46th Annual Atwood Music Festival to be held this weekend

The 46th Annual Atwood Music Festival is set to kick off at the Atwood Water Park in Monticello at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5 and continue through Saturday night.
This year’s festival will have a different look than normal as there will be no merchandise vendors for the first time in many years. There will also be no children’s play attractions. The absence of these parts of the festival will leave more space on the field in front of the stage for attendees to spread out and effectively social distance.
The festival, originally set for Memorial Day weekend in May, was moved to Labor Day amid COVID-19 concerns. According to festival committee members, the event will operate under guidelines laid out by the governor’s office.
The use of face masks, though not required in the outdoor venue, will be strongly encouraged by the festival committee. Social distancing will also be encouraged, and families are asked to sit together and keep their distance from other groups.
According to Atwood officials, guidelines from Gov. Tate Reeves call for no more than 20 people in a 10-foot radius.
There will be security on site that will be prepared to ask large groups to properly social distance and will also prevent a large group from congregating at the front of the stage, a long-time practice at concerts.
A cornhole tournament will be held this year at the festival. The format will be a double elimination event with registration at 9 a.m. Saturday and play beginning at noon. For more information on this event, call Dillon at 601-951-6320.
Advance tickets may be purchased online at www.ardenland.net or at First Bank and Ramey’s in Monticello. Tickets will also be available at the gate.