The city of Oxford will soon be flooded with an abundance of beautiful artwork, creativity, and lots of great music along with a barrage of crowds at this year’s edition of Double Decker Arts Festival. This spring, on April 26-27, will mark the 27th year of the annual event.
“The festival was originally inspired by the Double Decker bus that the city of Oxford, England, imported to the city in 1994,” LeeAnn Stubbs, the festival’s coordinator, said. “The festival showcases Oxford as a town that supports the arts and has grown to be one of the champion events in the region.”
Stubbs said that it is hard to believe the festival was held in the body of an old pickup truck in the early years.
“The truck body was used as the stage for music, and we only hosted about a handful of art and food vendors,” Stubbs said.
The festival certainly has grown from those lean years as The Square is taken over by more than 65,000 people who gather to celebrate local music and arts and enjoy some of the finest food in the state.
Featuring two days of fun, Double Decker will start on Friday with art demonstrations around The Square, and the star-filled sky will be filled with wonderful music all evening. As an all-day affair, Saturday will feature over 100 talented artisans, displaying and selling their arts and crafts. There will be over 20 local food truck vendors with some of the most delicious foods around. Plus, there will be a great variety of touring musicians that will take the stage to entertain you all day long.
On Friday, the evening will begin with the beautiful music of the very talented 17-year-old guitarist and band leader, Grace Bowers. The sought-after songwriter and artist, Conner Smith, will then take the stage. Despite being only 23, his music features the feel of an old soul but with a modern sound. Closing the evening will be Flatland Cavalry, the band that formed while attending Texas Tech University but rose to local acclaim in the Hattiesburg musical scene.
Guests will be treated to the North Mississippi Hill Country Blues style of music from Kenny Brown on Saturday morning. Billy Allen and the Pollies will then hit the stage with their hybrid style of rock, rhythm, and blues. Acclaimed songwriter and storyteller, Jaime Wyatt, will combine her strong, raw voice to powerful lyrics. Bass Drum of Death’s latest album, “Say I Won’t,” is a compilation of their journey around the world and back to their small town in Mississippi.
Laurel native Charlie Mars will bring his unique style to the stage. With seven studio albums, a series of EPs, and several singles over the past 20 years, Mars is devoted to representing “the people and the culture” that shaped him.
Brittany Howard will be bringing a bit of a double entendre with the title of her album “What Now.” The title refers to the uncertain state of the world right but it also serves as the main theme that keeps the album together.
“Everyone is wondering what now? What’s next?” Howard said. “By the same coin, the only constant on this record is you never know what is going to happen next: every song is its own aquarium, its own little miniature world built around whatever I was feeling and thinking at the time.”
Howard has also received recognition from her work, winning five Grammy Awards and receiving 26 nominations.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram comes from a talented family, and it is no surprise that he fell in love with music early on. After he got his first guitar, he immersed himself in many of the greatest guitarists, including B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and Jimi Hendrix. Born in the birthplace of the blues, Ingram absorbed all the knowledge and training that was available to him so that he could become the best guitarist he could be. He won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album for his second release and won the Blues Music Award for Best Blues Album.
Besides the outstanding music, Double Decker will feature lots of beautiful and unique arts and crafts and a variety of delicious foods. There is truly something for everyone at Oxford’s premiere event.
For more information about the festival, please contact at Visit Oxford at (662)232-2477 or via leeann@visitoxfordms.com.
