Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival 2024 in Mississippi

Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival is the biggest handicraft festival in Mississippi. The event is named after a famous artist Peter Anderson, who founded Shearwater Pottery. Held since 1979, this annual fest celebrates arts & crafts and pays tribute to the state's art community. But the celebration isn't just for artists. On the contrary, everyone is welcome to join the crowd as there will be activities for any taste.

Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival is held in downtown Ocean Springs (around the corner of Washington Ave. & Government St.) and hosted by the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce. Admission to the festival is free, and you will only have to pay a fee if you want to rent a booth or a street spot to sell on. The festival runs from 9 am to 5 pm. on both days. The annual celebration of art hosts over 60,000 visitors each year.

Festival Attractions

At the event, you'll be able to enjoy amazing artwork by local and international painters, potters, and other artists. The festival also features interesting masterclasses, more than 350 breathtaking exhibitions, art competitions, and souvenir shops from which you can buy amazing craft stuff. What's more, visitors will have a chance to relish savory dishes by local food vendors, sip on their favorite drinks, and listen to energetic music hits during a live music concert. This way, you'll find something to do there, regardless of whether you're into art or not.

2024 Highlights

In 2024, musical entertainment will be spread at several stages throughout the festival grounds. The artists will showcase their works to hundreds of thousands of spectators and create quite a show at their booths, painting, sculpting, and even making pottery. This year, the festival hosts the Hands-on Marine Education area led by the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory of the University of Southern Mississippi, with various displays, artifacts, and hands-on activities. Raising Cane’s Plinko offers several activities, and more on the lawn of the Mary C. Children’s Art market will operate for kids from 8 to 18. Young art entrepreneurs can show and sell their masterpieces on Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm on the grounds of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art.