San Diego’s bayfront may be roughly 1,800 miles from New Orleans, but on the weekend of May 6 through May 8, Spanish Landing Park will be transformed into a little bit of Louisiana for the 10th annual Gator by the Bay festival. The long, narrow park will host 85 Zydeco and blues artists on six stages, including sets from Elvin Bishop (“Fooled Around and Fell in Love”), Maria Muldaur (“Midnight at The Oasis”), Lazy Lester, Missy Anderson, Sue Palmer, Ryan Brunet and the Malfecteurs, Bill Magee and Eve Selis. Even with so much talent on hand, one of the key draws for the event is the vast array of Cajun culinary delights. “Food is integral. If we didn’t have Cajun food, we wouldn’t have a festival,” said Gator by The Bay talent buyer Peter Oliver. “From day one, food has been a primary ingredient of this festival; it has an equal weight in value to us as the music.” An estimated 8,000 pounds of crawfish is being brought in for the three-day run. Oliver said several other aspects of the event set them apart from the typical outdoor concert. A zydeco enthusiast, he said dancing is encouraged and free lessons are offered. “This festival was started by dancers,” he said. “Since (the beginning) we have been extremely sensitive to what dancers like, so we have always attracted dance bands. It’s not strictly dance, but we love the dancers.” While the film titles weren’t available at press time there will also be a Cajun and Zydeco short film festival on Friday and Saturday night. The event is expected to attract roughly 6,000 people a day, with an active organizing team of 20 people and volunteer base of 300. Oliver notes that Gator by the Bay has already doubled its 2010 hotel room occupancy, to 1,000. “We’ve got half a mile of bayfront water, so we’re showing San Diego in the best light, spreading the San Diego charm to our out-of-town visitors,” Oliver said. The event’s musical MVP will be legendary blues guitarist and North County resident, Johnny Vernazza, who will perform with both Bishop and Muldaur as part of Norton’s Knockouts. Vernazza has performed at Gator by the Bay many times, with an increased role since 2010 when he was instrumental in bringing bluesman Roy Rogers to the event. Meanwhile, the Knockouts is an all-star combo that includes Vernazza, bassist David Brown (Wilson Pickett, Greg Allman), drummer Tyler Eng (Greg Kihn, Charlie Musselwhite) and keyboardist Austin De Lone (Eggs Over Easy, Bonnie Raitt). Originally the backing musicians for harmonica player Norton Buffalo, the group decided to continue with an updated name following his death in 2009 and subsequent memorial concert. “When we were rehearsing for the show, we just thought, ‘This is fun. We’ve been playing together for this long. We should do some shows and keep Norton’s memory alive.’” Notably for this event, the band’s rhythm section has also worked with Muldaur, while all except De Lone have backed Bishop. Vernazza was guitarist with Bishop’s band during the 1970s, performing on his biggest hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.” This will be their first appearance on stage together since a 2008 Fire Victims Benefit concert in Lake Tahoe. Plans are already under way for 2012. While Gator by The Bay continues to grow in popularity — drawing bigger names and audiences — Oliver is happy to keep things at this level. “We never want it to be too crowded and thus far it never has been,” he said. Though there are bigger areas that could be used to stage the festival, Oliver said he’s pleased with the set up the way it is. “There’s a lot of room to move around because of the layout of the park. Every 200 feet there’s something going on,” he said. “With all the stages, the smell of food and the people, it’s impossible not to be entertained.” Gator by the Bay takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 6 through May 8 at Spanish Landing Park at Harbor Island. Tickets are $25 Friday; $30 on Saturday and Sunday. All ages. www.sandiegofestival.com.