Your guide to the 2016 Double Decker Arts Festival

The tulips are finally blooming, the afternoons are 70 degrees and sunny, and students are starting to cram (or forget) about finals… it must be time for the best weekend of the spring: the Double Decker Arts Festival.

This Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23, familiar white tents will fill the streets of the square where the arts, music, food, and community of Oxford we’ve all learned to love will be celebrated.

Double Decker to do’s

Run in the Double Decker 5K Saturday morning (in preparation for all the food you’ll be eating that afternoon, right?).

Browse the work of local artists paintings, pottery, jewelry and photography.

Watch some of the beautiful live art demonstrations around the square and University Museum.

Come with an empty stomach and munch on some Oxford cuisine, which includes your favorites like Old Venice, Taylor Grocery, Gus’ Fried Chicken, Proud Larry’s, Funky’s, Sno Biz, and many many more. (I told you that 5k would be needed).

Listen to live music on the giant stage set up on North Lamar, right next to High Pointe Coffee.

Wait, there’s live music?

This is Oxford, Mississippi. You bet there is. Here’s the rundown:

Friday, April 22

6pm: Cory Branan – a punk, country, phenomenal song writer, Misssissippi-born artist that you can’t miss.

7pm: Enjoy one of Oxford’s favorite tradition the Thacker Mountain Radio Show with special guests, The Night Owls.

8pm: The Night Owls play their own set, bringing R&B vibes with some good old-fashioned soul music. Yes. Ma’am. 

Saturday, April 23

10:15am: Start your day right with Riverside Voodoo, a bluesy rock group that originated straight out of Oxford.

11:30am: Delta Springs combines the Delta blues and punk rock to create a wonderful fusion of bands with a sound similar to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd mixed with the Black Crowes.

1pm: Hear Leo “Bud” Welch bring some classic Mississippi blues to the mix.

2:30pm: Christone “KingFish” Ingram – aka a 17-year old guitar god and this generation’s B.B. King – will legitimately shred the guitar. Rumor has it he even plays the guitar with his tongue.

4pm: The Bellfuries bring some contemporary rock and roll with juke joint type hits and innovative sound. 

5:30pm: Orgone plays some funky-soul-disco-rock that’s even cooler than the lead singer’s afro. You better believe it.

7pm: Lettuce follows the mastery of bands like Earth, Wind, and Fire and Tower of Fire, bringing some straight up funk to the Oxford square. 

8:30pm: The night ends with Michael Franti and Spearhead, a lyrical social activist with feel-good vibes and dynamic showmanship, which is sure to be a powerful performance.

There’s something really special about Double Decker Weekend. It lives and breathes Oxford Mississippi and makes both the residents, Ole Miss Students, and anyone who’s had the opportunity to spend time in this perfect little town fall in love with it over again.

I don’t know if it’s the giant ice cream sandwiches from Holli’s Sweet Tooth, kicking back with some bluesy music, or enjoying the beautiful local art that’s on display, but one thing’s for sure: Double Decker is an incredible weekend that celebrates our beautiful little town, and it’s going to be a great one.

Are you ready?