BAY ST. LOUIS Harbor Fest organizer Mike Rosato went before the City Council last night to say he’s working on rescheduling this year’s event to align with the opening of the harbor. But at this point, it’s too early to tell when the harbor will open.

“Touch and go” is how Rosato described it in his remarks about the second annual event. Last year’s festival was held over Memorial Day weekend.

He said the 2014 fest will serve as a “backdrop” for the official harbor ribbon cutting ceremony. Rosato envisions a kickoff party on the Friday night before the festival on Saturday.

With no firm date yet, Rosato said, this year’s fest will be free and will feature local talent rather than the New Orleans headliners who performed last year.

Rosato will sit down with the Harbor Commission next Tuesday to talk more about the arrangements.

Mayor Les Fillingame said everybody will “play it by ear this year” and that July 26 is the earliest possible date for the festivities so “all the kinks can be worked out.” He’s expecting state and federal dignitaries at the opening ceremony and wants the first impression of the harbor to be positive.

Meanwhile, during public comments, a couple of business owners voiced their concerns about Harbor Fest being held over Memorial Day because the holiday weekend is already packed with activities. Some merchants having been saying since last year that the festival would be better for them if it was held on a weekend when it would be the singular destination event.