Organizers of First Fridays in the Crossroads Arts District said patrons should expect slight changes in the monthly outdoor street event Friday.

Art vendors will be relocated from the sidewalks to five alleys throughout the district. The alleys will be adorned with Italian-style string lighting and traditional autumn decor, like pumpkins and corn stalks.

The food trucks, a longtime staple of the monthly event, will be along 18th Street between Cherry Street and Holmes Road, near the KCP&L substation park.

The event closes at 9 p.m. and organizers say they hope the streets are clear of pedestrian traffic by 10 p.m.

“I think it is going to be really fun,” said Jeff Owens, vice president of the Crossroads Community Association and chairman of First Fridays. “This could work a lot better and be more fun.”

While First Fridays is a year-round event, Owens said October will be the last time organizers will create an outdoor infrastructure for the food trucks, street vendors and performers this year.

The changes arrived two months after the shooting death of 25-year-old Erin Langhofer at a First Friday gathering on Aug. 2. Langhofer was an innocent bystander, police said.

Last month, organizers said their inability to obtain insurance forced them to implement several temporary changes to the monthly gathering.

Food trucks were not permitted, while art vendors and performers on streets and sidewalks were relocated to a designated area within the district.

The result of the changes resulted in a smaller crowd at the First Friday event in September.

Since then, Owens said he and other First Friday organizers have met and worked with Kansas City police and Kansas City officials to enhance public safety and improve foot traffic.

“We did this so it would be easier and to make it safer,” he said. “On top of that, it works better because we had so many people, vendors and visitors on the sidewalk at the same time.”

The sidewalk congestion often forced pedestrians onto the streets.

The monthly festival began about 20 years ago and focused on art galleries located in the Crossroads district. Over the years, food trucks, vendors and street performers became part of the event, with more people milling about the area.

“The fact that we could stand out there on a First Friday and see 20,000-plus folks all having a blast with smiles on their faces is an incredible experience,” Owens said. “So it is just keeping the right crowd and the purpose of why they are here in mind.”