The streets of Welch Avenue will be silent this weekend — all the fun has moved a block north.

In the absence of Veishea, another celebration will be taking place near Friley and Helser Halls — Springfest.

As part of Springfest, radio station KURE 88.5 FM has organized Battle of the Bands. A total of 20 bands vied for spots on stage, and the final 10 bands have been chosen.

Anne Greenwood, general manager of KURE, is in charge of organizing the Battle of the Bands this year. Traditionally, Battle of the Bands had been organized by the Veishea committee.

“We’ve always been a part of Veishea Battle of the Bands, always there with DJs and our equipment, but it’s different when we’re actually planning it,” she says.

To keep the audience engaged between sets, Greenwood says a series of activities has been planned.

“We’ll have cakewalks, eating contests, a music montage, and there are a few more games in the works,” she says. “There will be a contest for the most creative cake by KURE DJs and contests ‘inspired’ by popular movies and television.”

This is the first year Battle of the Bands is independent of Veishea.

“We hope this becomes an annual tradition for KURE,” Greenwood says.

Even though Iowa State is used to having a battle of the bands for Veishea, Greenwood says this year’s battle on campus is unique.

“They all have [Iowa State] connections; everyone is students or members of the community — no ringer bands,” she says.

Because of the number of bands, each will be given 25 minutes to show off its stuff.

The limited time slot might prevent bands from delivering long, epic performances.

But this doesn’t seem to faze Jeremy Hilbert, bassist and vocalist of Red Letter Casino. He is excited about what his band might be able to do for the audience.

“The number of songs we will play is irrelevant — what matters is that you better bring a second pair of socks to the battle in the anticipation your first pair will be rocked off,” he says.

Everyone on stage will be competing against fellow students and members of the community, a fact that is interesting considering the perception many people have about Ames.

“ISU specializes in hogs, computers and engineering,” Hilbert says.

“The more creative outlets there are affiliated with the university, the better,” says Andy Visser, a member of Escape the Floodwater.

Noah Wiese, guitarist and cellist of the band Hum-Digga, describes his band’s sound.

“We play a devastatingly gorgeous mix of folk, blues and other stuff.”

The description is a sharp contrast to Hilbert’s description of his band.

“We sound like Weezer, The Pixies and Interpol on anti-depressants,” he says.

The genres of music are wide-ranging and well represented, said Rob McMahon, public relations director for KURE.

“We have a diverse range of bands — jug bands to indie pop to metal to the blues and folk,” he says.

Who: KURE Battle of the Bands

Where: Union Drive Stage between Helser and Friley halls

When: 4 p.m. Saturday

Cost: Free