The Atwood Music Festival, the longest running festival of its kind in the state of Mississippi,[1] is an annual festival held near the banks of the Pearl River in Monticello, Mississippi on Memorial Day weekend in May.[2] Originally called the Atwood Bluegrass Music Festival, the event was rebranded to feature a variety of different music styles.[3] The Festival began as a joint effort by the Pearl River Basin Development District and the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce in 1975 to promote the Atwood Water Park that had recently been completed by the Basin District.[2][4][5]

The Festival has featured artists such as Stella Parton (sister of Dolly Parton), The Carter Family, Trace Adkins, John Anderson, Neal McCoy, Jeff Bates, Little Texas, Jamey Johnson, LoCash, Jake Owen, Chris Young, Craig Morgan, Travis Tritt, Emerson Drive, Kieth Anderson, and Charlie Daniels.[5] Following Daniels's headlining performance in 2008, the Festival opted to contract several up-and-coming acts instead of 1 or 2 well-known headliners due to budget concerns.[6]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Festival was moved from Memorial Day weekend in May to Labor Day weekend, September 4-5.[1]

List of main performers

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Atwood Music Festival: Labor Day Weekend". 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  2. ^ a b "Parks | Town of Monticello, MS". www.monticello.ms.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  3. ^ "Atwood Music Festival seen as Memorial Day weekend tradition". Daily Leader. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  4. ^ "15th Annual NELA Bluegrass Festival". www.knoe.com. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  5. ^ a b "History - 44th Annual Atwood Music Festival - Monticello, MS". 2019-09-13. Archived from the original on 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  6. ^ "Organizers set lineup for Atwood Music Festival". Daily Leader. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2021-02-15.

31°33′03″N 90°05′04″W / 31.550777°N 90.084318°W / 31.550777; -90.084318