Batesville, AR

Since 2023, Main Street Batesville has presented the Levitt AMP Batesville Music Series in Riverside Park on the banks of the picturesque White River, creating joyous, inclusive opportunities to foster a sense of belonging amongst community members of varied backgrounds.

 

A small city of 11,000 in northeast Arkansas, Batesville is an increasingly diverse locale, with a bourgeoning Hispanic/Latinx population, along with a notable number of LGBTQIA+ residents and young adults, thanks to the community’s esteemed local liberal arts college. The town has a rich history: as the oldest existing city in the state, it was once a major inland port and, surrounded by quarries, a prominent mining hub. Today, the Batesville community is on a journey to preserve its history while also broadening its cultural horizons to be more inclusive of all residents.

Bringing together its multifaceted community through free, live music, the Levitt AMP Batesville Music Series has been a catalyst for moving the 200-year-old city economically and culturally forward. The free music series has enlivened beloved public green space Riverside Park—promoting community pride and fostering belonging through a broad range of live music experiences and cultural programming relevant to the city’s evolving demographics.

Presented by Main Street Batesville (MSB), a nonprofit that promotes its downtown district as the center of its community, offering places to shop, live, work, play and worship in a safe and attractive historic environment, in partnership with the City of Batesville.