Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba announced on Tuesday that Mississippi’s capital city has been named the official 2025-2027 National Folk Festival Host City. Jackson was among 42 cities nationwide that competed for the honor of hosting the nation’s preeminent traveling celebration of traditional arts and culture for a three-year stay in 2025, 2026, and 2027.
To provide a taste of what’s to come, several artists were on hand to perform at the announcement, including Bobby Rush, the Rising Stars Fife & Drum Band, and Max and Josh Baca from Los Texmaniacs.
The festival will begin its three-year stay in Jackson in November of 2025.
The National Folk Festival, produced by the non-profit the National Council for the Traditional Arts, is the nation’s longest-running traditional arts event, a free, three-day, outdoor multicultural celebration of music, dance, and traditional arts. During its three-year residency, the National Folk Festival is expected to draw over 330,000 visitors to downtown Jackson, generate over $60 million in long-term economic impacts for the city and the region, and lay the groundwork for a locally produced festival to continue after the National moves on to its next site.