LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. made an announcement on Tuesday that the city will soon be hosting its newest festival, LITFest. He has big hopes that the festival will be something that people will one day be able to identify the city by.
"If you want to find the opportunity to truly see unity and diversity in action when it comes to a festival, that's what we hope to build with LITFest for years to come," the Mayor said.
The festival is officially planned for October 7-9, and the inaugural event of LITFest has been described in various different ways.
"It's a music festival, it's also performing arts, but also an opportunity to really discuss business and industry," Scott said.
For context, Scott said this event could be somewhat similar to Austin's 'South by Southwest', but that isn't exactly the idea that they're going for.
"We want to make LITFest, LITFest," he said. "Not a South by Southwest, but something in that same range."
Part of being able to make that happen is in the name – 'A Return to the Rock.' Scott hopes the festival will be a homecoming for some of the biggest names in the city.
"There'll be a lot of entertainment, a lot of food and maybe a little sports if we highlight folks like a Moses Moody, a Joe Johnson, a Bobby Portis," he said. "Guess what? They're all from Little Rock."
Asides from being able to bring those names in, is actually being able to bring in the crowds.
Libby Lloyd with the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, said she doesn't have specifics just yet, but she knows that tourism brings in far more than just people. It can also bring money.
"You know, the rising tide raises all the boars, and so we're excited to see how this can play out," Lloyd said.
While you might have been thinking that this event has a similar feel to Riverfest, LITFest isn't the same.
Lloyd said it will be good to see something that can fill the void that Riverfest left.
"They're going to eat out, they're going to stay in our hotels, and that's just brining in that extra revenue to the destination," she said. "So it does behoove us to support an event like this."
Scott said, that his ultimate goal is getting people to see what the city has to offer, and maybe Little Rock could turn into their permanent home too.