Visit Oxford Reveals 2018 Double Decker Arts Festival Music Lineup, Artwork

Visit Oxford unveiled the poster artwork and the music headliner for the 23rd Double Decker Arts Festival in a press conference Thursday.

Sarah Kathryn Dossett’s artwork was chosen as the official 2018 Double Decker poster.
“We’re really excited to have Sarah Kathryn this year chosen as the featured artist,” said Lee Ann Stubbs, Double Decker coordinator. “She is a great asset to the Oxford community.  If you [look into the artwork] more, you can see the phone booth in there, Proud Larry’s, the courthouse, Faulkner in the window … So there’s a lot of different, unique aspects of the artwork.” 
Dosset said her artwork has long consisted of icons and sites all over Oxford. 

“I tried to make these images work together in a fresh way and still be traditional,” Dossett said. “Double Decker Festival weekend is a weekend that I look forward to all year long. As an artist and as an Oxonian, I feel very lucky to be able to participate.”
Brady Ruffin, executive director of the Ole Miss Student Activities Association and a Double Decker sponsor, revealed the music lineup with Cold War Kids as the headliner. 

“We are extremely excited to collaborate with Double Decker Arts Festival as a stage and headliner music sponsor,” Ruffin said. “With this opportunity, we are showcasing our strong connection to the city of Oxford, and Visit Oxford as well as our strong commitment to providing quality entertainment for all Ole Miss students. We are incredibly excited about this opportunity, and we know our students are going to be extremely excited about this year’s Double Decker Festival headliner.” 
The music lineup will begin Friday, April 27 with Thacker Mountain Radio Hour as host.
“Thacker is a great way to kick off the weekend because it kind of encompasses everything that we love about Oxford and about the festival with the literary component and the musical component,” said Mary Allyn Hedges, director of Visit Oxford. 

Hedges also thanked sponsors and recognized several Visit Oxford staff members for organizing this year’s festival. 
“We really couldn’t do it without y’all,” Hedges said. “Every year, [the festival] grows, and it’s just one of the premier festivals in the Southeast. It takes a team, and we’ve got a great team here at Visit Oxford with Double Decker.”  
The annual Double Decker Spring Run will consist of a 5k and a 10k walk/run beginning at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, April 28. Those interested in participating can register online here. 

Double Decker Arts Festival 2018 Music Lineup

Friday, April 27
6 p.m. – Liz Brasher
7 p.m. – Thacker Mountain Radio Hour
8 p.m. – The Delta Saints
Saturday, April 28
10: 15 a.m.-Sharde Thomas
11:30 a.m.- Como Mamas
1 p.m.- Don Bryant
2:30 p.m.- Squirrel Nut Zippers
4 p.m.- Tank and the Bangas
5:30 p.m.- Whitey Morgan
7 p.m.- Houndmouth
8:30 p.m.- Cold War Kids

Sponsors 

The festival’s 2018 Presenting Sponsor is The University of Mississippi Museum gifted to them by Ole Miss Athletics. The Ole Miss Student Activities Association is sponsoring the stage, and Faulkner Sponsors include Specialty Orthopedic Group, C Spire and Winchester.

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By Randall Haley, Editor-in-Chief of HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at randall.haley@hottytoddy.com.