BY KENDYL HOLLINGSWORTH
KENDYLH@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
AUBURN —
Get ready to get down — Alabama style. The Alabama Artists Festival is set for Saturday, April 29, at the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center (GPAC).
The festival will be held in the Bill and Carol Ham Amphitheatre with gates opening at 2 p.m. The performances are free and open to the public, but patrons should register first.
“Our goal with the festival is to highlight the tremendous musical talent of our state, to celebrate these incredible Alabama artists and to share their work with the community,” said Jonathan Osborne, director of communications and marketing for the Gogue.
The festival will be the culmination of the GPAC Live: Alabama Artists Series and will showcase a variety of musical talents from artists across the state. The lineup includes Eric Essix at 2:30 p.m., Elley Duhé at 4 p.m., John Paul White at 5:30 p.m. and the Blind Boys of Alabama at 7 p.m. The four artists hail from Birmingham, Mobile, Florence and Talladega, respectively.
“I love that our festival is shining a light on the outstanding and diverse musical talent of our state,” Osborne said.
The Alabama Artists Festival is three years in the making, according to Osborne. The GPAC Live: Alabama Artists Series began in October 2020 as a series of livestreamed performances since the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the Gogue and other venues from hosting in-person shows at the time.
“At that time, we were unable to welcome artists and patrons to the Gogue Center for live, in-person performances,” he said. “Despite the circumstances, we were determined to continue to connect and engage with audiences.”
Essix, Duhé and White were the three featured artists of the series and had livestreamed an individual concert and K-12 school performance from the Gogue’s Woltosz Theatre.
“We had viewers watching from all corners of the globe,” Osborne recalled. “Seriously — people were watching from across the United States, Germany, New Zealand — all over the world.”
Now, the Gogue is ready to open its doors to thousands of music lovers for the festival. Attendees are welcome to bring blankets, soft seat cushions or folding chairs. Seating is general admission. WEGL 91.1, Auburn University’s student-operated radio station, will be broadcasting live from the Gogue between sets.
To register to attend, visit aub.ie/al-artists-fest, visit the box office at 910 S. College St. or contact the box office at 334-844-TIXS (8497) or gpactickets@auburn.edu.
“Alabama has such a rich musical history — I don’t think we celebrate it enough,” Osborne said. “These artists, who are all either from Alabama or working in Alabama today, are just a few of the award-winning, chart-topping artists who call our state home. I’m glad we have the opportunity to share and lift up their voices.”