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(Macon, Georgia) All Blues Cultural Preservation Society, the Macon-Bibb County Bicentennial Committee and Visit Macon presented the inaugural All Blues Music & Arts Revival on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. The event was held at Mill Hill Park, 239 Clinton Street, slated as the future site of Macon's Bicentennial Park. The event featured two stages hosting eight nationally recognized blues acts, an exhibition of Southeast folk artists, a children’s art zone, food trucks, BBQ, and a juke joint-style bar. Gates opened at noon. Music began at 1pm and continued through 11 pm. Admission was free and all ages welcome! 

Grammy-nominated soul singer Bettye Lavette and Arkansas blues revivalist Larry McCray and his new band Catfish Mac and the Bottom Feeders featuring longtime John Lee Hooker bass player Ron Perry will headlined the All Blues Music & Arts Revival. Festivities kick off in energetic style with Grammy-nominated New Orleans brass-band-meets-Mardi Gras Indian outfit Cha Wa. Other artists performing included: Alvin Youngblood Hart's Duo Sonik, led by Hart, described as the "Cosmic American love child of Howlin' Wolf and Link Wray;" Brotha Ric Patton, the Alabama singer, songwriter and harmonica player; Mississippi Hill Country blues artists Lightnin' Malcolm and Kinney Kimbrough, son of Mississippi blues legend Junior Kimbrough.; traditional Mississippi blues artist Little Willie Farmer; and Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo, featuring country blues music and Piedmont-style fingerpicking ambassadors Valerie and Benedict Turner.

The festival will take place at the location for the new Bicentennial Park, the signature initiative of Macon200, the bicentennial committee. During the festival, donors who have contributed “$200 for Macon200” will be invited to the unveiling of the park design – donate now for access to this event and more benefits. Additionally, a bicentennial crosswalk leading into the future park will have been painted by Bike Walk Macon during Play Streets on October 7 and aims to honor the history of East Macon’s neighborhoods and the Indigenous roots of the land.

Self-taught artist, lettering specialist, and music promoter John Mollica conceptualized and organized the festival on behalf of Macon's All Blues Preservation Society. "This promises to be an amazing day of fun and entertainment celebrating two aspects of culture that are deeply rooted in Macon—folk art and blues," Mollica said. "We've assembled a lineup of top-notch blues artists and we're showcasing the work of folk artists from across the Southeast, including Maconites Rudy Mendes, Christopher Logan, and Michael Pierce,. It'll be a great chance for the community to celebrate 200 years and get its blues groove on."