Annual Events in Oxford MS
Oxford’s annual schedule of events is full of conferences, festivals and celebrations year-round that are sure to offer something for everyone!
January
Pop Up Oxford
www.visitoxfordms.com
Pop Up Oxford runs Sunday, Jan. 19 through Saturday, Jan. 27, 2019, with events and programs celebrating Oxford’s rich cultural scene. The idea stemmed from the Chautauqua adult education movement that began at the turn of the 20th century. The Chautauqua brought together culture and entertainment in various formats including lectures, events and programs. Theodore Roosevelt called the Chautauqua movement “the most American thing in America.” Pop Up Oxford will encompass the idea of the Chautauqua movement by hosting various events, speakers, exhibits and musical components all of which Oxford has become known for in celebrating its literary, musical and cultural heritage. Visit Oxford has collaborated with various organizations, attractions and events to create a week-long schedule of activities for visitors and locals to celebrate Oxford’s rich cultural scene.
Ford Series at the Ford Center
www.fordcenter.org
Fiber Arts Festival
www.oxfordarts.com
The Oxford Fiber Arts Festival is Mississippi’s oldest fiber arts festival and celebrates independent fiber artists who keep time-honored crafts alive or challenge the ideas behind fiber art with new exciting works.The three-day event features exhibits of fiber-related works ranging from traditional skills to contemporary works. It includes workshops, classes, demonstrations and a diverse variety of vendors showcasing looms, yarns, fiber materials and finished products. The 2019 event will be held Jan. 25-28.
February
Fiber Arts Festival
www.oxfordfilmfest.com
The Oxford Film Festival celebrates the art of independent cinema. Through year-round programming, the festival works to encourage filmmaking in Oxford and North Mississippi while growing understanding of cinema through screenings, workshops and educational programs, culminating in the annual five-day festival. The festival exhibits over 130 quality films from across the globe and has been praised for its hospitality. The festival was founded in 2003 by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. In 2008, the Oxford Film Festival became an independent nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status committed to celebrating the art of independent cinema. The festival screens short and feature-length films in both showcase and competition settings, hosts panel discussions on issues in contemporary filmmaking and invites filmmakers to interact with the audience at a number of social events. The 15th annual event is Feb. 7-11, 2018.
Ford Series at the Ford Center
www.fordcenter.org
“Considering Matthew Shepard,” Conspirare a Company of Voices
Feb. 27, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
March
Oxford Conference for the Book
www.oxfordconferenceforthebook.com
The 25th Annual Oxford Conference for the Book, presented by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi and Square Books, is held at the end of March. This annual gathering brings together fiction and nonfiction writers, journalists, editors, poets, publishers, teachers, students, and people who simply love books, for three days of readings, lectures, panels, workshops, and social events that celebrate the written word.
Miss-I-Sippin’
www.oxfordarts.com
Miss-I-Sippin’ is the official festival of the Mississippi Brewer’s Guild and Oxford’s original craft beer festival. All proceeds will benefit the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and the Mississippi Craft Brewer’s Guild. The two-day event features a Brewers Dinner in which guests purchase tickets to sit with different craft brewers from across the state and a secret guest chef will provide a meal that complements the featured beers, and then day two guests enjoy beer and food from various food trucks as well as local art and music at the Old Armory Pavilion on University Ave. Join us for a weekend of food and beverages March 30 and 31.
April
Ford Series at the Ford Center
www.fordcenter.org
National Tour: “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
April 24, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
Double Decker Spring Run
www.doubledeckerspringrun.com
The 23rd Annual Double Decker Spring Run, sponsored by the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce and presented by Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi, is schedule for Saturday morning, April 28, 2018. Double Decker Spring Run is Oxford’s oldest and largest foot race, featuring a 10K run, 5K run, and kids fun run. The 2017 race hosted nearly 1,800 participants who came to Oxford from all around the region, and organizers expect that number to continue to climb. Double Decker Spring Run is sure to be fun for the whole family.
Double Decker Arts Festival
www.doubledeckerfestival.com
The 23rd annual Double Decker Festival will be held April 27-28, 2018. Originally inspired by the Double Decker bus that Oxford imported from England in 1994, the festival showcases Oxford as a town that supports the arts and has grown to be one of the champion events in the region. The event is centered on the historic Courthouse Square in Downtown Oxford, and boasts crowds of more than 60,000 people. Friday night features live music on the stage and Saturday is an all-day affair featuring nearly 200 art and food vendors, while a generous mix of both local and touring musicians take to the stage.
May
Chamber Red Carpet Gala
www.olccredcarpetgala.com
The Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce rolls out the red carpet the third Thursday in May 2018 at its fourth annual black tie event celebrating all that is Oxford and Lafayette County. The dazzling event features marvelous entertainment by Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster and the fourth annual Chamber Chef Shuffle. Each year’s event always features lots of surprises and fun at a location sure to be incredible. You won’t want to miss this event, and remember, we get to live here – so let’s celebrate that fact!
June
Summer Sunset Series
www.summersunsetseries.blogspot.com
Pack a picnic and your lawn chairs and head to the Grove at Ole Miss on Sunday evenings in June to enjoy a wide variety of live music on the Grove Stage. Acts featured include folk rock, Americana/alt country, acoustic, jazz and blues.
July
LOU 4th of July Community Celebration
www.lou4thofjuly.com
The Chamber of Commerce annually unites a team of volunteers to partner with Family Crisis Services, the City of Oxford, Lafayette County and the University of Mississippi for the LOU 4th of July Community Celebration. Events include the Firecracker Bash, a community dance, the Stars and Stripes 5K and a children’s parade. The events culminate on the evening of July 4 as residents comes together in the Grove to celebrate the community, the military, local veterans and America’s hard-won freedoms with a family picnic, live music on the Grove stage and spectacular children’s activities. The day is topped off by a dazzling 20-minute fireworks show over Oxford-University Stadium.
Oxford Blues Festival
www.oxfordbluesfest.com
The ninth annual Oxford Blues Festival will take place in July 2018 on the Oxford Square and in Grove at Ole Miss. The mission of the Oxford Blues Festival is to preserve, protect and promote blues music and culture. The outdoor festival unites our diverse citizenry in a celebration of American blues-based music.
Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference
www.outreach.olemiss.edu/events/faulkner
This event brings together writers, teachers, students and other lovers of Faulkner’s work for five days of lectures and discussions on William Faulkner’s imagination and his writings.
August
Art-er Limits: Oxford Fringe Festival
www.oxfordfringefest.com
A festival founded on a simple concept – provide artists a festival they own where they can present, exhibit and share their work. The festival features a sampling of arts from ballet to slam poetry, taking place around the historic square in Oxford, in a mix of spaces from an small 200-seat theater, a noted music nightspot, art gallery, coffee shop and an outdoor performance pavilion. The prior year set the record with 78 events in 74 hours. Join the festivities Aug. 2-5, 2018.
September
Sarahfest
A community partnership lead by the Sarah Isom Center is an annual festival focusing programming around a different theme each year. Focused on developing, understanding and inclusion, the festival hosts talks, lectures, performances and a movie screening each September with a kickoff event and closing event.
October
3 Blind Wines
www.oxfordarts.com
Three Blind Wines is a wine tasting event presented by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and the Rotary Club of Oxford. It is a wine tasting with a twist. This great event is a blind wine tasting where teams compete placing their favorite wine up against other teams’ favorite wines. Teams of two people select three bottles of the same wine to represent their team at the event. This year’s event will be held on Oct. 18, 20, 2017, at the Powerhouse.
Abbeville Autumnfest
www.abbeville.ms.gov
Abbeville Autumnfest is held annually in October in the downtown district of Abbeville, Mississippi. This daylong event is a celebration filled with food, music and arts/crafts for all ages.
Southern Foodways Symposium
www.southernfoodways.com
The Southern Foodways Alliance documents, studies and explores the diverse food cultures of the changing American South. The 20th annual event is Oct. 5-8, 2017 at the University of Mississippi. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. You must be a current SFA member to attend.
Ford Series at the Ford Center
www.fordcenter.org
National Tour – “RENT 20th Anniversary Tour”
Oct. 26, 2017, 7:30 pm
November
Oxford Square Alliance Holiday Open House
Held the Friday after Thanksgiving each year, the Oxford Square Alliance members feature all the best in holidays sales for this once-a-year event, as locals and shoppers flock from all the region to Shop Oxford. Event traditionally includes Santa pictures, holiday art, carriage rides around the Oxford Square, Christmas carolers and the annual Christmas tree lighting at city hall.
December
Oxford Lions Club Annual Christmas Parade
This dazzling evening parade takes place on the first Monday in December each year and brings citizens by the droves to the Oxford Square and surrounding streets. Bundled up in their coats and blankets and sipping hot chocolate, adults and kids alike are just waiting for a glimpse of St. Nick himself. Extravagant floats from locals feature twinkling lights and elaborate costumes as they sail their way through the downtown Square.
Holiday Makers Market & Ornament Auction
Dec. 6-9; Auction Dec. 13
Annual market featuring holiday-themed gifts by Mississippi artist and craftspeople. The event kicks off with a preview cocktail party and culminates in the annual ornament auction featuring one-of-a-kind ornaments from Mississippi artists and celebrities.
Night of Lights
www.oxfordms.com
The second annual Night of Lights is presented by the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce. This holiday season favorite begins the evening of Friday, Dec. 8, and runs nightly through Christmas. Night of Lights features a Google map of homes around the Oxford and Lafayette County area that are illuminated and extravagantly decorated for the holidays. Families and visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour of the twinkling lights and gorgeous holiday decor by pulling up the map on their mobile device and traveling to each home at their leisure. The map link will be available on the Chamber website by Dec. 8.