LEO Transforms Historic Square into Headline Stage (and Back Again)
Each spring, Double Decker Arts Festival turns Oxford Square into a bustling hub of art, music, and community, welcoming nearly 112,000 attendees for one of the Southeast’s most anticipated free festivals. Behind the scenes, LEO manages the full operational lift, coordinating 200+ art vendors, 29 sponsors, 25 food partners, two days of live music, and every logistical detail from load-in to showtime.
What makes the transformation remarkable isn’t merely scale – it’s also efficiency and sheer speed of execution. In a matter of hours, the historic square is reimagined into a vibrant festival footprint, complete with staging, signage, and branded creative inspired each year by a locally-designed poster. Then, even more quickly than it appears, it’s gone. By Sunday morning, the streets are cleared, the storefronts reemerge, and the city returns to business as usual – as if it was all a beautiful dream.
Producing the annual festival is a massive undertaking powered by a lean LEO Events crew, hundreds of volunteers, and a deeply invested community. What ensues year after year is an award-winning cultural moment that – in 2026 alone – generated a near $19 million economic impact, celebrates local talent alongside national acts, and proves that with the right people at the helm, even the most complex productions can appear (and disappear) seamlessly.
“Double Decker is one of those special times when we get to come alive and get into our cohesive flow as a team,” LEO’s Manager of Event Operations Jordan Bowen said. “Each of us is hyper aware of the tight time frame we have to accomplish so much, but the adrenaline rush always hits when it’s ‘go time’ for our mile-long to-do list.”
The quick-turn program is a study in precision, pace, and pure grit, and the LEOs execute load in and out like a well oiled machine – many of them on only two hours of sleep between show days. With newly secured permits, load-in kicked off earlier than ever this year, crews moving in Thursday night as stage teams worked through the early morning hours to get ahead. Even with Friday rain causing a brief delay, the energy never wavered. Crowds poured in, sponsors turned out in greater numbers than ever, and the square came to life right on cue.
“With precision and determination, we managed logistics, directed arrivals, and kept everything moving on schedule, transforming the square for what was to come,” LEO Event Operations Coordinator, Savannah Turner, said. “The success of the event rested on our effort, adaptability, and commitment to getting every detail right.”
Jordan describes the whole endeavor as somewhat bittersweet – coming together quickly and burning bright for two packed days only to be finished so fast, knowing in a year, her crew will be back to do it all over again.
This year, by 11PM Saturday, the official teardown began. In just five hours, the entire downtown-sized footprint disappeared. Nearly 300 vendors cleared. Stage dismantled. Equipment out. Streets swept, pressure washed, and reset. By 4AM, you’d never know it all happened.
It’s truly a herculean effort that has an even bigger impact on not just Oxford, but every vendor, artist, and attendee who experiences the Double Decker magic.
“What makes it so special is the people,” Jordan said. “Not just the LEOs but also the returning vendors who make it feel like the world’s biggest family reunion with gratitude, hugs, and a sense of shared pride.”
Looking for operational support for your next festival or brand experience? Let’s talk.