Superheroes from realms known and unknown will gather Saturday in Big Spring Park to honor 12-year-old Eli Williams, a superhero in his own right who fought brain cancer for six years before losing his battle last fall.

Now in its fifth year, Eli’s Block Party has grown from a small gathering of local parents dressed as superheroes to a massive daylong party. This year, the party starts with a superhero parade and ends with a free concert featuring local favorite, The Flashbacks.

In between, children can interact with their favorite superheroes, play games sponsored by local businesses, purchase goodies from local food trucks, bounce on inflatables and meet local heroes from the Athens police and fire departments. There will also be a storybook tent where children can hear superheroes tell tales of their latest adventures.

Started by Eli’s parents, Victor and Kristie Williams, Eli’s Block Party Childhood Cancer Foundation is their way of picking up the flag from their son and continuing his fight against pediatric brain cancer.

To date, they have 36 superheroes booked for the event, including the likes of Thor, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Hulk and Iron Man. Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Violet, Dash, Jack Jack and even Edna Mode are scheduled to headline the day.

The couple chose the superhero theme for the annual block party not so much because Eli loved superheroes — his passion was Ford Mustangs — but because of what these super-human characters represent.

“Oftentimes, superheroes have had some sort of tragedy that they have had to rise above,” Kristie said. “That is similar to what kids with cancer go through. They have to endure their own fight and find the strength to rise above it.”

She said the superhero theme appeals to everyone, from children to adults. Eli’s father, a software engineer, also happens to be a huge superhero fan.

All proceeds from the event, which brought in $20,000 last year, go directly toward the research of Dr. Theodore Johnson at Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

Known for his cutting edge research in immunotherapy, Kristie said they decided to make Children’s Hospital of Georgia their beneficiary because Johnson’s treatments bought Eli 16 more months of life.

“His research is very meaningful to us, and we feel like we get a bigger bang for the buck by donating directly to him,” she said.

The couple travels to Augusta, Georgia, to personally deliver the check to Johnson, knowing the funds raised in their son’s honor will start helping other children battling cancer right away.

According to Kristie, Eli’s Block Party has grown exponentially in the last five years, drawing an estimated 3,000 people last year. After a lot of word-of-mouth and digital promotion, Kristei hopes to raise even more for childhood brain cancer research this time around.

Open to the public, the event begins at 10 a.m. with the parade starting at 10:15 a.m at the Clinton Street Courthouse Annex. Fans can view the parade anywhere along its route, which runs east on Market Street, south on Beaty Street, then east on Washington Street before ending at the East Street side of the duck pond.

To donate to Eli’s cause or for more information about the upcoming block party, visit them online at www.elisblockparty.org.