Del McCoury Band performing at the 80th National Folk Festival, Salisbury, MD, 2021. Photo by Pat Jarrett
- A one-day kickoff event that serves as a preview of what’s to come with The National Folk Festival is coming to downtown Jackson this month.
The oldest multicultural festival of nontraditional arts in the nation is coming to Jackson in 2025.
The National Folk Festival founded in 1934 by the National Council of the Traditional Arts (NCTA).
Blaine Waide, executive director of the NCTA spoke recently at the Mississippi State Arts Conference presented by the Mississippi Arts Commission.
“We are excited to present the National Folk Festival in Jackson,” he says. “It’s our first time to present the festival in the deep South.”
The festival will be held in downtown Jackson from 2025 through 2027.
The festival is held in the downtown area of cities around the country, and always for a three-year run. The host city will then produce its own festival in subsequent years. Waide said the festivals in most cities have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years, but many have lasted longer.
Lasting Impact
The impact of the festival is significant for the host city. The NCTA website lists the following examples as to the impact the festival has made for some of the cities where the event has been held.
- In its first year, the Dayton, Ohio festival (1996) attracted more people to its downtown than had ever gathered there before, over 100,000 attendees.
- National Folk Festival attendance in East Lansing, Michigan (1999–2001) grew from 75,000 in the first year to 125,000 in year three, and laid the groundwork for the Great Lakes Folk Festival.
- In Bangor, Maine, one of the smallest cities ever to host the National, attendance increased 70% between 2002-2004, from 80,000 to 145,000; its successor, the American Folk Festival, continued to draw crowds in this range.
- The 69th National Folk Festival in Richmond attracted a record 175,000 in 2007, a figure consistently surpassed by its successor, the Richmond Folk Festival, which drew 230,000 in 2022.
- In Butte, Montana, 165,000 attended the 72nd National Folk Festival in 2010, a number equal to 13% of the state’s entire population; surveys calculated its economic impact in southwestern Montana to be $31 million. The new Montana Folk Festival continues this success.
- In Greensboro, North Carolina, host city for 2015-2017, attendance increased from 103,000 to 162,000 over the festival’s three-year stay.
- During the National’s tenure in Salisbury, Maryland (2018-2022), which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival drew over 400,000 people to the city’s downtown, with over $65M in long-term economic impact.
Waide explained that the festival has great potential to be a catalyst for cultural, social, and economic transformation in Jackson. This work will be accomplished with five major objectives:
- Raise awareness of cultural heritage by bringing to the public an array of excellent artists representing the artistic traditions of all Americans;
- Keep the festival free to the public, thus maximizing audiences and reaching broad segments of the public, including underserved communities with limited opportunities to experience the arts;
- Work at the grass-roots level, fostering cultural participation and community engagement;
- Develop and nurture new, sustainable traditional arts events and new audiences; and
- Build upon the evident connection between the arts, urban renewal, and economic revitalization, with the festival providing the impetus for creative sector growth, and for the enhancement, re-imagining, repurposing, and renewal of public spaces and public institutions.
The three-day festival will rely heavily on volunteers – 800 to be exact. A local festival director will be hired to coordinate that effort and to garner community support.
Preview event set for November 16
While the festival won’t be in Jackson until November 2025, a one-day kickoff event that serves as a preview of what’s to come is set for November 16 in downtown Jackson.
“This preview provides just a glimpse of the breadth of cultures and virtuosic artistry that audiences in Jackson and throughout the state of Mississippi can expect when the National Folk Festival launches downtown next November,” Waide said.
Artists ranging from Cajun to South Asian Kuchipudi dance, and from blues to salsa will perform in a free concert series.
“We’re thrilled to partner on a day of programs with leaders in the city’s arts and culture community, which demonstrates the festival’s commitment to partnerships and collaborations, something that is fundamental to its success in cities across the country,” said Waide.
The event will run from 4pm to 7:30pm at the Welcome to Jackson mural on the corner of State and Pearl Streets. Food by Hal & Mal’s, and cocktails by Cathead Distillery and Martin’s will be available for purchase, along with cigars from the Velvet Puff Mobile Cigar Lounge.
Make a day of it
On November 16, tour the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument starting at 9:00 AM. From 11:00 AM– 3:00 PM, check out the Mississippi Museum of Art’s Of Salt and Spirit: Black Quilters in the American South exhibition opening, with stilt dancing from master craftsman and National Heritage Fellow Chief Shaka Zulu and gospel from Annie & the Caldwell Singers.
The City of Jackson is running a free public shuttle from downtown Jackson to the Evers home from 8:45-11:15 AM. Shuttle runs every 30 minutes. Free parking is available downtown at the Hinds County Tax Collector parking lot.
