The oak-lined streets of downtown Ocean Springs will fill this weekend with rows of white canopy tents and hanging canvases as artists from across the U.S. gather for the annual Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival, a signature event along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The festival, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, will feature live music and hundreds of booths showcasing various art forms, including ceramics, jewelry, metalsmithing and photography.
Food vendors will offer fresh fare 鈥� from burgers and barbecue to homemade ice cream and Thai dishes 鈥� along with packaged desserts like bread pudding, cheesecakes and pralines, according to . Admission is free.
Here's what to know.听
Where is Peter Anderson Festival?聽
The festival runs along a portion of Government Street and Washington Avenue in downtown Ocean Springs.听
How far is it from 抖阴h?
Ocean Springs is about 90 minutes from New Orleans and 3 hours from Baton Rouge.
How long has the festival been happening?
Now in its 47th year, the festival reflects the long artistic heritage of Ocean Springs, a coastal town celebrated for its vibrant art scene. It honors the late artist ,聽who moved to Ocean Springs after studying pottery at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans and opened his own studio, Shearwater, in 1928.
How many vendors show up?
With about 400 vendors, the website says, the festival annually draws more than 150,000 visitors 鈥� a surge mirrored by other events along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, such as last month鈥檚 Cruisin鈥� the Coast, the annual vintage car show in Bay St. Louis that saw record crowds.
Do the vendors take credit and debit cards?聽
Some vendors may take credit cards, and others take apps like Venmo, PayPal and CashApp. You might want to plan to bring cash as well.
Are there food vendors, restaurants and bars?聽
Yes. Aside from many food and beverage vendors, Ocean Springs restaurants remain open for Peter Anderson.
Where can I park?聽
There are several options for parking, both free and paid, .听
Coast Transit Authority and YMCA will provide shuttles to the festival. CTA will pick up at Greyhound Station (off Government Street and Hanley Road). YMCA buses will pick up at Ocean Springs Upper Elementary and Oak Park school.
Buses will run every 30 minutes from the parking lots to the festival entrance on Government Street and Porter Avenue or Government Street and Magnolia Ave. Shuttle buses will run from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., according to the Sun Herald.听
Downtown Golf Carts will also provide services from Upper Elementary and Oak Park Elementary.听
Many downtown businesses and churches offer paid parking as well.听
Other things to know about Peter Anderson, Ocean Springs
Beyond its celebration of the arts, the festival is an economic lifeline for local boutiques, hotels and restaurants that have shaped the town's identity as an as artistic and culinary hub 鈥� home to spots like Vestige, a Japanese-inspired eatery recently .
Over the years, the festival has earned a series of accolades, including 鈥淔estival of the Year鈥� by Southeast Tourism Society, 鈥淪outhern Traveler Treasure鈥� by AAA Southern Traveler鈥檚 Magazine and 鈥淏est Special Event鈥� by Mississippi Main Street.
The region's growing tourism was fueled by the pandemic, when travelers began favoring drive-to beach destinations like the Mississippi coast, a longtime vacation getaway for regional travelers that's now attracting a new wave of visitors from across the country.听