Page 64 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2016

COASTFESTIVALS Large variety of festivals to love on the Coast story by Lynn Lofton
Surely festivals are high on everyone’s list of things to love about the Coast. Whether you attend a select few or many, the number and types of festivals are varied. Each Coast county proudly sports big signature festivals along with numerous smaller festivals. Spring and fall are prime times for festivals to escape summer’s brutal heat and winter’s cold rain, but there are events taking place year round. They all have some things in common: food, arts and crafts, and fun.
There are music festivals with a variety of entertainment, art-themed festivals, holiday festivals and fundraiser festivals for schools and churches. April’s Craw sh Music Festival at the Coast Coliseum draws huge crowds to hear headline entertainment while toasting a popular food item. Other festivals include music as part of the mix. The Biloxi Seafood Festival is all about enjoying local seafood dishes, but also has music.
The Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival is the largest area festival, bringing 100,000 visitors to the Ocean Springs site. The Live Oak Arts Festival in Pascagoula is another Jackson County event that pulls in large crowds. In Bay St. Louis,
the Fourth of July weekend brings thousands out to enjoy the Our Lady of the Gulf Crab Festival. Some of the newer festivals building traditions and attendance include Art
in the Pass, the Wind & Wave Festival in Long Beach, and Snow akes in the Bay.
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64 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • May 2016
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