Today the National Folk Festival announced six additional artists appearing at the 82nd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson from November 7-9, 2025, the first year of the event’s three-year residency in the capital city. Mississippi, with its rich musical legacy, is heavily featured in the artists announced today, highlighting the state’s Indigenous culture, its considerable influence on soul and blues, and the prominence of HBCU marching bands in southern life and culture.
The prestigious National Folk Festival is the nation’s longest-running traditional arts event, a free, three-day, outdoor multicultural celebration of music, dance, and traditional arts. Expected to draw 60-80,000 in attendance in year one and growing to 150,000 in the third year, the National Folk Festival will become a major new arts event for the city.
“The National Folk Festival is a special opportunity for Jackson and the state of Mississippi to demonstrate that we’re ready to host a world-class festival in our capital city’s historic downtown,” said Jackson Mayor John Horhn. “Hundreds of excellent artists are coming to our city from across the country. I’m especially proud to see acclaimed Jackson artists featured in today’s announcement and getting the national attention they deserve. Such a crowd-pleasing lineup is sure to resonate with our community and bring enormous energy to the event."
Approximately 300 artists—musicians, dancers, storytellers, and craftspeople—will take part in the National Folk Festival, with more than 30 different musical groups performing on as many as six outdoor performance venues throughout downtown Jackson. The six artists announced today include:
- Bobby Rush (Jackson, Mississippi) – soul blues
Known as the “King of the Chitlin’ Circuit,” this leading soul blues artist has assumed the role once held by B.B. King as the foremost living diplomat for Mississippi blues. - Jeff Little Trio featuring Wayne Henderson (Boone, North Carolina, and Rugby, Virginia) – Blue Ridge piano and guitar
Two masters from the Blue Ridge Mountains stun audiences when they get together, with a distinctive two-handed piano style and fingerpicked guitar performed with amazing speed and fluidity. - Ms. Jody (Bay Springs, Mississippi) – southern soul
With an appeal felt deep and wide across the South, this southern soul songstress captivates audiences with her stunning stage presence and true-life stories of cheating, love, heartache, and joy. - Oka Hamma Alla Hilha Alhiha (Redwater, Mississippi) – Choctaw social dancing
Wearing traditional dress and guided by a chanter’s song and percussive sticks, Choctaw dancers have been dancing Chahta Hihla (Choctaw dancing) for centuries, fostering fellowship and community. - Sonic Boom of the South (Jackson, Mississippi) – HBCU marching band
One of the nation’s most celebrated HBCU marching bands, this band electrifies and entrances audiences with its high-energy performances, musical arrangements, and precise choreography. - Tres en Punto (Mission, Texas) – trío romantíco
In their stylish attire and with impeccable harmonies and fingerings, this trio is perfectly suited to carry on the impassioned tradition of this elegant and romantic music.
The National Folk Festival is thrilled to partner with the Mississippi NAACP State Conference to present Bobby Rush at this year’s festival. Opening night, November 7, coincides with Mississippi NAACP’s 80th annual convention, and presenting Bobby Rush, the foremost living diplomat for Mississippi blues, is a special opportunity to mark this anniversary, especially during the commemoration of B.B. King’s and Medgar Evers’s 100th birthdays in 2025.
“Music is the art form that gives one the fortitude to continue to fight in the struggle towards justice,” says Mississippi NAACP State Conference Executive Director Charles Taylor. “Music unites us all. I am excited that the Mississippi State Conference NAACP will be partnering with the National Folk Festival, which will bring hundreds of artists to stages in the heart of the city. This year, we celebrate the 80th year of our State Conference, and to do so, we will do it the Mississippi way, with Catfish and Blues.”
More performers will be announced as they are confirmed. The six artists announced today join the following performers:
- Balla Kouyaté & Famoro Dioubaté (Boston, Massachusetts, and New York, New York) – balafon masters
- The Campbell Brothers (Rochester, New York) – sacred steel guitar
- Dale Ann Bradley (Middlesboro, Kentucky) – bluegrass
- E.U. featuring Sugar Bear (Washington, D.C.) – go-go
- Eileen Ivers (Bronx, New York) – Irish
- Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars (New York, New York) – klezmer
- Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys (Opelousas, Louisiana) – zydeco
- John Primer & the Real Deal Blues Band (Chicago, Illinois) – Chicago blues
- Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) – pungmul and samulnori
- LOS RICOS featuring Sonia & Ismael (New York, New York) – flamenco
- Lutchinha (Brockton, Massachusetts) – Cabo Verdean
- Plena Libre (San Juan, Puerto Rico) – bomba and plena
- Riyaaz Qawwali (Houston, Texas) – South Asian qawwali
- Wylie & the Wild West (Conrad, Montana) – cowboy and western music
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) throughout the summer.
Performer assets may be downloaded here: bit.ly/NFFPressKit.
The National Folk Festival is a partnership of the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the City of Jackson, Visit Jackson, Downtown Jackson Partners, the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, the Community Foundation for Mississippi, the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Mississippi Humanities Council, Visit Mississippi, and the National Park Service. The festival is FREE to the public.
The National Folk Festival is sponsored in part by: Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Mississippi Department of Archives & History, The Foundation for Mississippi History, Levitt Foundation, Atmos Energy, MWB, Hilton Jackson, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, Hinds County Economic Development Authority, Hope Credit Union, Fox40, Phil Hardin Foundation, Capital Area Tourism Association, City of Flowood, City of Vicksburg, Visit Vicksburg, Explore Ridgeland, Jackson Redevelopment Authority, Southern Beverage Company, Fertile Ground Beer Co., Hal & Mal’s, Clarion Ledger, LocaliQ, Thomas Consulting Group, StateStreet Group, Amazon, and the Pecan Tree Park Neighborhood Association.
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