The organisers of the annual tournament shifted the event to early January last year in a bid to increase numbers.
It was also reduced from five days to three after feedback from participants.
It used to be held during the week with the finals on Friday, but this year it will embrace the weekend for the first time.
The organising committee chairman for the Kaikorai club, Pat O'Dea, told the Otago Daily Times from Arrowtown yesterday the club was pleased with the result last year and had made another subtle shift.
It worked last year with eight extra teams competing.
This raised the numbers to 30 and bucked the downward trend most events were experiencing.
"It's a full house this year with 42 teams," O'Dea said.
"It is the biggest Festival Fours since we took over."
The Kaikorai club has surveyed bowlers over the last two years to find out what they wanted.
"We now have a format that suits most bowlers," O'Dea said.
"It means that people only have to take one day off work."
The first two days will consist of round-robin section play, with games restricted to 2hr 15min.
The top 12 teams will qualify for the main event, the next 12 for the plate and the bottom 12 for the consolation event.
"It means everyone is guaranteed three days of bowls," O'Dea said. The tournament was first held in 1953, when it was the bowls contribution to Dunedin's annual festival week.
It was organised by the Kaituna Bowling Club for 50 years and has been run by Kaikorai for the past six years. Teams from outside Dunedin competing this year include ones led by Bruce Kelly (Oamaru), Kerry Becks (Canterbury) and Tony Cockerill (Gore).
They are all representative players for their centres.
Kelly, the father of the promising New Zealand squad member Andrew Kelly, won the plate event two years ago.
A strong Dunedin contender is the Kaikorai team skipped by Graham Allan that won the event in 2006.
Other strong Dunedin teams include those led by Nigel Wright (composite) and Eion Willis (St Clair).
Absent this year will be the small central Southland club of Drummond, due to the illness of some club members.
Because of the popularity of this year's event, the Kaikorai club is planning to add an extra green next year.
Three clubs will host the Festival Fours, with the headquarters green at Kaikorai.
The other clubs being used are Wakari and Green Island.
The event will be held on January 8-10.
