Image by Mike Pirnique

Bubba Sullivan, one of the founders of the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival and owner of a record store in Helena, says the Delta draws visitors fascinated by the culture.

In this week's Arkansas Business newspaper, Rob Bell takes a look at music festivals in Arkansas, which play a key role in raking in millions of tourism dollars. Among them, the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival in Helena and the Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival in Ozark:

The Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival in Helena is one of the state's largest music fests and has been a major economic engine for the area. Organizers are betting this year's festival, which takes place in October and is in its 25th year, will be among the best-attended in its history. They plan to announce several "big name" headlining artists by May 3, said Munnie Jordan, director of the festival.

Another Arkansas music event gearing up for a big year is the Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival, which kicks off June 3 at Mulberry Mountain near Ozark. Though it started in 2004 outside of Lawrence, Kan., Wakarusa moved to Arkansas last year, hosting about 11,000 people.

So far, ticket sales are brisk, about double the number for this time last year, and organizers expect attendance could approach 15,000, said Brett Mosiman, director of Wakarusa.

 

Bell also reports on plans for the $22 million, 16,000-seat outdoor Osage Creek Performing Arts Center in western Benton County, set to come online in the summer. That amphitheater is expected to compete for more music events.

You can read Bell's complete story here, along with a note on what organizers expect at this year's Helena festival.