Downtown will be filled with hustle and bustle as the summer season starts with the 37th BB&T Concerts in the Park and the Gallery Hop.

The free concerts kicked off Wednesday with Mt. Victor Revue and will continue through Aug. 26. The Noon in June Concert Series will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. throughout June at Fountain Square Park. The Friday concerts start July 8 and will be from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Circus Square Park. There will be vendors and kids activities at all concerts. There will be a beer garden at the Circus Square concerts. For up-to-date information, visit the event’s Facebook page at facebook.com/bbtconcertsinthepark.

The free Gallery Hop will be from 5 to about 8 p.m. Friday. Most of the galleries are in the downtown area. For a map, visit bggalleryhop.com. There are also brochures at each venue.

Courtney Davis, Gallery Hop president and Concerts in the Park coordinator, said the June concerts give a different vibe than the other concerts.

“The Noon in June concerts are a little more low key and mostly bluegrass,” she said.

Musicians are excited to play at Concerts in the Park.

“It’s grown so much. We’re just just happy to be a part of it and glad it’s something people look forward and want to come to,” said Ernie Small of Ernie Small Blues Band and Mt. Victor Revue. “I think we’ve been a part of it for so long, I hope people enjoy hearing us and want to come see us.”

Small said the concerts will be in the SoKY Marketplace pavilion at Seventh Avenue and Center Street in case of rain.

“It’s a huge covered area,” he said. “It will be just like it is downtown, but it’ll be covered.”

There will be another difference to the concerts this year, Small said.

“We’ll have guest emcees to increase the entertainment value of the event,” he said.

Brandy Neelly, a Western Kentucky University senior, will sing at the event for the first time June 29.

“I think it’s a cool event where many artists can come together and show their talents and bring the community together,” she said.

Neelly, who has been singing since she was 9 years old, believes the event will help her career.

“It’s about getting my name out in Bowling Green. I think it’s going to be fun,” she said. “I’m expecting a lot of people to come out and hear some awesome music. I think that will be the best part for me.”

There are 15 places on the Gallery Hop. Some of the artists features include Aaron Perry and Casey Page at Ingen Gallery, Brook Hume at The A-Frame, Jonahs Coel and Jennifer Saltzman Bettersworth at Art Matters and the Artworks exhibit at WKU’s Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center. There will also be a mini art showcase in Stadium Park Plaza near Mariah’s, Davis said.

“You can see what some of the artists have been doing outside of the galleries,” she said.

There are five Gallery Hops each year. This is the second for this year.

— Follow features reporter Alyssa Harvey on Twitter @bgdnfeatures or visit bgdailynews.com.

•The Carmonas on Wednesday

•Matt Brandon on June 15

•Justin Rivers on June 22

•Brandy Neelly on June 29

•Old School on July 8

•Ernie Small Blues Band on July 15

•Andy & The Rockers on July 22

•Dizzorderly Conduct on July 29

•Tyrone Dunn & the Kin Folk on Aug. 5

•Nashvegas All Stars on Aug. 12

•Fatbox on Aug. 19

•Bueler’s Day Off on Aug. 26