Gallery: A History of Hubfest
)The 1932 Hubfest
Hubfest is an annual, free, family-friendly art and music festival held in downtown Hattiesburg. The all-day event features hundreds of vendors, live music, a children's play area and lots of food.
The modern-day Hubfest celebration looks very different from the original event that took place in 1932 during the Great Depression. The economy had taken a nose-dive in the 1929 stockmarket crash and wasn't to recover until the early 1940's with the advent of World War II. The Hubfest event was seen as a means of revitalizing business in the city and surrounding area.
feature movie
Place your cursor over this View button to read (then) Mayor W.S.F Tatum's declaration for the first Hubfest.
WHEREAS, The Mercantile Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and the civic clubs of the City of Hattiesburg have set apart Friday evening, March 11th, 1932, beginning at 7:00 p.m. and continuing until 9:30 p.m., for the purpose of celebrating the end of the depression period and inaugurating the beginning of the period of prosperity,
NOW THEREFORE, In keeping with the spirit of this event, I, W.S.F. Tatum, Mayor of the City of Hattiesburg, proclaim that it is the duty of every citizen of Hattiesburg and the surrounding country to join in making this event a success, and
HEREBY INVITE all the people of the surrounding territory to join in this celebration and witness the carrying out of this program, and the funeral and burial of OLD MAN DEPRESSION.
WITNESS my hand and seal, this 9th day of March, 1932.
W.S.F. Tatum, Mayor
(Hattiesburg American: 3/9/1932)
Unlike the current full-day affair, the 1932 Hubfest took place over one night, beginning at 7:00 p.m. and ending at 9:30 p.m. with a movie at the Saenger theater. The festival's primary feature was the unveiling of new store front window displays which were curtained and prepared the day of the event. Store lights were dimmed until the 7:00 p.m. signal was given- lights were lifted, window curtains were dropped, bands began to blare, fireworks exploded and crowds voiced amazement at the fanciful displays of store merchandise (Hattiesburg American: 3/8/1932).
(Then) local radio station WPFB ("The Voice of the Pines") devoted considerable airtime to the new Hubfest celebration which began that afternoon with commentary and continued into the night with coverage of the downtown parade. In keeping with the uplifting intent of the festival, a symbolic "funeral procession" was held for "Old Man Depression" at 9:20 p.m. followed by a burial ceremony in the (then) empty lot across from city hall. E. J. Currie delivered a funeral oration followed by the announcement of the winner of the "old man's" epitaph contest.
The subsequent Saenger movie was entitled "Ladies of the Jury" which featured a (then) well-known Hollywood actor and Hattiesburg native named Roscoe Ates. A Hubfest ticket gave the holder admission to the movie as well as an optional bus ride for those living on the outskirts of town (Hattiesburg American: 3/8/1932)
In summarizing the results of the first Hubfest, the Hattiesburg American (3/10/1932) wrote, "From all sides applause continues of this Hattiesburg effort to restore confidence and revive business activity in the city and its area." Additionally, a new slogan "Do Press On" emerged to mark a new post-Hubfest attitude of optimism for Hattiesburg commerce. City merchants would sponsor festivals and expos under a variety of names in the years that followed, each maintaining the "Do Press On" spirit of the very first 1932 festival.
Modern Hubfests
While the original Hubfest was billed as an annual celebration, HAHS could not find the term "Hubfest" used in the Hattiesburg American newspaper for 53 years after the original event. That changed in 1985 when the HACC announced "Symposium 85" to be held in conjunction with the first annual "Good Life Down South Festival." The former was planned as a showcase for south Mississippi industry and business, while the latter (to be renamed "Hub Fest") would feature the Hub City area's lighter side of life (Hattiesburg American, 8/4/1985).
Hattiesburg's second annual "Good Life Down South Festival" spanned a week's worth of activities including sporting events and an economic symposium. The week's activities climaxed with a Saturday Hubfest, a day-long mixture of arts and crafts, entertainment and food in the downtown area. Shuttle buses were available, and the activities that year were planned to complement USM's homecoming activities (Hattiesburg American: 10/12/1986).
The 1988 Hubfest expanded to include a 5000-meter run, a trade show, and a Kidsfest section which housed everything from its own stage to a pumpkin drawing contest. Non-stop music for adults was provided on three additional stages, one for contemporary music, one for gospel and one for country/western.
By 1990, the week's activities prior to Hubfest Saturday included a bicycle race along with tennis and golf tournaments. Extensive advertising inadvertently turned Hubfest, itself, into a marketing tool for downtown. (Then) HACC executive director Eugene Starks said, "Hubfest brings... people downtown so they can experience its culture and architecture.... (For example), if someone becomes familiar with the Saengar Theatre, they may come back to see a production there" (Hattiesburg American: 10/21/1990).
As part of its family-oriented theme, 1992 saw the addition of a pet walk in which children and adults paraded their favorite animals past onlookers. Beyond cats and dogs of all sizes, participants brought rabbits, goldfish, a pony, a goat and a hamster (H'burg American: 9/27/1992). Behind the scenes, 1993 saw the ADP assume the role of planning both the Old Time Festival and Hubfest (Hattiesburg American: 11/20/1993).
The Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus was added to festival fare in 1996 (H'burg American: 10/5/1996), and amateur boxing debuted in 2000 along with carnival rides such as a Ferris wheel, a carousel and a small roller coaster (Hattiesburg American: 10/13/2000). Hurricane Katrina caused the cancellation of festivities in the fall of 2005, but events were rescheduled for the following spring where they have remained since that time (Hattiesburg American: 11/22/2005).
The COVID epidemic resulted in the cancellation of Hubfest in 2020; the celebration returned in 2022 which by this time had expanded beyond Main Street to include portions of Pine, Front, Walnut and Bushman Streets (Hattiesburg American: 3/25/2022). Inclement weather forced cancellation of Hubfest in 2025, but an alternate "Front and Pine Fest" was held in April of that year to help make up for the loss (Hattiesburg American: 4/3/2025).
Postscript
It takes an entire community to pull off an event of Hubfest's magnitude. Many downtown businesses open their doors, while out-of-town vendors set up street booths for the day. Local volunteers assist with festival operations, while corporate sponsors contribute behind the scenes in terms of monetary and media support.
If you've never attended a Hubfest, you've missed out on a chance to experience true downtown hospitality and entertainment. HAHS hopes you make the next one.