Leicester's controversial new £4 million Jubilee Square is set to host its first public events on Friday.
Engineers are working to make sure the public plaza is usable for four days of entertainment to mark the finale of the City Festival.
The former car parking area in St Nicholas Circle has been a building site for about a year and has been beset by hold-ups.
Businesses in the area had been told the project would be complete by last May.
In recent days, workmen have laid lawns and a plinth is in place ready for the relocation of the 16th Century High Cross monument from the edge of the market in Cheapside.
Though the square will be opened up to the public on Friday, parts of it will then be fenced off again.
The full scheme is scheduled to be finished in November.
Friday's events start at 1pm with an afternoon of fun and stage entertainment aimed at younger visitors.
From 7pm, Showtime! will be an evening of live show tunes from popular musicals performed by young talent from Leicester Theatre Group.
Jubilee Square is also a venue for the Cosmopolitan Carnival on Saturday, from 2pm to 9pm.
That will include live music from By The Rivers, Curtis Clacey and Carol Leeming, followed by an exciting large-scale projection on to the Radio Leicester building.
On Sunday, the square will be on the route of Leicester's sixth annual Sky Ride cycling event.
On Bank Holiday Monday, Jubilee Square will be transformed into a medieval encampment for the Old Town Festival. There will be a range of medieval-theme entertainment and activities for children, sword battles from Escafeld re-enactment group, stilt walkers, jesters and a live acoustic music tent.
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "The square is coming together and it is looking good.
"I have spoken to the officers in charge and they have assured me it will be ready to use by the end of the week.
"After that, there will be some more work such as the planting of the bigger trees.
"The commitment has always been for the summer and it is now mid-to-late-summer.
"I am also assured it will come in on or under budget."
Shopper Sally Fulton, 36, from Leicester's West End, said: "You can start to get a sense of what it looks like. I think it will be a nice space eventually.
"It will be a relief when it's done because it has felt like an eternal building site."
Opponents of the scheme have dubbed it an expensive vanity project and some traders said the loss of the 50 car parking spaces would harm trade.
Liberal Democrat opposition councillor Nigel Porter said: "I'd be amazed if it didn't finish under budget given the amount of cash the mayor committed to slabbing over a useful car park.
"Nobody but the mayor really wanted it."
Sir Peter has dropped proposals to replace the spaces at the nearby NCP car park on the other side of the ring road.
He said that was no longer necessary, given plans for a 22-space car park outside the old Phoenix arts centre in Upper Brown Street and plans for 20 further spaces in Castle Street.
