Everything you need to know about Peter Anderson Festival in Ocean Springs
The streets of downtown Ocean Springs will be closed to traffic this weekend and open to booths and thousands of arts and crafts lovers who return the first weekend of each November for the Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival.
The festival is one of the largest events in the state. It is the highlight of the weekend, when Daylight Savings Time ends and South Mississippi makes the most of that extra hour to enjoy art demonstrations, music, food and the start of holiday shopping.
“During the two-day festival, shop with nearly 400 artists, crafters and food vendors from all over the United States,” said Cynthia Sutton, executive director of the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce Main Street — Tourism Bureau. The artists will come from 24 states and as far away as Utah, New York and Missouri.
Here is what festival goers need to know:
▪ Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 and 6.
▪ Admission is free, although a $2 donation is requested.
▪ Music will be found throughout the venue this year.
▪ Food vendors will be selling burgers, barbecue and ice cream or snacks like fudge, pralines, pickles and jerky.
▪ Demonstrations by artists painting, sculpting and firing pottery are presented at their booths.
▪ A marine education area by the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory of the University of Southern Mississippi will feature artifacts and hands on activities.
▪ Young artists age 8-18 will sell their work from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday on the grounds of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art.
▪ Some streets will be closed to from 3 a.m. Saturday through 7 p.m. Sunday.
▪ No golf carts will be allowed within the footprint of the festival.
▪ Free parking and shuttles will run every 30 minutes from Ocean Springs Upper Elementary and Oak Park Elementary off Government Street/Holcomb Boulevard.
▪ Handicap parking is available by city hall and Ocean Springs Library.
Other weekend highlights:
Friday: First Friday Block Party from 5-9 p.m. on Howard Avenue in downtown Biloxi. Entertainment by Della Memoria at 5 p.m., and The Karate Kids at 7 p.m. Scavenger hunt, shopping and dining.
Friday-Sunday: Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic Dog Show at the Harrison County Fairgrounds, 15321 County Farm Road, Gulfport. Free admission. More than 600 dogs will compete
Friday-Saturday: Holiday Boutique presented by Pass Christian Yacht Club Ladies Auxiliary at West Harrison County Civic Center, 4670 Espy Ave, Long Beach.
Saturday — Coast Veteran’s Day Parade starts at 11 a.m. in downtown Gulfport.
Sunday — Holiday Open House, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Pascagoula Audubon Center, 5107 Arthur St., Moss Point. Free
More events can be found on the Coastal Mississippi calendar.
This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 1:21 PM.
