FestivalSouth, the largest project of the Hattiesburg Concert Association (HCA), is an annual, multi-week festival presenting a variety of musical and other arts-related entertainment that aims to transcend social, cultural, and economic lines.

FestivalSouth is a multi-disciplinary arts celebration that primarily features exceptional performing and visual artists during the month of June in Hattiesburg, MS.

Schedule of Events:

10:00 am - 12:00 pm: Rise and Shine

Featuring Ian Alexander Gonzalez, cello, and Theresa Sanchez, piano

Wake up and celebrate the start of your day with “Rise and Shine,” featuring the remarkable 14-year-old cellist, Ian Alexander Gonzalez. With his rich tones and impressive artistry, Ian’s performance is sure to be the perfect blend of precision and passion. Fresh from his acceptance into the prestigious Sphinx Performance Academy at The Juilliard School in 2024, Ian’s journey is one that continues to brew with brilliance.

Ian has played solo recitals at the Oaklawn Concert Society, performed with the Hattiesburg Orchestral Academy and Youth Orchestra, and recently took center stage in the Meridian Symphony Orchestra’s student showcase. A natural since he first “ground” his talent at age three, Ian is now principal cellist of the Hattiesburg Youth Orchestra and a three-time winner of the State of Mississippi’s Music Teacher National Association competition.

Come enjoy the fresh sound of Ian’s soulful performance alongside a hot cup of coffee and the original “flavor” of classical coziness. It’s a morning steeped in talent that’s sure to leave you brimming with joy!

11:00 am - 1:00 pm: Lifetime Musings Featuring works by Evelyn Timidaiski

Join us just down the hall from our morning concert for an exhibition by Evelyn Timidaiski. Inspired by nature, animals, plants and landscapes, the artist infuses her reality pieces with a sense of fantasy utilizing watercolor as her primary medium of choice.

Location: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, 3601 Pearl St., Hattiesburg, MS

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Wicked! Saenger Cinematic Sing-a-Long Spectacular

Presented by Historic Saenger Theatre, Pocket Museum and the Hub City Players

Good news, Wicked fans – make your friends green with envy by scoring your tickets to the sing-along version of the global sensation! Belt out “The Wizard and I,” “Popular,” “What Is This Feeling?”, and more in the special screening at the historic Saenger Theatre. Featuring live-action singers and dancers, there’s no telling what surprises await. Join a theater full of fans dressed up as your favorite and “Defying Gravity” as you sing along!

Cost: $12.00 – $16.00

Location: Historic Hattiesburg Saenger Theater, 201 Forrest St., Hattiesburg, MS

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Continuum – A Photography Exhibition

Featuring works by photographers Brett Barnes, Jesse Johnson, Chad Edwards, David Wayne and Tim and Krista Photography

Life exists in a continuum, a constant unbroken cycle. This exhibit explores the universal rhythms that shape our existence—growth, decay, renewal, and transformation. It offers a visual interconnectedness of all things, from the cosmos to the gestures of daily life.

Through their lenses, these photographers capture the essence of perpetual motion: the seamless transitions of light and shadow, the ebb and flow of nature, and the enduring presence of time as it weaves its way through our world. The exhibit invites viewers to contemplate how everything around us is constantly in a state of ending or renewal.

“Continuum” celebrates the beauty of cycles that transcend the individual, emphasizing how everything, from the smallest raindrop to the most distant area of space, is part of an infinite whole. It is a call to reflect on how we, too, are participants in this eternal rhythm—always connected, always in motion, always in Continuum.

Location: Hattiesburg Community Arts Center, 825 Main St., Hattiesburg, MS

4:30 pm - 8:30 pm: Ink in the Alley

Founded to highlight the artistry and skill of tattooists, an often overlooked art form, local tattoo artists share stickers, art, and book appointments to celebrate this craft. With a DJ, bar, animal encounters from the Hattiesburg Zoo, contests and more, Ink in the Alley makes both the art and the artists more accessible to the wider public, especially to those who may have never stepped foot in a tattoo shop.

Location: Hattiesburg Pocket Museum, 119 W Front St., Hattiesburg, MS

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm: Dancin’ at the Depot

Featuring the Mobile Big Band Society

Get ready for an energetic evening of fun and dancing! Big Band dance music originated in the 1930s and has been with us ever since. Come listen and dance to live music from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. You will hear music of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Woody Hermann and many others. Tunes such as “Moonlight Serenade,” “Sing, Sing, Sing,” “Chattanooga Choo-Choo,” and “Take the A-Train” will fill the evening with excitement.

Cost: $10.00 – $30.00

Location: Hattiesburg Train Depot, 308 Newman St., Hattiesburg, MS