Thursday.

Over at the carousel ride Michael Perez, 3, and Aaliyah, 5, a Langham Elementary School student, smiled as they went round and round while mom Sandra Hernandez watched. The children’s aunt Gessel Hernandez was also on the sidelines as well as Isaiah Hernandez.

Children also lined up to for a chance at games and prizes.

Paisley Lenz, 8, walked away with seveal large stuffed animals with hanging out with grandmother Mary Lenz, great-grandmother Gloria Jacobs and Presley Cagle, 4.

Overcast skies and wind were on hand Thursday but the forecast for fun looks to be promising, too, as local news reports predict mostly sunny skies with little to no chance of rain. Warmer weather also bodes well for those attendees looking for more spring-like temperatures as the forecast calls for highs in the 70s and lows in the 60s.

“The Festival has been going very smooth,” Shannon Hemby, executive director of the Heritage Festival, said. “There are lots of people having a great time.”

Hemby said many festival-goers are looking forward to the weekend where the NHF will have the parade, the chili cook-off and the craft market.

In addition, she said she expected to see big crowds at the washer tournament on Sunday as well as large numbers of kids going for the crawfish race.

Saturday’s festivities start early, as cooking for the Chili Cook-off begins at 8 a.m. at 13^th Street and Boston Avenue. Judging will be at 1 p.m. Cups for unlimited tasting can be purchased for $3.

The Motorcycle & Car Show and the Art and Photography Show both start at 9 a.m. on Boston Avenue between 14^th and 15^th Street and the Nederland Police Department respectively.

The seminal Carnival, “Cuisine” Walk and Craft & Collectible Market all begin at 10 a.m. The Parade also starts at 10 a.m. and goes down Nederland Avenue from 21^st Street to 12^th Street all the way to Boston Avenue.

Characters in the Park will be open to children at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. near the kid rides.

Live music will be provided by Midnight River Choir from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Home Town Dealer Stage.

Sunday’s activities start at noon, with the Carnival running from noon to 6 p.m. and the Craft & Collectible Market running from noon to 5 p.m.

Registration for the Washer Tournament begins at 1 p.m. with the actual tournament starting at 2 p.m. at the Tex Ritter Park Pavilion.

The Crawfish Races start at 2 p.m. with registration at 1 p.m. The first heat will be in front of the NHF Stage.

Lorenzo Salinas contributed to this story