http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-Wharf-Fest-stands-in-for-Fleet-Week-4928944.php

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

(10-26) 16:17 PDT San Francisco -- Waiting for her in-laws to finish their fish and crab lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, Nicole Gulla stood in the late morning sunshine, watching her 2-year-old bat a balloon around while her husband and older daughter played a game of catch. Behind her, taking over several blocks of Jefferson Street, were dozens of booths pushing tie-dyed shirts and Moroccan face creams, hand-crafted purses and the usual San Francisco tchotchkes. "It's cute," said Gulla, who'd come with her family from Sacramento for the day. "It feels like a real local vibe."

It's no Fleet Week, but this weekend's Wharf Fest hoped to be more than just cute. After government cutbacks forced the cancellation of the annual air and boat show - taking with it the tens of thousands of visitors that would typically swarm Fisherman's Wharf for prime viewing spots - merchants there put together the festival that they hoped would at least temper their losses.

Organizers were crossing their fingers for 60,000 to 80,000 visitors on Saturday and Sunday - about what they'd see in a typical weekend at the peak of tourist season.

"So far, so good," said Troy Campbell, executive director of the Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District. "We've always wanted to do something like this down here. When Fleet Week was canceled, it seemed like a good time."

The festival may become an annual event, Campbell added, although assuming Fleet Week returns as scheduled next October, Wharf Fest will probably take over a weekend earlier in the year. The neighborhood was crawling with tourists Saturday morning, although it was tough to tell if there were many more than the usual weekend throngs. Bikes swung in and out of the crowds and visitors strolled slowly among the booths, to the frustration of runners trying to make their way to the Embarcadero. Store and restaurant managers said it was too soon to tell whether their sales would see much of a boost over the weekend. "I don't know what the festival is going to do for us. It looks like the usual crowds to me," said Mike Guardino, manager of Guardino's at Taylor and Jefferson streets. "We love Fleet Week. Losing it really kicked our butt." He frowned at the chowder competition about to take place across the street from his small restaurant. "That might actually hurt us, because they have all that food out there," Guardino said. The food, and the cook-off in particular, did indeed seem to be a major draw of the festival. Pre-sale tickets for the chowder competition had sold out, and by noon tasters were lining up along Jefferson Street. Fernando Yan, head chef of Fisherman's Grotto #9, was nervously eyeing his chowder - all 50 gallons he'd made for the cook-off. Saturday was his first cooking competition, and he was nervous. "It's good people over there. Good chefs," he said with a nod toward the competition. Across the square from Yan, Steven Connolly, executive chef at the Blue Mermaid, had a touch more confidence. Whether Wharf Fest is a wild success or not, he said, the chowder competition should be an annual event. "Oh, we're going to win," Connolly said. "No doubt about it."