(with Related Events Thurs-Sun)
Clarksdale, Mississippi's epic 19th annual festival is dedicated to all of the late, great musicians and supporters who have passed away during the pandemic — including Big George Brock, Louis "Gearshifter" Youngblood, Ben Wiley Payton, Rev John Wilkins, Larry Grisham and Kern Pratt. RIP. Thanks for your past music and friendship at JJF.
Juke Joint Festival is "half blues festival, half small-town fair and all about the Delta." It celebrates our past and living history by presenting dozens of blues acts — including many Mississippi and Southern greats. This is the real-deal Mississippi blues festival that you've heard about in global media like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and PBS NewsHour. It is like no other event in the world with blues music, juke joints, children's events, monkeys riding dogs, racing pigs, arts & crafts, Southern food and more.
Thursday, April 21, 2022, features a big, free JJF Kickoff with live blues and more. Friday features a number of free daytime events plus a special 6pm event. Plus, Sunday features a mini blues fest and more. Still, the "main event" is Saturday...
During the DAYTIME on Saturday, April 23, 2022, you can expect multiple FREE outdoor stages of blues and roots music. Events that day kick off early with a 5K run/walk, and most of our daytime music stages and street vendors operate between 10am and 6pm.
For NIGHTTIME on Saturday, a required JJF wristband gets you into a participating selection of local juke joints, blues clubs and restaurants for live music without additional cover charges. It also gets rides on our JJF shuttle buses (and a daytime History Bus Tour); limited seats available; first-come, first-served. Our official nighttime JJF venues feature slightly staggered start times but basically start around 6 pm and end as late as 1am. Daytime is FREE; Saturday nighttime is a wristband (pre-sale wristbands sold via the "WRISTBANDS" link in the menu above, starting January 1, 2022; all details will be on that page).
Bring your lawn chairs, sunblock, mosquito spray and an umbrella. No coolers, and only well-trained, leashed dogs (with you picking up after them) permitted, please. No pet monkeys allowed! (You think we're joking, but it happens.) Thanks, y'all.
Can't make it this year? Plan for the future years listed above. Regardless of the year, BOOK YOUR ROOMS NOW! While Clarksdale, Mississippi, has more hotel rooms, overnight apartments, AirBnB offerings and even a new hostel, our town's rooms all book up well in advance of JJF for Thursday through Sunday night. Don't get left out, y'all.
Historic Clarksdale, Mississippi, is less than 90 minutes south of the Memphis International Airport and was once home to such blues greats as Son House, John Lee Hooker, Junior Parker, Ike Turner, Eddie Boyd, Sam Cooke, Muddy Waters, Pinetop Perkins, Earl Hooker, Lil Green, Big Jack Johnson and many many others. It's the land of the proverbial Crossroads! Today, local blues favorites include blues players with such colorful stage names as Super Chikan, Kingfish, Big A and Watermelon Slim.
Clarksdale has been undergoing a major revival in recent years as a result of blues-based tourism and downtown revitalization efforts, and Juke Joint Festival has been part of what some now call the "Clarksdale Comeback" since day one. Since Juke Joint Festival started, we've gained over 30 overnight apartments downtown (plus a new Hampton Inn and Traveler's Hotel; and the Shack Up Inn has grown from 6 shacks to sleeping 125 heads!), a dozen other new music festivals, live blues 365 nights a year, a new museum, multiple history markers, and new residents from all around the US and the world.
Come for a visit, but beware. Many former "tourists" now live here.
The Clarksdale Downtown Development Association is the 501c3 nonprofit that puts on the Juke Joint Festival (April) as well as the Clarksdale Film Festival (last weekend in January). CDDA wishes to thank all of the amazing sponsors, volunteers, musicians, artists and attendees that make our events possible. If you'd like to become a sponsor or make a donation to either festival, please just let us know.
The “Juke Joint Festival®” name and logo are registered trademarks and cannot be used by outside parties without the express written consent of the Clarksdale Downtown Development Association/Juke Joint Festival. All rights reserved. Third parties may not create unauthorized “Juke Joint Festival®” products (e.g. T-shirts and apparel) or advertising (e.g. event banners and print ads). Please be cool, y'all. We've worked really hard to build this brand. Thanks, and enjoy the festival.
GENERAL INFORMATION
PO BOX 1030
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Phone: 662-624-5992
EMAIL: roger@cathead.biz
EMAIL: pba@cableone.net
MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT & BOOKING
Because the national health crisis cancelled our 2020 festival, 99% of the gigs simply rolled over to 2021. Please stay tuned to see if JJF will need/accept any new/additional musician submissions. (Info will appear on this website in November.) Thank you for your support.
Juke Joint Festival® name and logo are registered trademarks of Clarksdale Downtown Development Association. All rights reserved.