FESTIVALSOUTH | FOUR FUN WEEKS IN HATTIESBURG
Photos courtesy of FestivalSouth.org
Mark your calendars! FestivalSouth is back this summer for a 14th season. FestivalSouth features exceptional performing and visual artists from May 30 – June 24, 2023. It is the largest project of the Hattiesburg Concert Association and is an annual, multi-week festival presenting a variety of musical and arts-related entertainment that aims to transcend social, cultural, and economic lines.
With headline events each weekend, including Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (May 30 – June 3), American Landscape: A Multi-sensory Chamber Music Experience (June 10), Recording Artist Matt Maeson (June 17), and the FestivalFinale, Iconic: A Cirque Rock Symphonic Extravaganza (June 24), the festival features more than 50 events for all ages, covering the gamut of art, music, theatre and dance as well as events for every age.
I got to speak with the Artistic Director for FestivalSouth, Mike Lopinto!
How did you get involved with FestivalSouth?
I started as the PR/Marketing director 14 years ago and gradually helped produce some of the festival events. I became Co-Artistic Director with Dr. Jay Dean, the Founding Artistic Director, in the sixth year of the festival and took the reins in the eleventh year. My day-to-day work life within the Southern Miss School of Music and with the Hub City Players affords me the opportunity to be a daily part of the Hattiesburg Arts Community.
How do you find the talented artists who participate?
We are constantly on the lookout for new and innovative ways to showcase the incredible arts and artists of our area while also bringing in creative performers to engage with our community. We are fortunate that many talented individuals connect with our network of current and past creatives who send them our way. Others reach out through our website, festivalsouth.org.
View the 2023 Event Lineup and get your tickets HERE. We can’t wait to feature FestivalSouth in Volume 1 of The Scout Guide Hattiesburg and are so grateful and excited our city has this incredible event!
