Mississippi (and neighboring) Blues Festivals in 2009. This list is compiled by members of The Blues Highway Association, a group of volunteers who love and promote the Blues in the Delta. Every effort has been taken to make sure it's accurate, but it's best to check with the contact person, with Mississippi Tourism (1-866-see-miss), The Mississippi Delta Tourism Association (1-877-DELTA-MS), Roger Stolle at Cathead, or The Delta Center before making plans. Remember that definitions and expectations of "Blues" and "Festival" differ, so call the contact person to avoid disappointment! Please send any corrections, additions or deletions to The Delta Center.
Don't forget to check the
Mississippi Blues Commission website
for festival information, and listings of live performances throughout the
State.
Mississippi Blues Festivals
in 2009 (updated September 29, 2009)
A full color, 18x24, poster that includes most of the events listed below is available from The Delta Center at a cost of $5. This year's poster [click here to see it] features a photograph of The Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, MS.
|
Name of Event |
Dates |
Location |
Contact |
Contact Info |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
International Blues Challenge |
Feb 4-7 |
Memphis, TN |
Joe Whitmer |
|
|
Living Blues Symposium |
Feb 27 |
Oxford |
Roger Stolle |
roger@cathead.biz
|
|
Port Gibson Main Street Heritage Festival
|
March 28 |
Port Gibson |
Kenneth Ross |
|
|
Crosstie Arts and Jazz Festival
|
April 18 |
Cleveland |
Mary Elizabeth Jeffries |
662.721.1235 |
|
River to the Rails |
April 10 and 11 |
Greenwood |
|
662.453-9197 |
|
Vicksburg Riverfest |
April 17-18 |
Vicksburg |
|
|
|
Juke Joint Festival |
April 17-19 |
Clarksdale |
Roger Stolle |
662.624.5992
|
|
Natchez Bluff Blues Festival |
April 17-19 |
Natchez |
Eric Glatzer |
601.660.2792
|
|
29th Annual Alcorn State Jazz Festival |
April 18 |
Vicksburg |
Dr. David Miller |
http://www.alcorn.edu/academic/academ/fineart/jazz.htm |
|
Cotton District Festival |
April 18 |
Starkville |
Arma Salazar |
|
|
Cat Head Mini Blues Festival |
April 19 |
Clarksdale |
Roger Stolle |
|
|
Lynch Street Festival |
April 24 and 25 |
Jackson |
Linda Carter |
601.352.6993 |
|
Double Decker Arts Festival |
April 25 |
Oxford |
Julie Lieber |
|
|
Meridian Museum of Art’s 2009 Blues and BBQ Festival |
April 25 |
Meridian |
Terry Heder
|
601.693.1501
|
|
Market Street Festival |
May 1-2 |
Columbus |
Jan Miller |
662-328-6305 |
|
The Deep Delta Festival |
May 2 |
Rolling Fork |
Natalie Perkins |
|
|
18th Annual Leland Crawfish Festival |
May 2 |
Leland |
Janet Webb |
|
|
30th Annual Blues Awards |
May 7 |
Memphis, TN |
Jay Sielman |
901.527.2583
|
|
Clarksdale Caravan Music Fest |
May 9 |
Clarksdale |
Kappi Allen |
|
|
Crossroads Blues and Heritage Festival |
May 9 |
Rosedale, MS |
Will Tierce |
|
| 2nd annual Pinetop Perkins Blues Festival | May 9 | Belzoni | Helen Sims | 662-836-6148 or 662-207-7723 |
|
|
May 9 |
Crystal Springs |
Cathy Gurley
|
|
|
Down from the Hills |
May 22-23 |
New Albany |
Jill Smith |
|
|
Mississippi Hills Fiddling Competition |
May 22-23 |
New Albany |
Jill Smith |
|
|
Medger Evers’ Homecoming |
June 4-8 |
Pickens |
Renee Shakespeare |
601.201.1445
|
|
B.B. King Homecoming Festival NEW ENTRY |
June 5 | Indianola | Shelia R Waldrup |
662-887-4454
|
|
The Tupelo Elvis Festival |
June 5-7 |
Tupelo |
Debbie Brangenberg |
|
|
Mother’s Best Music Fest |
June 6 |
Helena, AR |
Roger Stolle |
|
|
Delta Jubilee
|
June 6-7 |
Clarksdale |
Kappi Allen |
|
|
Highway 61 Blues Fest and Holly Ridge Jam
|
June-6-7 |
Leland |
Randy Magee |
mageerc@bellsouth.net |
|
Bentonia Blues Festival
|
June 20 |
Bentonia |
|
|
|
North Mississippi Hill Country Blues Festival |
June 26-27 |
Potts Camp |
Sara Davis |
|
|
Mississippi John Hurt Gospel and Blues Festival |
July 4 |
Avalon |
Mary Wright |
|
|
Annual Paul "Wine" Jones Rhythm & Blues Festival
|
July 4 | Belzoni | Helen Sims or Doris Davis | 662-836-6148 or 662-207-7723 |
|
The Blues and Cruise Thru History Motorcycle Rally and Show
|
July 4 |
Port Gibson |
Edward Carter Sr. |
|
|
Duck Hills Grassroots Festival
|
July 11 |
Duck Hill |
Al White |
|
|
Founders’ Day
|
July 12 |
Mound Bayou |
Mamie Tate |
662.741.2244 |
|
Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival
|
Aug 7-9 |
Clarksdale |
John Sherman |
|
|
Sam Carr Day |
Aug 9 |
Clarksdale (Hopson Commissary) |
Roger Stolle |
|
|
Cat Head Mini Blues Festival II |
Aug 9 |
Clarksdale |
Roger Stolle |
|
|
14th Annual Howlin Wolf Memorial
|
Sept 4 |
Clarksdale |
Richard Ramsey |
|
|
14th Annual Mississippi Jazz and Heritage festival |
Sept 5 and Sept 7 |
Greenville on the 5th and Greenwood on the 7th |
|
|
|
Browning Labor Day Festival
|
Sept 6-7 |
Greenwood |
Claudine Brown |
662.453.2225 |
|
Mississippi Gulf Coast Blues and Heritage Festival
|
Sept 12 |
Pascagoula |
Addie Brent |
228.497.5493 |
|
Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival |
Sept 19 |
Greenville |
MACE |
662.335.3523 www.deltablues.org/MACE/home.html
|
|
Oxford’s Town BBQ Throwdown
|
Sept 25-26 |
Oxford |
Julie Lieber |
|
| Autumn N' Blues | October 2-3 | Jackson | Isaac Byrd |
www.autumnandbluesfestival.com 601-948-3344 |
|
Annual Denise LaSalle Soul Blues Festival |
October 3 | Belzoni | Helen Sims or Doris Davis | 662-836-6148 or 662-207-7723 |
|
Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival |
October 8-10 |
Helena, AR |
Rayne Gordon |
|
|
Cat Head Mini Blues Festival III |
Oct 10 |
Clarksdale |
Roger Stolle |
|
|
Pinetop Perkins Homecoming |
Oct 10 |
Clarksdale |
James Butler |
662.902.3866 |
|
Johnny Cash Flower Pickin' Festival |
Oct 16-18 |
Starkville
|
Arma Salazar |
|
|
Tommy Johnson Blues Festival |
Oct 16-17 |
Crystal Springs |
Vera Johnson |
|
|
Aberdeen Blues at the Bluff Honoring Bukka White |
Oct 16-17 |
Aberdeen |
Mattias Fisher |
|
|
Historic Mobile Street Renaissance Festival |
Oct 17-19 |
Hattiesburg |
Debbie Bernardo |
|
|
Delta Day
|
Oct 24 |
Tunica |
Lynn Ryals
|
662.363.6611 |
|
MS Delta Regional Blues Challenge |
Oct 24 |
Indianola |
Janet Webb |
|
|
3rd Annual Hambone Festival |
Oct 29-Nov1 |
Clarksdale |
Stan Street |
|
|
Native American Days |
Nov 4-7 |
Winterville Mounds |
Jan Taylor |
|
|
St. Gabriel Harvest Festival |
Nov 7 |
Mound Bayou |
Sister Donald Mary Lynch
|
662.741.3255 |