Later this summer, Padanaram Village will be bursting with activity as the annual outdoor festival returns. What used to be a small sidewalk sale has evolved into Padanarama, a day of vendors, activities and sales.

“It’s been going on for about 30 years, and I was one of the people who started it,” said festival chairwoman Linda Hopps.

She and three others started the tradition in the late ‘70s. At the time, Hopps was in retail, managing a high-end clothing store, and she wanted to find a way to lure summer shoppers to the village.

“Originally, it was a way for the merchants to put their stuff out and have a sale. This is a very large summer community. It was our way getting the summer people to come and buy at a reduced price. But now it’s grown. We have all kinds of vendors,” she said.

Elm Street will be closed off that day from Prospect Street to Harbor Street to allow for foot traffic and places for shoppers to browse.

The stores along Elm will be open and offer sales and a variety of special services, and outside vendors have been invited to join in as well. The main requirement for vendors is that they produce wares that are handmade. In the past, stands have featured jewelry, refurnished antique furniture, pocketbooks, rope bracelets and soaps.

Last year the festival featured 21 vendors, and Hopps said the event has drawn bigger crowds over the last few years as business in Padanaram has picked up.

Mary-Carol Kate, who co-owns Village Gardens in South Dartmouth with her husband, John, has sold potted and hanging perennials and annual flowers at the festival for years.

“It’s always been a wonderful, hometown event that hasn’t changed at all. What I have seen is that it’s gotten bigger. There are more vendors, there’s food trucks. They’ve spread it out over the area,” said Kate.

She said that being a vendor is a great opportunity to catch up with neighbors and old friends.

“Even amongst the vendors, I’ve found over the years, that you get to know each other. It’s a fun day. You’re catching up with people,” she said.

This year, the planning committee will keep parents in mind, too.

“We’re going to have a kid’s zone, a petting zoo and pony rides,” said Hopps. “The YMCA is going to be here all day doing different activities. We’re going to have girls from New Bedford Vocational School doing face paint and hair.”

There will also be food vendors and live entertainment throughout the day. Proceeds from a 50/50 raffle will help support the village’s other big annual event: the Christmas Festival. The money will help offset the cost of adorning Elm Street with lights — and possibly beyond.

“First, we started out with no lights. Then people started putting lights up in their windows. Now we’re at the point where, from Prospect down, everybody has little white lights. This year we would like to extend it over the bridge if we can,” said Hopps.

This year’s Padanarama will take place on Elm Street on July 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.