Festival season in South MS kicks off with seafood, fair rides and a side of baseball
Locals and visitors in South Mississippi love food, festivals and fairs and this weekend kicks off festival season on the Coast with all three, plus sunny skies and temperatures down into the 80s.
Biloxi Seafood Festival is one of the tastiest events of the year on the Coast. It’s right in the heart of the downtown at the Biloxi Town Green from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday. Come early for the best choice of jewelry and other arts and crafts. Stay late for the live entertainment.
All day is prime time for seafood, burgers and sweet treats. Just the names of some of the vendors and food trucks are enticing: Sweet Pies Bakery, Dem Dam Burgers, Smoke & Geau BBQ, Cupcake Creations, Liz & Nomie’s Gourmet Eats and Potato Patada.
Admission is $5 and kids 12 and under are free.
Hancock County Fair that runs through Saturday at the county fairgrounds and is the epitome of small town family fun. Kids will love the rides and midway games, and there’s also live music, arts and crafts, livestock, rodeos and food prepared by local restaurants and vendors.
And it’s the end of the game for Mississippi Braves, playing their final games through Sunday at the Biloxi Shuckers’ stadium in Biloxi. The Braves, the Minor League Baseball team from Pearl, will get a new name after they close out their season against the Shuckers and move to Columbus, Georgia. The Shuckers’ stadium also officially gets its renamed Saturday at 4 p.m., when it becomes Keesler Federal Field — kind of a throwback to when Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi was “Keesler Field.”
More festivals and fun this weekend
Pop Goes the 80s concert at 8 p.m. Friday at IP Casino Biloxi, starring Wang Chung, A Flock of Seagulls, Naked Eyes, and Escape Club. Tickets start at $54.
Late Night Gallery & Waveland Food Truck Friday at 228 Coleman Ave., Waveland from 5-8 p.m. Friday. Free admission.
Community Festival Against Crime presented by Biloxi Police Department from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Point Cadet Plaza. Free event showcasing the dive and rescue team, bomb squad and the traffic and bicycle divisions, K9 demonstrations and Biloxi Fire Department emergency vehicles and equipment.
Paws Under the Oaks at Centennial Plaza, Gulfport, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free Pet Costume Contest, with prizes for best pet costume, best kid’s costume, and best family costume. Demonstrations, training and testing.
The First Sunflower Festival is Saturday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at Jackson County Fairgrounds in Pascagoula. Admission is free and family fun like craft tables, face painting and bumper cars will get a modern twist at a video game trailer. Food trucks and live entertainment will keep the crowd happy.
Bud & Burgers cooking competition is tailgating fun with football, food, beer and live music. It’s Saturday from 3-9 p.m. at L&N Depot Plaza in Ocean Springs. Think craft beer garden is open from 3-5 p. and the burger competition is from 5-8 p.m. Beer garden and Bud & Burgers admission is $30 or Bud & Burgers only is $15.
$10,000 Drawdown at Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum, Biloxi, starts at 6 p.m. with a seafood buffet, open bar and silent auction accessible online. Tickets are $100 and admit two.
Festival season is just getting started
Fall festivals are on the schedule for just about every weekend until the Christmas holiday events begin. These are among the favorites:
Sept. 21 — Festival Hispano at Beach Park in Pascagoula
Sept. 19-22 — Mississippi Songwriters Festival and Hall of Fame Induction, Ocean Springs
Oct. 6-13 — Cruisin’ The Coast car show in every city across South Mississippi
Oct. 18-20 — Inkin’ the Coast tatoo festival, Biloxi
Oct. 19 —Gautier Mullet & Music Fest
Nov. 2-3 — Peter Anderson Festival, Ocean Springs
Nov. 9 — Scottish Highland Games & Celtic Music Festival at Harrison County Fairgrounds, Gulfport
Visit the Coastal Mississippi website for more festivals and events in South Mississippi.
