Cedric Burnside and Rising Stars Fife & Drum open the National Folk Festival at 6 p.m. Friday in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. The festival runs through Sunday, Nov. 15. Admission is free, and a fairgrounds shuttle connects visitors to the east end of the festival footprint near State and Amite streets.
Jackson is in the second year of a three-year run as host. Mississippi Hill Country blues opens the weekend, and Saturday's bill moves from Filipino rondalla and Texas conjunto in the afternoon to Mavis Staples in the evening. The festival schedule lists sets by stage and day. Times below are Central.
Friday's opening parade and music
Burnside and Rising Stars Fife & Drum play the Visit Mississippi Stage from 6 to 6:45 p.m. The Mississippi Alumni All-Star Band then leads the opening parade along Capitol Street to the Ergon/Alliant Stage, where opening remarks start at 7:15 p.m. The Jerry Douglas Band follows at 7:30 p.m., with Eddie Cotton Jr. at 8:30 p.m.
The Visit Mississippi Stage has moved one block since last year. It's now on Capitol Street between Lamar and West streets. The Ergon/Alliant Stage is at Capitol and State streets, in front of the Old Capitol Museum. Darkhorse Press also has a local overview of the weekend.
Mavis Staples and the Saturday lineup
Staples plays the Ergon/Alliant Stage from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday. You can spend much of the day at the same stage. The Rondalla Club of Los Angeles plays at noon, Epi Martinez & Friends at 1 p.m. and Cajun musicians the Savoy Family Cajun Band at 3 p.m. Near Smith Park, the Mississippi Folklife Area and family activities give visitors another stop between sets.
Mississippi Public Broadcasting plans live radio coverage through MPB Think Radio. PBS also has a one-hour program from the 2025 Jackson festival, with performances from the first year of the residency.
Fairgrounds parking and the last shuttle
The festival parking page directs drivers to free parking at the southwest corner of the Mississippi State Fairgrounds. The accessible shuttle picks up at the Jefferson Street entrance, across from the Old Naval Reserve Center, and drops off near State and Amite streets. The organizer says space on the shuttle is limited.
Shuttle service runs from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. The last shuttle leaves the festival about 30 minutes before service ends. Regular JTRAN buses are free Friday and Saturday, with the final outbound bus leaving Union Station at 9:30 p.m. both nights. On Sunday, the fairgrounds shuttle runs while regular JTRAN bus service is closed.
