Stage by Stage: How to Experience the National Folk Festival in Jackson

The National Folk Festival returns to downtown Jackson with six stages, each offering a different way to experience the weekend.

Catch a large outdoor concert, spend the night dancing, hear musicians compare traditions in an intimate workshop or bring the kids to a hands-on performance, all within a walkable festival footprint.

Credit: Ansley Crabtree/TREE Urban Design Studio

Most artists perform more than once during the weekend, so the stage can change how you experience them.

“We always say there are no headliners at the National Folk Festival. The festival is the star,” said Blaine Waide of the National Council for the Traditional Arts. “And what that means is we’re celebrating all of these different artists who come from this great mix of cultural backgrounds, all at the same event, all equally, and saying, collectively, this is a snapshot of American culture.”

Jerry Douglas Band

Start Big at the Old Capitol

The Ergon/Alliant Stage sits where Capitol Street meets State Street, in front of the Old Capitol, and is built for the festival’s largest performances. Friday night gets underway here, with The Jerry Douglas Band and Eddie Cotton, Jr. following the opening remarks, and the historic setting provides the backdrop for some of the weekend’s biggest crowds. Mavis Staples takes the stage Saturday night for a performance that brings her back to a state with deep ties to her family and civil rights history. On Sunday afternoon, the Mississippi Mass Choir brings gospel to the same stage.

Hear Mississippi at the Visit Mississippi Stage

On Capitol Street between Lamar and West streets, the Visit Mississippi Stage offers a larger, outdoor seated venue with some programming focused on Mississippi. Cedric Burnside & Rising Stars Fife & Drum open the festival here Friday evening. It also serves as the starting point for Friday’s kickoff parade, led by the Mississippi Alumni All-Star Band, before the celebration moves down Capitol Street. Saturday brings Eddie Cotton, Jr., Dexter Allen and Annie & the Caldwells together for “Saturday Night, Sunday Morning,” followed by Steppin’ in the Sip, a step team competition.

Catch a Groove at the Dance Pavilion

The StateStreet Group Dance Pavilion, off State Street near Pascagoula Street, is where sitting still becomes difficult. Afro-Colombian rhythms, Cajun music, Mardi Gras Indian funk, blues, Western swing, country and beatboxing are among the traditions headed for the dance pavilion. Look for Rebolú, the Savoy Family Cajun Band, Dat Mighty 9 feat. Big Chief Romeo, Eddie Cotton, Jr. and Rahzel, plus conjunto tejano from Epi Martinez & Friends and trail ride line dancing with Tay Cheesy. New to Cajun dancing? Drake LeBlanc leads a dance lesson Friday night.

Geno Lee

Credit: Ron Blaylock

Explore Mississippi Folklife

Across Congress Street from Smith Park, the Mississippi Folklife Area & VitalCore Health Strategies Mississippi Folklife Stage celebrate music, food, dance and craft under the 2026 theme “Mississippi Flavor: At the Crossroads of the American Story.” The stage lineup runs from Delta blues with Eden Brent and bluegrass with Alan Sibley & the Magnolia Ramblers to sacred steel guitar from The Church of the Living God “Home of the Sacred Steel Players.” Geno Lee of the Big Apple Inn talks about Jackson’s classic pig ear sliders on the Narrative Stage. Nearby demonstrations range from quilting and catfish noodling to tailgating.

Hear the Stories Behind the Music

The City With Soul Stage, on South West Street between Capitol and Pearl streets, is one of the festival’s smaller stages and trades scale for conversation. Artists from different traditions share a stage to discuss their music, demonstrate techniques and compare histories before playing together. On Saturday, NEA National Heritage Fellows Cedric Burnside, Rahim AlHaj, Jerry Douglas and the Winnsboro Easter Rock Ensemble share the stage. On Sunday, Raiatea Helm, Uncle Pi of the Rondalla Club of Los Angeles and Stanley & the Ten Sleepless Knights explore island music traditions.

Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dance Group performing

Credit: Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dance Group

Enjoy the Family Side of Folk at the Family Stage

The Community Foundation for Mississippi/W.K. Kellogg Foundation Family Stage, at the north end of Smith Park near Yazoo Street, gives younger festivalgoers a chance to become part of the experience through participatory performances and hands-on activities. Children can interact directly with festival performers while exploring the music, traditions and cultural practices they bring to Jackson. Jeghetto brings puppetry, the White Tiger Lion Dance Team performs Vietnamese lion dance, and the 40+ Double Dutch Club and Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dance Group invite kids to join in.

“It’s a chance for kids to have very tactile, interactive experiences with festival performers,” Waide said. Nearby folklife demonstrations, including quilting, catfish noodling and tailgating, give families even more to explore throughout the park.

Six stages mean there is no single way to do the National Folk Festival. Pick a place to start, then follow whatever you hear down the next block.

Author

Peter Kelly

Peter Kelly is a storyteller who moves between film, writing, and business strategy to capture ideas with clarity and imagination. His creative work spans documentary filmmaking, narrative development, and photography shaped by years of exploring cultures and adventures from the American South to the far reaches of the globe. His work is guided by curiosity, a love of wild places, and a commitment to stories that unravel human connection. In his free time, Peter can typically be found rappelling, scuba diving, or reading.