The Acansa Arts Festival of the South is set to return this fall, Sept. 10-26, and we now know who will be hitting the stage.
Marking its 11th year, the fest spans three weeks and the metro with a broad range of venues and events, including award-winning performers, beloved local musicians, eye-popping artwork and family-friendly activities.
Without further ado, here’s what to expect at the 2026 festival.
OKCello
Sept. 10, ASO Stella Boyle Smith Music Center
Okorie “OkCello” Johnson is an American cellist-songwriter whose artistry integrates cello performance, live-sound-looping, improvisation and storytelling, all culminating in original compositions that collide classical with jazz, EDM, reggae and funk. His music is inspired by the exploration of African Diasporic melodies and narratives and their intersection with people’s perceptions and assumptions about the classical and European nature of the cello. As well, his work with improvisation attempts to embody the phenomenon of wordless prayer.
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The Rodney Block Collective
Sept. 11, The Sanctuary
Get ready for a righteous night of moving and music with The Rodney Block Collective. Whether you’ve seen him on stage in Little Rock, Kansas City or across the globe with Earth, Wind and Fire, members of the Marsalis family or Doug E. Fresh, Block brings passion first wherever he performs. The band rounds out Block’s signature trumpet with keys, drums, bass and vocals for a signature groove that sets that weekend tone.
Ryanhood
Sept. 12, CALS Ron Robinson Theater
International Acoustic Music Awards winners for “Best Group/Duo,” Ryanhood’s tight vocal harmonies and big acoustic riffs are at turns energetic, hopeful and quietly moving. A merging of virtuosic musicianship with rich and transformative storytelling, their shows are driven by strong acoustic guitar interplay and turn-on-a-dime harmonies forged in a decades-long friendship.
Ten Minute Play Showcase
Sept. 13-15, ACT II Sharon Heflin Performing Arts Education Center
In partnership with Argenta Contemporary Theatre
Featuring original and previously unproduced plays created by Arkansas playwrights, directors and performers, Acansa’s Showcase returns in collaboration with Argenta Contemporary Theatre for a perfect “10.” Among multiple entries, plays are selected for performances in ACT II’s intimate black box setting, where the focus is on the essentials: the writing, the actors, the room and the spark between artists and audience.
Miró Quartet
Sept. 17, Hillcrest Commons
In partnership with the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock
The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated string quartets, praised as “furiously committed” by The New Yorker and recognized for “exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. This Grammy-nominated quartet has performed on the world’s most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, Texas, and thriving on the area’s storied music scene, Miró takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music.
“Marie & Rosetta”
Sept. 18, AMFA Performing Arts Theater
In partnership with the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
In celebration of Arkansas native Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her pioneering influence on gospel, R&B and rock traditions around the world, Marie & Rosetta brings us to Rosetta’s first 1940s rehearsal with protégée Marie Knight as they form one of the greatest duos in music history. Be the first to see AMFA’s production during this theatrical evening featuring such songs as “This Train,” “Rock Me,” “Down by the Riversive,” and “Strange Things Happening Every Day.”
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Opening Night: Solo Exhibition of Works by Luis Atilano
Sept. 18, Acansa Gallery
Luis Atilano, originally from Michoacan, Mexico, creates vibrant and expressive art that explores the strength, depth and symbolism of his cultural heritage on large-scale canvases. Opening night of this solo exhibition coincides with Third Friday Art Walk in North Little Rock’s Argenta Arts District where up to a dozen venues will host exhibits by regional artists.
Family Arts Day
Sept. 19, Argenta Green (Sixth Street & Magnolia)
In partnership with UA-PTC + Argenta Downtown Council
No matter your age, the arts will make your day. In partnership with UA-PTC and Argenta Arts District, Acansa welcomes all ages to creative, hands-on activities for the young and young at heart. Pack your lawn chairs or blankets, bring a picnic or revel in delightful food and beverages onsite, enjoy the music and explore the arts. Family Arts Day segues into Vibe, Argenta Arts District’s free live music series featuring Little Rock singer-songwriter Amy Garland and then Bella Rayne Band with its blend of Southern rock, blues and jam-band influences.
“The Wonder Bread Years”
Sept. 19-20, Argenta Contemporary Theatre
Playwright/performer Pat Hazell — a “Tonight Show” veteran, original writer for NBC’s “Seinfeld” and voted one of the five funniest people in America by Showtime TV — has cooked up “The Wonder Bread Years,” a salute to cultural Americana. Kneading theatrical storytelling together with stand-up comedy, this fast-paced romp through childhood nostalgia puts a sense of awe and wonder in the bag.
“Dementia Man: An Existential Journey”
Sept. 24, AMFA Amerine/Calhoun Glass Box
In partnership with the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
After decades as a tireless advocate for justice and social change, Samuel A. Simon faces the most personal fight of his life: the slow, undeniable progression of cognitive decline. When the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease comes, he refuses to fade quietly. “Dementia Man: An Existential Journey” is an award-winning autobiographical story that peeks into the head and heart of the struggle with a broken medical system and a personal and family challenge. Is it possible to believe in a meaningful future with a neurocognitive disease?
King Cabbage Brass Brand
Sept. 25, CALS Ron Robinson Theater
Bring on the joy! King Cabbage Brass Band is a jukebox of funk, soul, jazz and R&B that transcends genre boundaries and makes it hard to sit still. Dedicated to honoring the originators of brass band music, KCBB starts a party wherever they land.
Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light
Sept. 26, ACT II Sharon Heflin Performing Arts Education Center
Get ready for tight harmonies, virtuosic musicianship and fearless storytelling. This acoustic folk trio has won the Kerrville New Folk Competition and garnered the 2025 Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest among its many accolades. Tune into the America Folklife Center where their Library of Congress performance is preserved, or better yet, hear them intimately at ACT II in the Argenta Arts District as we close out the 12th Acansa Arts Festival of the South.
Event descriptions provided by Acansa.
Tickets for the 11th Acansa Arts Festival of the South are available now, including individual shows and festival passes. Select events are free, and students 18 and younger are free of charge.
To learn more about the arts festival, visit the Acansa website and follow along on Facebook and Instagram for the latest. Call 501.663.2287 to reach the box office or email [email protected].
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