Join us for Arts Alive!

A Two-Day Art Festival, 10a – 5p, April 13 & 14, 2024

FREE Admission / #ArtsALive is a family-friendly event

Arts Alive gets better and bigger each year. 

This year features multiple performance stages, an impressive Artist Trail filled with award-winning local talent, and a fun and engaging MakerSpace. And, for 2024 we’ve added a full day of fun in the Bay. That’s two days packed with selling, shopping and strolling opportunities for all ages.

Plus Cash Prizes awarded to the top three winners in the Culinary Dessert Competition.

 

Calling artists, demonstrators, sponsors and volunteers!

We invite you to be a part of this year’s festivities. Just click below for info:

 

Our motto: Celebrating Art, Engaging Communities, Enriching Lives.

#ArtsAlive BSL is celebrating art by showcasing some of the region's best professional artists.

Artists will be showing and selling their work along our Artists & Artisans Trail. This colorful route travels The Depot Arts District along Blaize Avenue, and in front of the newly renovated grounds of The Historic Depot. 

The MakerSpace area, located in The Community Hall, will feature demonstrations by our local Teaching Artists.

And thanks to our partners and sponsors, we are engaging communities by encouraging the next generation of artists. Exhibitions by Hancock County Students will be on display in The Community Hall.

How did we get here?

Arts Alive! Hancock County’s premiere arts festival, got its start back in 2004 as a studio tour of members of The Arts, Hancock County. As with most events of this nature, Arts Alive! started small and encompassed much of the Bay St. Louis historic downtown. By 2019, the festival was bursting at the seams and it seemed evident that a new venue would have to be found. COVID interrupted any plans to grow the festival and, like so many other events, was put on hold.

But not for long! The Arts, Hancock County Board of Directors put their heads together to evaluate the situation. Then, through the unexpected and kind donation of local art lover Mamie Hillery, The Arts, Hancock County was able to purchase a permanent home in the heart of the Historic Depot District on Blaize Avenue.

The choice was obvious; Arts Alive! must move to the Depot District! Blaize Avenue, already the home to the Alice Mosley and Mardi Gras Museums, as well as the Historic Depot, Bay St. Louis Little Theatre, the Tourism Bureau, The Bay Artists Co-op and now The Arts, Hancock County, would quickly become known as the Historic Depot Arts District.

Quotes from a couple of our artist participants in ARTS ALIVE 2023:

"Arts Alive 2023 in Bay St Louis was a fruitful experience for me as a full time artist. The set up was easy, the organizers helpful and the community came out to enjoy the music and art. I had good sales but, just as important, I also made many new potential client contacts." - Tami Guy, artist

"Everyone was super nice and helpful; it really made a difference having so many volunteers available who were 'in the know'. Thank you for a tremendous festival." - Leah Holmes, lampwork artist