First CBGB Festival to take place in N.Y.

NEW YORK, July 5 (UPI) -- Superchunk, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Duff McKagan's Loaded are among the bands booked to perform at the first CBGB Festival in New York.

Organizers said Thursday The Hold Steady, Upper West, Zulu Wave and GLINT will also headline the free concert in Times Square Saturday.

Featuring more than 300 bands, the festival will feature live music performances on multiple stages, film premieres and screenings, rock 'n' roll comedy and conference panels at 40-plus venues from Thursday to Sunday.

The event is intended to "stay true to the original mission of the CBGB & OMFUG club that once lived on the Bowery focusing on new music and emerging young bands," organizers said.

"In an effort to bring live music and concerts to the largest possible audience in the world, we proudly announce the details surrounding this historic free outdoor concert," Tim Hayes, one the owners of CBGB, said in a statement. "Anchored in Times Square and Central Park, the annual CBGB Festival will present hundreds of musicians, bands, movie premieres, comedy showcases, conferences and workshops in New York City each year."