National Folk Festival Reveals 2026 Mississippi Folklife Lineup

"Mississippi Flavor: At the Crossroads of the American Story" puts a spotlight on the ways the state's folk traditions have influenced the nation.

The wide-ranging program for the 83rd National Folk Festival's Mississippi Folklife Area & Stage was announced today at a press conference inside the House Chamber at the Old Capitol Museum. This is the event's second year of a three-year residency, scheduled to take place November 13-15, 2026, in Downtown Jackson.

On hand for today's announcement were Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) Executive Director David Lewis, and Director of the Two Mississippi Museums Michael Morris. Also participating were Shaquita Chapman, Community Engagement & Strategic Communications Coordinator, National Folk Festival; and Blaine Waide, Executive Director, National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA). To provide a preview of the rich and varied program that will be on offer in November, three participants in this year's program were also featured at the press conference: Rising Stars Fife & Drum, keepers of a singular African American fife and drum legacy; quilters from Mississippi Cultural Crossroads; and Geno Lee with the Big Apple Inn.

The Mississippi Folklife Area & Stage is a special component of the National Folk Festival, celebrating the traditions held deeply in the state's diverse communities. With a different theme each year, the Folklife Area — spanning the Gulf Coast to the Delta and the Prairie to the Hill Country — spotlights the distinctive music, rituals, crafts, occupations, foodways, and other traditions at the heart of Mississippi's cultural heritage, presenting the state's best traditional musicians, artisans, and foods in curated programs that express both its deep history and its evolving character.

Mississippi Flavor: At the Crossroads of the American Story

For 250 years, Mississippi culture has flowed continually outward to shape the nation. The state's folk traditions speak to the heart of America, particularly when it comes to food and music. From church hymns to juke joints, and kitchen tables to gameday tailgates, Mississippi's traditions are meant to be shared and continually remade. Mississippi Flavor: At the Crossroads of the American Story, a special program curated by the Mississippi Arts Commission, honors the state's contributions to the nation's artistic and cultural excellence. It celebrates artists, musicians, cooks, friends, and families who carry the past forward and communities where creativity is a shared act. Here, traditions remind us that Mississippi's cultural soul does not simply belong to one state but enriches the entire nation.

"America's rich palette and sounds are rooted right here in Mississippi," said David Lewis, executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission. "With southern soul and a side of comeback sauce, we continue our celebration of America's 250th with a focus on the music and flavors Mississippi has cultivated for generations. We can't wait for everyone to experience what Mississippi has brought to the table this year."

"The Folklife Area is always a vital part of the National Folk Festival experience, but that's especially true this year," said NCTA Executive Director Blaine Waide. "Mississippi Flavor is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reflect on the state's contributions, not just as the 'birthplace of America's music,' but as the source of so much of our nation's artistic and cultural legacy."

Mississippi Flavor: At the Crossroads of the American Story will feature:

• Alan Sibley & the Magnolia Ramblers (Ackerman) — bluegrass, gospel, and classic instrumental licks
• Annie & the Caldwells (West Point) — gospel-soul family band
• Big Apple Inn (Jackson) — nearly 80-year-old soul food staple, famous for pig ear sandwiches
• Cedric Burnside (Holly Springs) — Hill Country blues innovator
• Chimneyville Weavers & Spinners Guild (Jackson) — hand-weaving demonstrations
• Eddie Cotton, Jr. (Clinton) — soul blues guitarist
• Eden Brent (Greenville) — Delta blues and boogie-woogie pianist
• Edna Nicole & Rev. Slim (Clarksdale) — Delta blues, gospel, soul, and funk
• Hollywood Luck (Jackson) — hip hop artist and producer
• Jarita Frazier-King (Natchez) — southern soul food and Creole classics
• Jemero Carter & Kingdomology (Oxford) — traditional to trap gospel
• The Church of the Living God, "Home of the Sacred Steel Players" (Tupelo) — sacred steel musical tradition
• Lady Trucker (Holly Springs) — Hill Country blues and gospel
• Las Delicias (Leland) — award-winning Delta tamales
• Leda & Annie Issac (Choctaw) — traditional Choctaw culinary traditions
• Los Preeminentes (Greenwood) — norteño family band
• Melony Armstrong (Tupelo) — expert hairbraider
• Mississippi Cultural Crossroads (Port Gibson) — quilting traditions, including a new collaborative America 250 quilt
• Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum (Cleveland) — Delta Chinese heritage demonstrations
• Palmer Robbins (Jackson) — traditional blacksmithing
• Peter Sherman (Natchez) — traditional adze bowl-hewing
• Rising Stars Fife & Drum (Coldwater) — African American fife and drum tradition
• Shane Sekul (Ocean Springs) — boatbuilding and restoration
• Southern Boyz Grabbling (Olive Branch) — catfish grabbling (noodling)

Plus, college gameday tailgating with tailgaters from Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the University of Mississippi

More artists may be added at a later date.

To learn more about these artists and their stories, please visit nationalfolkfestival.com/artists. The National Folk Festival will feature individual artists on its Facebook page (facebook.com/NFFJackson) and Instagram (instagram.com/NFFJackson) over the next several months.

The 83rd National Folk Festival will prominently feature National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship recipients, our nation's highest honor for the traditional arts, in a special program celebrating America's 250th anniversary. The festival is also participating in Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals, a series of programs and exchanges marking the U.S. Semiquincentennial and showcasing the country's remarkable cultural landscape. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, and received funding from the Smithsonian's "Our Shared Future: 250" initiative.

The National Folk Festival is a partnership of the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the City of Jackson, Jackson Redevelopment Authority, Visit Jackson, Downtown Jackson Partners, the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Mississippi Humanities Council, Visit Mississippi, the Community Foundation for Mississippi, and the National Park Service.

The festival is FREE to the public.