• Lower harvests and possible higher prices won’t stop Mississippians from firing up the cookers and enjoying mudbug festivals around the state.

Mudbugs. Crawfish. Crawdads. Boiled in big batches, seasoned to a spicy perfection, served with potatoes, sausage, and corn on the cob.

Whether you’re peeling through pounds at a time solo or spending the day boiling and eating crawfish with friends, crawfish season is a beloved spring tradition in Mississippi. 

Crawfish harvests are not expected to be great this year, given last summer’s drought and the winter’s record-cold weather. This drives up crawfish prices.

But weather or not – Mississippi folks are not only firing up their cookers for crawfish, they are coming out in droves for crawfish festivals throughout the state. 

Crawfish Festival Forecast

Here’s a look at where you can get your mudbug fix this season:

Mississippi Crawfish Music Festival – April 19-21, Biloxi

The 31st annual Mississippi Crawfish Music Festival returns to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi from April 19th through the 21st. This festival starts Thursday, April 18th, with a crawfish cook-off, followed by a weekend chock-full of live music and entertainment. Warren Zeiders, Charley Crockett, and Chase Rice are headlining the festival. For more information, visit the event website. 

Community Bank Crawfest – April 20, Laurel

The Community Bank Crawfest in Laurel will offer an epic cookoff. Winners get cash prizes for their winning boils, and you can load up on crawfish. This event is fun for the whole family, with live music, food vendors (for those who do not enjoy the mudbug delicacy), and kids under 12 enter and eat for free! Get more information online at LaurelMainStreet.com.

20th Annual Mudbug Bash – April 20, Hernando

Eat crawfish for a good cause at the 20th Annual Mudbug Bash in Hernando, benefitting Palmer Home for Children. This event combines helping kids with crushing sacks of crawdads, providing a day of fun you can get a full belly and heart over. There’s also live music, a silent auction, and more. Find out more at PalmerHome.org.

2024 Mudbug Bash – April 25, Flowood

The Mudbug Bash is back in Flowood for an evening of unlimited crawfish, drinks, corn, and taters! It will be held at the Flowood Nature Park. It is all you can eat, so you have to get your ticket in advance. Click here for ticket info.

Blues for the Blue Crawfish and Blues Festival – May 4, Southaven

Enjoy the blues, eat the crawfish, and back the blue all at the same time at the Blues for the Blue Crawfish and Blues Festival at Silo Real Estate Office. This is a two-part festival; earlier in the day, the whole family can enjoy the Touch-A-Truck event, and then starting at 5pm, it’s 21 year of age and older for an evening of great food, music, and drinks. All proceeds benefit the Southaven Police Department First Responders’ Benevolence Fund and the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office Blue Line Fund. Click here for more information.

Bud N Boilin’ Crawfish Competition – May 4, Meridian

Fresh spicy crawfish and ice cold beer are guaranteed at the 3rd Annual Bud N Boilin’ Crawfish Competition at Singing Brakeman Park in Meridian. Whether you’re wanting to cook to win, taste to judge, or simply get full on beer and crawfish, this is the event for you. Find out more at VisitMeridian.com. 

Da Cajun Shack’s 4th Annual Crawfish Cook-Off – May 4, McComb

Da Cajun Shack is back with its 4th Annual Crawfish Cook-Off on Saturday, May 4th. This all day event is set to kickoff at noon, with great crawfish, influencer meet-and-greet, live music by Tommy G and the Stormy Weather Band, and a not just a cook-off, but an eating competition, too! All You Can Eat tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for kids. Find out more on the event’s Facebook page. 

23rd Annual Ribeye’s Steakhouse Crawfish Boil – May 18, Yazoo City

The tradition continues with the 23rd Annual Ribeye’s Steakhouse Crawfish Boil in Yazoo City. Enjoy hot crawfish, cold buckets of beer, and live music to dance to by The Spunk Monkees. $10 gets you in and the party starts at 5pm. Find out more on the event website. 

Festivals Not Your Thing? 

Not everyone wants the festival atmosphere, or the pressure of the cook-off. Check with your local restaurants and suppliers for availability and pricing on ready-to-eat or live crawfish near you. 

If you’re not sure where to start, check out the CrawfishApp by Tony Chachere’s. It’ll show you live or boiled crawfish vendors in a fifty mile radius of where you are. 

And if it’s your first time boiling crawfish, here’s a great rundown of what you’ll need and how to nail it by VisitMississippi.com:

Equipment Needed

• Large Boiling Pot
• Wire basket Insert For Pot
• Outdoor Propane Cooker
• Ice Chests
• Stirring Paddle (or similar tool)

Ingredients Needed

• Live Crawfish
• Choice Of Seafood Boil
• Garlic
• Lemons
• Corn
• Potatoes
• Link Sausage
• Mushrooms
• Beer (for you)

As we stated, there are many different methods to boiling crawfish and this will be debated depending on who you talk to. There are secret ingredients, preparation tricks, and equipment preferences you can use. We just want to give you the basics though.

Cooking Instructions

• Fill the pot half full of water and place it on the propane cooker.
• While waiting for the water to boil, wash the crawfish with cool water. Some people prefer to “purge’ the crawfish with salt. That’s up to you.
• Add around 1 lb. of your choice of seafood food to the water and wait a couple of minutes.
• Add the garlic and potatoes. Make sure to slightly undercook the potatoes as they will steam and finish cooking in the ice chest.
• When the potatoes are almost finished, add in the corn, mushrooms, and sausage.
• Remove everything and place in an ice chest.
• Add a little more spice to the water.
• Squeeze the juice of 4 lemons into the water, and add the lemons.
• Place the crawfish in the pot and let boil for around two minutes, then turn off the fire.
• Let the crawfish soak for a few minutes in the pot.
• Remove the crawfish from the pot and place in an ice chest for around 5 minutes. They will continue to stay hot in the ice chest if you need to keep them in there longer.
• Dump everything out on the table and enjoy!