The 82nd National Folk Festival fills downtown Jackson with culture, music and hope

More than 300 artists representing an array of cultural traditions were featured across stages and booths scattered throughout downtown Jackson. Quilters, craftspeople and skateboarders held workshops, and of course, there was a lot of music.

DC Go-go. West African Balafon. Salsa. Irish Music. And of course, Qawwali, music that traces its origins to South Asia.

“It was so well organized by the city of Jackson,” Maneck said. “The last few years that I lived here, I had a sense that Jackson was going downhill, but this is a total reversal. It is coming back to life again with a vengeance!”

The National Folk Festival has been featured in nearly 30 communities around the country- but it’s the first time the festival is being hosted in the Deep South. The event featured several Mississippi artists.

Delta Blues musician and artist James “Super Chikan” Johnson makes guitars from just about anything, including electric fans and cigar boxes. 

“We was poor people coming up and we made our own toys for Christmas and it stuck with me,” he said. “So, I still make my own toys, you know. Take found objects and make stuff out of them, paint them up and make them look pretty.”

Johnson also makes the “diddly bow,” a Blues instrument found in the Deep South that developed from the West African kora. 

“You can't note it or chord it like a regular guitar. You have to play it with a slide,” Johnson said. “It's tuned to open tuning.”

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania resident Cecelia Tannous-Taylor, who was in town for a work trip, wasn’t expecting to run into the festival.

“This has been incredible,” she said. “I play folk music. I play the fiddle. So it's always special to be at a festival like this and get to see other traditions than what I play and what I've grown up with. I think my impressions of Jackson and Mississippi so far are just that everyone's so friendly. I love to chat, everyone wants to chat.”

Jackson will continue to host the National Folk Festival through 2027. All host cities are expected to continue holding festivals after the national event has moved on.