Celebrate the Gulf, Art in the Pass festivals set for second weekend of April
Long Beach Breeze
The annual Celebrate the Gulf Marine Education Festival, started in 1991, is held annually to teach residents and visitors about the importance of the Gulf. Held in coordination with Art in the Pass, the festival is typically held the first Saturday in April in Pass Christian’s Memorial Park. Due to Easter falling on the first weekend of April, this year’s event will be April 11 and 12.
The event, designed for all ages, will include over thirty-five exhibitors offering learning opportunities about everything from upland habitats and wildlife to the recreation and commercial services that the Gulf provides. There will also be live animal shows, free family caricatures, photo booths, and activities for children of all ages.
Children’s artwork will be on display from the Children’s Art Contest, and awards will be given out at the festival. In addition, the Student Science Showcase winners will also be on hand to exhibit science projects to the local community.
The “Washed Up to Wow” fashion show will take place at noon on Saturday.
A new student event this year, “Washed Up to Wow,” will take place at noon and will showcase wearable creations made primarily from marine debris collected locally. The creative challenge will blend fashion, environmental stewardship and storytelling. Awards will be announced at 2 p.m.
The 2026 Celebrate the Gulf Festival poster and t-shirt contest winner, Samantha Savage, will be signing and handing out free festival posters during the event.
Student Samantha Savage designed the Celebrate the Gulf Festival poster and t-shirt for 2026.
The Celebrate the Gulf festival will run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.grandbaynerr.org/celebrate-the-gulf.
Spanning both Saturday and Sunday, the 28th annual Art in the Pass fine arts festival will be held in War Memorial Park. The vetted fine arts festival will feature over one hundred artists from more than a dozen states, as well as thousands of visitors from across the Southeast. Vendors will include artists working in a wide range of media, from painting to woodworking, sculpture to photography. The event will offer art, food, live entertainment and fun for the whole family.
The Art in the Pass festival begins each day at 10 a.m. and concludes at 5 p.m. For more information, www.PassMainStreet.com/artinthepass.
War Memorial Park is located at 103 Fleitas Avenue.
