The Peter Anderson Festival: A Fall Weekend in Ocean Springs

Why This Festival Is Worth the Drive

The Peter Anderson Festival has been a Coast tradition for 48 years, and it has grown into the largest fine arts festival in Mississippi, routinely ranked among the top 50 fine arts events in the country. Both days run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the whole town takes part: artists set up their booths beneath the live oaks along Washington Avenue, musicians play on small stages, and the shops, galleries, and restaurants of downtown Ocean Springs open their doors to visitors. As many as 100,000 people visit across the weekend, yet the pace stays easy, the kind of weekend where you can shop for a piece of local pottery in the morning and be back on your balcony in time for the sunset.

A Gentle Way to Spend the Day

If you have never been, keep the pace simple. Wander the booths, stop to watch an artist at work, and let the day unfold on its own. Because everything is in one walkable downtown, you can loop the festival in a couple of hours or settle in for the whole day. Grab a coffee, find a bench in the shade of a live oak, and people-watch the way the Coast is best enjoyed.

Getting There From Biloxi

From 2060 Beach Blvd #1204 at the Ocean Club, downtown Ocean Springs is about 20 minutes east along US-90, most of it a pretty drive with the water on your right. Parking fills early on festival weekend, so the free Park & Ride shuttles are the easy move, running from Ocean Springs Upper Elementary, Oak Park Elementary, and Greyhound Stadium. Festival organizers even arranged a special Amtrak stop for the weekend, so some visitors will arrive by rail. Plan to arrive mid-morning and let the shuttles handle the rest.

Make a Weekend of It in Ocean Springs

A festival weekend is a wonderful chance to explore downtown Ocean Springs properly. Start the day at Buzzy's Breakfast Downtown for a hearty plate, browse the galleries and boutiques along Washington Avenue, and plan a relaxed dinner at one of the restaurants within a short walk, whether that is The Lady May, Maison De Lu, or a table at Mosaic. Ocean Springs is the kind of town that rewards wandering, so give yourself time to do a little of it.

Why the Ocean Club Makes a Gentle Home Base

For anyone considering a second home on the Coast, weekends like this show the best of the lifestyle. After a day among the booths and the crowd, the quiet of the Ocean Club is a lovely reset: a 12th-floor end unit at 2060 Beach Blvd #1204 with a wraparound balcony, panoramic views of Biloxi Beach and the Mississippi Sound, and an electric fireplace for the cooler evenings of late fall. It is minutes from the bridge to Ocean Springs yet a world away from the festival bustle, and the dual-entry floor plan gives owners room for guests, short-term rental flexibility, or simply space to spread out.

Plan Your Visit and See the Coast at Its Easiest

Fall is a comfortable time to look at beachfront living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and a festival weekend is a natural reason to come see it. If you are curious about the Ocean Club, reach out to Judy Atherton of eXp Realty to schedule a tour of 2060 Beach Blvd #1204 while you are in town. You can walk the wraparound balcony, picture your own fall weekends by the water, and decide for yourself whether the Coast belongs on your calendar every year.