By Morgan Bryce
Staff Reporter
The Concourse South music festival will be taking place this Saturday at the city block between Seventh and Eighth streets on North Railroad Avenue from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Richard Patton of Opelika’s Cottonseed Studios said the idea for the festival came from his desire to have a concert that would be “beneficial to downtown Opelika.”
Helping Cottonseed Studios sponsor and organize the event include: John Emerald Distillery, Red Clay Brewing Company, Opelika Main Street, MusicTown Records, Standard Deluxe, Wickles Pickles, The Sound Wall, Summit Graphics, Factory South, Almost Anything, Agricola Farms, Mugshot’s Grill and Bar, Spicer’s Music and Broad Street Company.
Patton said both local and national groups will participate in the festival, and include the likes of David Ramirez and Great Peacock, who are the festival’s headliners, as well as local indie band Lady Legs and country act BB Palmer.
“We wanted to make sure we had our local groups perform during the day to get good exposure, and the regional and national groups at night. We want to have something for everyone there,” Patton said.
In addition to the music, there will also be food, vendors and artisans, children’s activities, a retro game station and barista throw down.
Patton said he plans to expand the size and length of the event in the future, as well as bring the community together to enjoy one of the world’s unifying interests.
“The arts, such as music, can pull a community together. Everybody likes music, everybody enjoys food and everybody enjoys seeing people make their craft,” Patton said.
“This is an event that any person of any demographic can enjoy and we think it’s important for people to see these artists’ creativity and give them exposure. It’s going to be a great day for us to come together as a community and have fun.”
There are still $10 tickets available, but Patton said that once those are gone, the prices of tickets will increase to $15 for students, $25 for general admission, $50 for VIP and free to kids 12 and younger. For more information, email Kasi Davis at kasi@cottonseedstudios.com.