Second Annual ART Rocks Tupelo Festival

Once upon a time, in a city called Tupelo, Cinderella tripped over a Mikado and almost Killed a Mockingbird. Chaos seemed just around the corner, but a group of brave artists banded together to make lemons out of lemonade and the first Art Rocks Tupelo was born.

A quirk of the calendar last March led all of Tupelo’s oldest arts organizations to schedule performances on the same weekend. Rather than quarrel over whose chocolate was in whose peanut butter, the organizations—facilitated by Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Tupelo Arts Council—agreed to work together to promote all these events across Tupelo and beyond by ADDING cultural events to the weekend to create a festival that would showcase the broad range of talents and art forms in our community. We had such great success that we decided to do it again this year—on purpose!

Art Rocks Tupelo 2014 is bigger and better. We have added events and organizations and hotel, restaurant, and small business partners. The activities this year range from classical to country music, craft beer to comedy, film to fine arts, and from Elton John to “Earnest.” When it comes to the arts in Tupelo, we truly have an embarrassment of riches. No other city this size can boast a professional orchestra, plus ballet company and award-winning community theater. 

The five organizations anchoring Art Rocks have a combined production history of almost 200 years and their leaders bring more than 100 years of arts management experience to the table with them. The Tupelo Arts Council represents dozens more artists and organizations that also deserve broader recognition. Art Rocks Tupelo spotlights our many talents and offers an ideal opportunity to promote our best artists throughout the region. We hope that Tupelo will seize this opportunity to explore new arts experiences and that people across Mississippi will make a trip to Tupelo to take advantage of our diverse range of arts and cultural activities: like a New-York-theater weekend, but closer to home and far more economical.

Mississippi has declared 2014 the Year of the Creative Economy, but Tupelo has known for years that the arts mean business! Come join us this weekend as Art Rocks Tupelo!

Schedule Of Events 

Tuesday, March 18

Tupelo Concert Association: John Berry, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 19

BancorpSouth Arena: Elton John, 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 20

The Birthplace Sessions Press Conference and Launch, 1:30 p.m.

Tupelo Film Alliance: Muscle Shoals Film Screening, 7 p.m.

UU Congregation of Tupelo: Still on the Hill in Concert, 7 p.m.

West of Shake Rag Improv: Comedy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Tupelo Community Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 21

The Caron Gallery: Lauren Dunn and Jason Twiggy Lott, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

GumTree Museum: Mississippi Art Colony Exhibit and Reception. 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

with Pied Piper Players

Tupelo Community Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 22

Tupelo Ballet: Fairy Tea, 10 a.m.

Tupelo Craft Beer Festival, noon to 5 p.m.

Tupelo Ballet: Les Sylphides and Contemporary Repertoire, 2 p.m.

Tupelo Community Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest, 2 p.m.

Dinner, Link Centre Culinary Arts, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra: Brahms Double Concerto, 7:30 p.m.

Tupelo Community Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest, 7:30 p.m.

Participating organizations include GumTree Museum of Art, Link Centre, North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Pied Piper Players, The Caron Gallery, Tupelo Ballet, Tupelo Community Theatre, Tupelo Concert Association, Tupelo Film Alliance, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Tupelo, West of Shake Rag, and City of Tupelo/Downtown Main Street Association.

Festival Pricing available for Three-Event Packages and Up!

Tickets available here.