Crawfish Music Festival moving ahead rain or shine

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - After being canceled last year due to COVID-19, the 28th annual Crawfish Music Festival is happening right now at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.

Wednesday night saw the return of the Coast tradition, which is almost three decades old. Inclement weather limited attendance for the first night, however, event organizers and vendors remain optimistic about the days ahead.

”We are hoping that we will still get to hear some great music and we will get a few peaks of sunshine in the middle of all this mess,” said vendor Shelly Newman.

Several other vendors, along with Newman, are relying on big crowds to turn a profit. Those crowds weren’t possible Wednesday due to heavy rains but some people still made their way out to the event in spite of the weather. The Valverde family enjoyed themselves and said they hope to return again this year once the weather clears up.

“Looks like a lot of fun stuff to do. The weather just got in the way of it,” said Heather Valverde.

Coliseum director Matt McDonnell said he is hoping this upcoming weekend marks a return to normalcy for many in South Mississippi.

”They’re going to feel normal again. That’s the thing,” said McDonnell. “They’re going to feel like, ‘Wow, we missed this in 2020.’”

If you’re not coming for the crawfish, you’ll likely be attending for the music and, regardless of the weather, McDonnell said the shows will go on, rain or shine.

”We’re not only going to be doing things outside, we have the arena set up so if the weather doesn’t cooperate, all those shows that people have bought all those advanced tickets for, more than we have ever sold before, those people will be able to see those artists that they bought tickets for,” said McDonnell.

The Crawfish Festival is going on April 14-18, 2021, with performances by Niko Moon, Hardy and more. For more information on the festival or to purchase tickets, visit the Coast Coliseum’s website.

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