Kinston Summerfest is back and bigger than ever.

Bounce! will kick off the annual event, which starts Thursday at Pearson Park. Bounce!, a party band based out of Raleigh, is the first of six concerts held throughout the summer for the general public. Pride Executive Director Leon Steele said the lineup this year will have something for everybody.

“We have an awesome lineup that’s even better than the one from last year,” Steele said. “There’s more diversity in the groups in terms of demographic and music, which is a great thing, and the entertainment is wonderful.”

One of the groups, Big Joe Maher and The Dynaflows, will also bring a special guest.

“(Blues guitarist) Anson Funderbugh will be flying in from Dallas to perform with them, which is awesome,” Steele said. “Our goal is to keep evolving and growing this event over staying stagnant.”

Admission is free, and there will be vendors on hand throughout the event.

“Pride of Kinston will be selling Pepsi products, beer and wine, and the proceeds will go toward Downtown Kinston revitalization,” Steele said. “There are also vendors selling things such as snowcones and popcorn, and there will be someone selling jewelry this year as well. We’re also looking to help the ‘Lucky Cats’ group with a cat food drive, so we encourage citizens to bring a can or case of cat food.

“We’re thankful for our wonderful sponsors, who allow us to put this together as a gift to the community. People can come to Kinston and see high-quality bands without having to pay — the money may not always be there to pay for the events, so this is a way to provide great entertainment for free.”

Outside beverages are not permitted. In case of a rain-out, the event will be moved indoors to The Red Room with no cover charge.

Here’s the list of bands for the Kinston Summerfest. Each event will run from 7-9 p.m.:

• June 13: Bounce!

• June 27: Big Joe Maher and The Dynaflows

• July 4: Trainwreck

• July 18: Main Event

• Aug. 1: Liquid Pleasure

• Aug. 15: North Tower