Headliner Music Acts, Theme Announced for 2016 Market Street Festival

COLUMBUS, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – Organizers are busy preparing for the 21st Annual Market Street Festival to be held in Downtown Columbus on May 6 & 7, 2016.

The award-winning event has been named one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast for 16 years, including 2016.

The music committee has finalized the entertainment lineup and it’s sure to be a rocking good time!

“We are bringing a little of the Big Easy to the Friendly City, as both of our Friday night music acts come to us straight from New Orleans,” said Dawn Barham, MSF Music Chairperson.

The Big Fun Brass Band will kick off the Friday night concert at 7:00 pm, followed by Rockin Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters at 9:00 pm.

The Friday night concert will be held at the Riverwalk again this year, complete with food and drink vendors. The concert is free and open to the public and kicks off one of the biggest weekends of the year for Columbus.

“We chose to go with a New Orleans theme for our Friday night music lineup because of the fun and festive atmosphere that we strive to create at Market Street Festival each year,” said Amber Brislin, MSF Coordinator.

“We will have a second line parade beginning on the renovated Tenn-Tom Walking Bridge and ending at the Riverwalk Stage complete with music from The Big Fun Brass Band, beads, masks and all the flair that you would find at a second line parade in New Orleans,” added Brislin.

Basically, the name says it all.

The Big Fun Brass Band is a New Orleans style brass band comprised of professional musicians from New Orleans, Mandeville, and Hammond, LA.

The group is dedicated to bringing the music and atmosphere of New Orleans to events of any kind. All members are classically trained and have performed with multiple jazz groups in and around New Orleans.

The band performs Dixieland standards, popular brass band charts of today, and everything in between.

The members of Big Fun are dedicated to bringing the great music and relaxed atmosphere of New Orleans wherever they go!

Big Fun has performed in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and West Virginia.

“As you can see, we have two awesome bands scheduled that will add fun and excitement to our Friday night venue. The headliner, Rockin Dopsie, Jr & The Zydeco Twisters, has a fabulous resume and we are looking forward to having them in our city and at Columbus’ largest festival. We invite everyone to bring their families and friends to the Riverwalk and take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy mardi gras right here in our “friendly city”, says Barbara Bigelow, Executive Director of Main Street Columbus.

Rockin Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters have performed extensively on their own tours, and have shared the stage with Tina Turner, Bonnie Raitt, BB King, The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, and Jimmy Buffet.

In 1978 they performed on the song That Was Your Mother (Standing On The Corner In Lafayette, Louisiana), which was released on Paul Simon’s multi-platinum Grammy award-winning album Graceland.

The band has also recorded with Cindy Lauper and Bob Dylan.

Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters performed at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, on the occasion of the presentation of the late Rockin’ Dopsie’s crown (he was indeed “the King of Zydeco”) for permanent exhibit.

Rockin’ Dopsie, his band, and zydeco music were honored by this historic event as they had never been honored before.

Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters, still referred to as “Zydeco’s Royal Family,” have performed in Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Sweden, and many other countries as well as throughout the United States.

They have appeared at the most prestigious music festivals and fairs at home and abroad.

The band has made television commercials for Burger King, the Louisiana Lottery, Close-Up toothpaste, Community coffee, Maalox, Danny and Clyde’s and Popeye’s Fried Chicken. They also appeared in the movie Delta Heat which featured several tracks from their Atlantic album.

They were the house band for the Gayle King Show, the house band on Live With Regis And Kathie Lee, house band for a week on Wheel Of Fortune, played with Harry Connick, Jr. at the Orpheus Ball in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, entertained President Clinton and the White House press corps on the White House lawn, and danced and sang at the Chicago House of Blues with Dan Aykroyd.

Dopsie and his brothers have also performed with Britney Spears and Mystikal on MTV’s two-hour Mardi Gras special.

Following Friday night’s concert, beginning at 9:00 am Saturday, May 7, 12 city blocks of Downtown Columbus will be filled with over 225 arts & crafts vendors, a food court, a car show, a Children’s Area and three entertainment stages featuring live music from 15 different musicians and bands and countless other events and activities throughout the day.

A 5K race will also be held Saturday morning at the Riverwalk beginning at 8:00 am.