Each spring, thousands of locals and out-of-towners alike flock to The Square to enjoy the Double Decker Arts Festival — a weekend filled with delicious food, beautiful artwork and a slew of talented musicians.
Months ahead of the 27th annual festival, the music lineup was released to the public at the University Museum on Tuesday, Jan. 30. As the list was announced, Proud Larry’s owner Scott Caradine aimed to soften expectations for those expecting a star-studded list of famous musicians.
“I had a friend saying ‘Maybe it’s Chris Stapleton or Zach Bryan,’ and we get a lot of that each year,” Caradine said. “The thing that I like to remind people is we’re a free festival. The city pays for it, the university helps sponsor it and the people and businesses of Oxford help pay for it, so it’s really important that we keep that in perspective.”
Despite this comment, two Grammy winners are gracing Double Decker this year. Frontwoman for the Alabama Shakes Brittany Howard will kick things off on Saturday, April 27, followed by bluesman Cristone “Kingfish” Ingram.
The remainder of the lineup includes a taste of both prominent Southern musicians and eclectic newcomers, but it is especially catered to country music fans.
“We started it with country music because Oxford loves country music and North Mississippi
does too,” Caradine said.
Country-Americana group Flatland Cavalry is set to headline on Friday, April 26, followed by up-and-coming artists Connor Smith and Grace Bowers. Neal Francis, Charlie Mars, Bass Drum of Death, Jamie Wyatt, Billy Allen and the Pollies and Kenny Brown will play the following day.
Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill extended a word of thanks to sponsors, city staff and community members.
“Those of you have invested time and energy in the planning and facilitating and those of you who have sponsored, thank you so much for investing in our community or investing in music, food and art and for ensuring that Double Decker continues to grow,” Tannehill said.
President and CEO of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce Pam Swain revealed details for the early morning race that accompanies the arts festival each year.
“The Oxford-Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is thrilled for our annual Double Decker Spring Run on the morning of Saturday, April 27,” Swain said. “Our race is a 10k, a 5k and a kids fun run. Our runners race past iconic venues in Oxford like Rowan Oak and the Grove. They go through some of our historic beautiful streets and neighborhoods.”
Junior elementary education major Jules Mikell was chosen as the winner of the poster artwork competition. Inspired by her Oxford roots and her love of The Beatles, Mikell’s design features iconic local landmarks in a retro-psychedelic style.
“I’m very flattered that my art has been selected. I was born in Oxford, so I’ve been to Double Decker pretty much my whole life,” Mikell said.
Executive Director of Visit Oxford Kinney Ferris announced that the festival received a record-breaking number of artistic submissions this year, as 302 artists applied to display their work.
“We have space for 140 artists, so over half don’t get in. That just shows the level of art that we’re going to have for everybody to see, and it also shows the popularity of Oxford,” Ferris said.
Ferris expressed her gratitude for the efforts of contributors and community members in making Double Decker possible.
“Thank you everybody for supporting us,” Ferris said. “Thank you, Mayor Tannehill, for allowing us to do what we do each year, and I hope everyone is as excited as we are. See you in April.”
