30A Songwriters returned for its 13th year. The event featured 175 talented artists and 225 performances spread throughout 30+ venues all over South Walton. Six acts headlined the outdoor amphitheater stage at Grand Boulevard on Saturday and Sunday. The lineup included Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris, Chris & Rich Robinson (the Black Crowes), Dawes, Jenny Lewis, and Rickie Lee Jones. there was truly something for everyone, with genres ranging from blues to folk, soul, Americana, and country. It's safe to say guests had a fabulous weekend, and we are already marking our calendars for next year!

The brainchild of Tribe Kelley founder and CEO Brittney Kelley, the residential light show in Grayton Beach, Florida, will support mental health awareness. Grayt Lights is the perfect holiday activity to gather friends and family together, so visitors and locals alike can drive through a magical holiday wonderland by the beach and support a great cause while enjoying the holiday cheer!

The Say It Southern Getaway is a must-attend event. For those of you who don’t know, Courtney Goolsby and Sarah Stone Smith are the creators and cohosts of the Say It Southern (SIS) podcast and The Getaway. They are champions of women entrepreneurs who love to tell stories about Southern women and their passions. I knew from the second I listened to my first SIS podcast that I wanted to find a way to be involved in this event and it did not disappoint! The long weekend took place along the beautiful beach towns of Scenic Highway 30-A in Northwest Florida with around forty guests from around the Southeast and beyond. We all left with new friends, renewed energy, and new ideas on how to live our best lives and have fun while doing it.

Panama City Beach is situated on 27 miles of sugar-white sand beaches bordering clear, emerald-green waters Andrew Bay converge. With 320 days of sunshine annually and attractions such as St. Andrews State Park and Pier Park, the region has long been favored by travelers seeking an affordable beach vacation with year-round offerings for families, couples, groups, and adventure-seekers. “We are thrilled to be hosting events at the Real.Fun.Beach once again and look forward to welcoming visitors this weekend for our annual Pirates of the High Seas Fest,” says Dan Rowe.

Award-winning fashion designer Christian Siriano knows this better than most and has recently brought his talents from the runways and red carpets to homes, hotels, and more with the launch of Siriano Interiors. The full-service design firm also includes a new line of mid-century modern–inspired bespoke furniture for sale exclusively on 1stDibs.com. Siriano shares one of his newest projects with us here—a New York City apartment in the Flatiron District.

Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach is pleased to announce the appointment of John Colette as the festival’s new curator. Colette takes the reigns from his award-winning and highly regarded predecessor and colleague, Brett Phares, who curated the festival for 14 years from inception, a contemporary with whom Colette has long worked. To Colette’s mind, Digital Graffiti is a dynamic platform for art to reach people, an abundantly open experience with unlimited opportunities for perceiving art in a conjoining of ideas, creation, space, technology. The 15th Annual Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach festival, underwritten by The Alys Foundation, will be held May 13-14, 2022.

The CODAawards “celebrate the projects that most successfully integrate commissioned art into interior, architectural, or public spaces,” honoring “the individuals and the teams whose collective imaginations create the public and private spaces that inspire us.” Digital Graffiti is a 2021 CODAawards Merit Award Winner in the institutional design category, selected from among 435 entries submitted from more than 26 countries.

"In a time when so many of us need an escape from the world, fashion is a great place to explore," says Christian Siriano of his Spring/Summer 2022 fashion collection. "I went back to a simpler time and looked to my past. I was inspired by the Italian women in my life. The old photographs of my grandmother in the 60's and 70's on holiday in Positano wearing her apricot-orange dress inspired an Italian coastal collection filled with color and joy. I wanted it to feel powerful and strong but also romantic like any true Italian woman."

Florida-based artistic photographer and filmmaker Jonah Allen celebrated the opening of his first art gallery on July 23, 2021 in Santa Rosa Beach. Congratulations were in abundance as the community also celebrated the release of Allen's new documentary filmed by Shane Reynolds, titled "Jonah Allen: An Intentional Moment."

Former VIE cover artist Heather Haynes will be featured in Pitroda Art, Movement: Art for Social Change. Haynes is one of twelve international artists, whose art will be projected onto iconic buildings in five cities in the United States this summer. Haynes' featured piece is titled "Universal Love" and it depicts an elderly couple from an indigenous Mbuti Village. The piece conveys the message of humanity's universal language of love - the answer to all the world's problems. Patrons can also buy the pieces via online auction.

We're so excited that former VIE intern Sammi Accola released her debut single, "Nostalgia," on April 16! The song was inspired by a quote by John Pantana that said, "Nostalgia has a way of rose-coloring our past misery." As a self-described Folk-Pop Americana artist, Sammi has released a debut song that is as dreamy as it is relatable. The accompanying music video released on April 30, and you can watch it here. Congratulations, Sammi!

Dance the night away with us from your own home as we host and simulcast the global DG + VIE Très Chic Dance Party with Vimeo on Saturday, May 15, 2021, from 7:00 until 8:00 p.m. CDT. Très Chic marks the fifth DG + VIE Awards Party, and we can't wait to celebrate with a worldwide audience of friends dancing along with us as we look toward the future and happier days ahead!