48th annual Peter Anderson Festival helps support local businesses and vendors in Ocean Springs

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) — Thousands of people filled downtown Ocean Springs for the Peter Anderson Festival, shopping for unique gifts and taking in the vibrant art community.

DAY 1:

• Thousands attend 48th annual Peter Anderson Festival in downtown Ocean Springs
• Peter Anderson Festival attendees arrive aboard Amtrak

While the art draws visitors from across the region, Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Cynthia Sutton says the impact doesn’t stop at the vendors.

“Our small businesses are our business, and for them to sustain year-round, we need festivals like this,” Sutton said. “When we bring almost 100,000 people to them, it helps them generate the revenue, the sales, the income that they need to sustain.”

Just steps from the festival, Fat Spoon Cafe sits in the heart of downtown.

“You see some people that are really artsy; you see some people that are really laid-back. It just brings a whole variety of people out here,” front lead Tiffany Cannette said.

When the crowds roll in, it means more opportunities for Tiffany Cannette and her team to show off their creativity in the kitchen.

“I’ve noticed from last year and this year that we’ve got a lot of people that return from Memphis and Arizona and just other places, and when they come down here, they come straight to the Fat Spoon [Cafe],” Cannette said.

On the other side, for local vendors like Magnolia Moon owner Sarah Gigli, the festival puts her creativity in the spotlight.

“The amount of people that get to see your booth and things that you make; you get to interact with the stuff that you’re pouring your heart and soul into; it’s just incredible,” Gigli said.

For three years, Gigli has transformed real pressed flowers into jewelry, artwork and keepsakes preserved in resin.

“Now that we’re here in this space that’s spread out, it’s still being filled with festivalgoers and people who come see me at every festival that we go to, and are so happy to pour that love and support into me,” Gigli said.

Each piece preserves a little piece of nature and helps support her family.

“You are literally giving your hard-earned money to a family, to ballet practice and soccer gear,” Gigli said. “It’s making a direct impact in your community in ways that you can see and you can’t see.”

Sharing her creations is just the beginning; she hopes they inspire others to discover their own creative spark.

“Not only are you showing up and sharing your creativity and bringing joy to the lives of others with your creations, but you’re also encouraging people, whether you know it or not, to also step into their creative gifts,” Gigli said.

Sutton says 413 vendors took part in this year’s festival.

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