The Double Decker Arts Festival has announced their full artist lineup on Thursday, Feb. 3, with California Country artist and former Ole Miss baseball player Brett Young in the headlining spot for Friday — and New Orleans based artists The Revivalists and Trombone Shorty sharing the headline spot for Saturday. The festival will be celebrating its 25th year on April 23 and 24, after a two year cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All of you here shows how excited Oxford and the surrounding areas are for this,” Kinney Ferris, executive director of Visit Oxford, said on the press conference held on Thursday.
Other artists on the lineup include 49 Winchester and The Wilkins Sisters on Friday night, as well as Mavis Staples, Samantha Fish, Maggie Rose, Buffalo Nichols and local Oxford indie band Happy Landing, all in various spots on Saturday night.
“This is one of the hardest things we had to cancel, so I’m so excited that we finally get to put this back on,” Mayor Robyn Tannehill, a founder of the festival said before the presentation of the music acts.
The format of the festival will stay the same, with regional artists filling the Square, the traditional Spring Run, a live stage hosting musical talent and shows that showcase local businesses. Double Decker director Lee Ann Stubbs expressed a goal she had for this year was to increase turnout across the weekend — and not just Saturday night.
“We hope you are excited about this lineup as we are,” Stubbs said.
The poster art, done by Hannah McCormick, is the same as 2020 poster art. Visit Oxford decided to keep McCormick’s work since she was the official 25th commissioned artist and did not get to showcase her artwork two years ago. The art features many notable Oxford buildings, as well as the late Ron “Ronzo” Shaprio. Shapiro is a well known figure in the art realm of Oxford, mainly for his work with the former Hoka Theater.
“He was a big figure in the art community and is sorely missed,” McCormick said.
Blue Delta Jeans will also host a “Blues Alley” event during the weekend of the festival, which started last year in the wake of the festival’s cancellation, and because owner Nick Weaver wanted to bring the Cleveland, Mississippi, sound to Oxford. The jeans boutique will host Joe Austin and the Tallahatchies as well as Jake the Snake and the Pearl Street Jumpers in the alley in front of their store from 12:00-4:00 p.m.
“We just want to say thank you for all of the support over the last ten years,” Weaver said, on the support from the festival and the community at large.
The University Museum, who is a longtime sponsor, is one of two presenting sponsors of the festival this year. Robert Saarnio, Director of the University of Mississippi Museum and Historic Houses, commented on the importance of the relationship between the festival and the museum and the importance of the festival for the Oxford community.
“Double Decker presenting status means so much to all of us at the museum, our stakeholders, our board of trustees and even the vice chancellor that I report to,” Saarnio said.
Ole Miss Athletics, the other presenting sponsor, also has maintained a partnership with the event for many years. Keith Carter, Vice Chancellor of Intercollegiate Athletics, commented on the importance of the relationship the department has with the festival, and the UM Museum. He also said that an announcement will come from Ole Miss Athletics in the coming days on specific ways that they will be involved in the festival.
“We get pulled in a lot of different ways in terms of donations, but this partnership is one we’re going to have for a long time,” Carter said.
