Celebrate spring in downtown Ocean Springs this weekend with the Spring Arts Festival, an event of fine arts, craftsmen, and plant growers from around the region.
Displays of pottery, paintings, wood, and garden art will be nestled among the Ocean Springs Fresh Market, local shops, restaurants, and galleries beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday until 5 p.m. as well as 9 a.m. on Sunday until 4 p.m.
Showcases of artists’ demonstrations, engaging educational seminars, and live music will highlight the entire weekend as well as feature more than 200 artists, crafters, and plant vendors.
Cynthia Sutton, executive director of the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce-Main Street-Tourism Bureau, said the event has grown so much over the last 29 years it has earned the nickname “the mini Peter Anderson festival.”
“That’s what we are calling it,” Sutton said, laughing. She credited the local artists, the Ocean Springs Art Association, and Ocean Springs Fresh Market for the event’s tremendous growth. She added that the early years of the event barely featured 54 booths.
“It was really the artists and the local business that came together and made it what it is today,” Sutton said, adding that the future is extremely bright for the festival.
“It’s amazing that this festival, which was once known as the Herb and Garden Festival has just expanded so much. With 200 vendors it’s the size the Peter Anderson Festival was when it first began, so who knows what can happen.”
Sutton said the Pansy is the 2022 Herb of the Year and will be on display throughout the event.
These Ocean Springs roads will be closed to thru traffic beginning at 4 am Saturday until 7 pm Sunday:
- Washington Avenue from Highway 90 to Porter Avenue
- Government Street from Washington Avenue to Handy Avenue
- Robinson Street from Cash Alley to Church Street
