From November 7-9, visitors can expect a free and immersive experience, complete with some of the country's finest artists, chefs, musicians, and renowned Mississippi creatives.

"When the NCTA decided on Jackson for the festival, it let its citizens and the larger Mississippi community know there is great value and a competitive market here," the Director of Planning and Development for the City of Jackson, Jhai Keeton, said. "We know we are the 'City With Soul,' so why not have a musical homecoming where so many different kinds of American music originated?"

The National Folk Festival will take over downtown with up to six stages featuring nonstop music and dance. Visitors can also expect traditional crafts, regional and diverse cuisine, storytelling, parades, and folklife demonstrations. Drawing tens of thousands of attendees yearly, it promises to become a signature arts event for Mississippi's capital.

"For Jackson to be listed amongst Lowell, Massachusetts, and Richmond, Virginia, and for this to be the first investment that the National Folk Festival is making in the Deep South in its 91-year history, it speaks to our hospitality and welcoming of not just our Southern neighbors, but people from across the United States and the world," Keeton said.

Supported by Eleanor Roosevelt during its early years, the National Folk Festival was the first to showcase all walks of American artistic and musical traditions on a national stage, from Cajun music to Tex-Mex conjunto and Peking Opera. "By coming to the festival, you're going to see Mississippi Blues and gospel, bluegrass, country, mariachi bands, music from the Caribbean, and more," NCTA Executive Director Blaine Waide said. "We like to say there's something for everyone. It's a movable feast of impactful folk and traditional arts, and you can encounter it all at one event."

A special kickoff of the festival was held in November 2024, featuring an eclectic and vibrant gathering of folk artists in the streets of Downtown Jackson and the Mississippi Museum of Art. “To have these kinds of programs exposes all of us—especially our children—to new cultures, traditions, and ideas. It takes me back to the Jackson where I grew up," Chair of the National Folk Festival executive committee, Dr. Ebony Lumumba, said.

"I would say no state in the country rivals what Mississippi has contributed to the development of American popular music," Waide said. "It's a place with an important and unique cultural heritage. I think it's fair to say by bringing the festival here, we're bringing America's music home."

The National Folk Festival is made possible by the partnership of the NCTA, 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.