Harbour Nights has been expanded to include Reid and Queen Streets, and instead of live entertainment at the Flagpole, busker-style entertainment will be featured in multiple locations.It is hoped the changes announced by the Chamber of Commerce yesterday will breathe new life into the event, which was in danger of being scrapped this year.The Washington Mall, for one, is “excited” to be included in Harbour Nights this year and said they will be open Wednesday nights.“We have been speaking to the Mall tenants on an individual basis and have received an enthusiastic response from many of the retailers and restaurants regarding the changes in Harbour Nights,” said Paul Slaughter, general manager at Washington Properties.The head of AS Cooper’s stores also welcomed the changes to the annual Wednesday night street festival.“I support the changes as I believe that although Harbour Nights brought people to town, it recently had lost some of the cultural relevance it established in the early days,” Somers Cooper said.“Without a cruise ship docked in town it certainly needed re-engineering to appeal to a broader cross section of locals, tourists and sponsors, many of whom had been ‘under-whelmed’ over the last few years”Mr Cooper added: “I am very happy that the Chamber decided not to scrap Harbour Nights. They are devoting a lot of effort and resources to make it a success once again.”The Chamber of Commerce yesterday announced that along with Front Street, Reid and Queen Streets will this year also be closed to traffic during the Wednesday night festival.And, in response to feedback from the stakeholder groups, the Chamber said the entertainment format was changed.Instead of the big production numbers at the Flagpole there will be “more intimate busker style entertainment scattered along the route”, the Chamber said.Island Restaurant Group’s Philip Barnett said he also welcomed the changes, but would like to see Government put on later ferries from Dockyard on Wednesday nights so cruise passengers could stay longer.“On the whole I think that the continuation of Harbour Nights is a positive thing for the City, and quite frankly Bermuda,” said Mr Barnett, co-chair of the Chamber restaurant division.“I have said for a while that we as locals perhaps have gotten a little jaded about Harbour Nights, however I have talked to many tourists who experience it for the first time, and their comments are usually exceedingly positive. What they like the most about it is that it is a truly unique local event.”He added: “I am hopeful that the changes will draw even more folks into the city for Wednesday nights, and if I had one wish it would be for Marine and Ports to facilitate more ferry lift in from Dockyard on Wednesday nights until a later time, so that tourists off the cruise ships can linger a little longer instead of having to rush back early on the last ferry.”The annual event this year will begin Wednesday, May 1 and will run through until August 28.In announcing the changes, Chamber executive director Joanne MacPhee said: “Historically, the event has always been restricted to Front Street, but this year it will also incorporate Reid and Queen Streets.”She said Front and Reid Street will both be pedestrianised between Burnaby Hill and Queen Street, and Queen will be closed between Front and Church Street.“This will give all merchants within the new footprint the opportunity to participate and in doing so bring the entire city to life,” she said.Another significant change is the return to a more culturally focused approach to the event, the Chamber said.Explained Mrs MacPhee: “Harbour Nights is the place where Bermudians and visitors connect, and we want everyone to enjoy a truly authentic Bermudian experience, so we are going to focus even more attention on our rich heritage and culture.“We are delighted to be collaborating with the Department of Community & Cultural Affairs this year and with their support, each week we will be showcasing local ‘Tradition Bearers’, the men and women who keep our heritage alive.“We will also be picking up on the Department’s theme for Heritage Month the ‘Sights Sounds and Colours of Bermuda’ and carrying this forward throughout the season. “She added: “Similarly, our vendors have been asked to stay true to the spirit of the event and we will only be allowing them to sell goods which have been made in or for Bermuda. We even have a new food vendor who will focus entirely on Bermudian fare.”Mrs MacPhee said she acknowledged that not everyone was going to be happy with the new approach but she believed that the changes were in the best interest of the majority and needed if the event was to survive.“At the end of last season we were not even sure we would continue with Harbour Nights,” she said. “After 20 years some felt the event had run its course, but after talking to the key stakeholders, including our sponsors, it was agreed that the signature event must go on, but we also agreed that in order to do so it needed to change.“So an executive committee, chaired by our President Ronnie Viera, was formed and we have been working behind the scenes for months to determine the best way forward. We truly believe that the new approach is what is needed to revitalise the event but in the end it will be up to the public to decide.”The Chamber had put off the official launch of the Harbour Nights plans this month pending the meeting of the executive members.Some in the retail/restaurant industry were concerned, among other issues, about including Reid Street in the festivities.The Chamber said it will be holding a press conference nearer to the launch date, to outline the various changes in more detail.Harbour Nights runs from 7pm to 10pm. Anyone interested in participating in Harbour Nights is asked to call Mrs MacPhee at the Chamber 295-4201.