BIDDEFORD — In June, La Kermesse Franco-Americaine festival will takes place for the 32nd year. This year’s traditional festival will see a slew of changes.

Time and place are just some of the shifts from previous years. The event will also be more family-focused and kid-friendly, said Kermesse Executive Board President Jessica Quattrone.

For more than two decades, the festival was held at St. Louis Field.

However, because of grounds problems and the need to use that field for youth sports activities, the festival has bounced around since 2010, when it was held at the Biddeford Ice Arena. For the last several years, it has taken place in Mechanics Park in downtown Biddeford.

This year, the event will take place at a practice field at the Biddeford Intermediate School.

In January, the school committee members gave the green light for the festival to be held on school grounds.

“I liked the idea of a downtown festival,” said Mayor and School Committee Chairman Alan Casavant, but the Mechanics Park location “was difficult to get to, there was a lack of parking and it disrupted businesses.”

The BIS practice field, which won’t be used by sports programs until the fall, is a good solution, he said.

“I think they found a great place,” said Delilah Poupore, executive director of the downtown revitalization organization Heart of Biddeford.

The organization began its involvement with the festival when it was held at Mechanics Park, and it will continue to help out in the new location.

Although La Kermesse won’t be in the downtown this year, Poupore said, “Any festival in Biddeford is great for the community and brings more people to Biddeford.”

Quattrone said she’s hopeful that all goes well and that the BIS field can become the festival’s permanent home.

In order to ensure any field damage can be corrected, she said, the festival board has taken out a $20,000 surety bond, which it has done for the past several years.

To allow more of buffer between the time school ends and when the set up for the festival begins, the date for La Kermesse has also changed.

Normally it takes place the third weekend of June; this year, it will take place the fourth weekend, from June 26-29.

Because the festival will take place on school grounds, tobacco, alcohol and gambling will not be allowed on the field. This will be a big change, said Quattrone; the elimination of alcohol sales and gambling means thousands of dollars in lost revenue. However, she said, she hopes this change will pay off in the long run. She hopes to attract new visitors who may have been turned off from the festival in the past because of drinking and gambling on the premises.

She hopes the changes attract more families and young people to the festival, said Quattrone. To that end, more events for children and young people are in the works. For instance, a ride company has already signed up that will provide entertainment for children.

The search is also on for a petting zoo.

Quattrone said she plans to reach out to other organizations that work with children to provide other entertainment during the festival. She also wants to have more events for teens, such as a dance.

Some of the new activities that will take place this year haven’t even been determined yet, said Quattrone.

She said she assigned her board members homework this week, asking them to think about “what makes you go to other fairs,” and hopes they will come back with imaginative ideas they can try out.

Although there will be changes, some of the popular events of the past will still take place.

The Friday night parade is a go. As are fireworks on Saturday, although they will be by at the festival grounds instead of in the downtown.

And, of course, there will be French entertainment. Some past events that have been eliminated may even make a comeback, she said.

Executive Board Treasurer Paul Gagne said there will be people doing genealogy at least for one family, and maybe helping out some others.

One remnant of the past that might not prove popular is that festival will go back to a paid admission.

This is necessary, said Quattrone, because last year’s free admission for most events was a financial disaster. Advanced tickets ”“ $12 for the entire weekend ”“ will go on sale soon at local businesses. During the event, tickets will be $5 per day.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.