Six more artists announced for 82nd National Folk Festival
Contact: Thabi Moyo
[email protected]
Today the National Folk Festival announced six additional artists appearing at the 82nd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson from November 7-9, 2025. This year’s festival marks the first year of the event’s three-year residency in Jackson. Expected to draw 60-80,000 in attendance in year one and growing to 150,000 in the third year, the National Folk Festival will become a major new arts event for the city.
Approximately 300 artists— musicians, dancers, storytellers, and craftspeople—will take part in the National Folk Festival, with more than 30 different musical groups performing on as many as six outdoor performance venues throughout downtown Jackson. The six artists announced today include:
Balla Kouyaté & Famoro Dioubaté (Boston, Massachusetts, and New York, New York) – balafon masters
Two masters of the centuries-old West African balafon explore new musical terrain together, treating audiences to heights of virtuosity and the thrill of the unexpected.
Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars (New York, New York) – klezmer
An ensemble comprised of members of the world’s leading klezmer bands, together they set out to capture the sound and spirit of the raucous, earthy old-country klezmorim of the 19th century.
Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys (Opelousas, Louisiana) – zydeco
Heir to a family musical legacy, this acclaimed accordionist delivers pack-the-floor renditions of Creole classics as well as his own rollicking brand of traditional zydeco.
Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) – pungmul and samulnoriThese master artists bring together all the pageantry and energy of a Korean harvest festival with their flying footwork, brilliantly colored dress, and joyful, thunderous percussion.
Lutchinha (Brockton, Massachusetts) – Cabo Verdean
Arguably the finest Cabo Verdean singer to call the United States home, this inimitable performer will delight audiences with the lilting and soulful strains of this distinctive music tradition.
Wylie & the Wild West (Conrad, Montana) – cowboy and western music
This world-class yodeler and cowboy singer still lives the life of a working rancher and cutting-horse champion—and is one of America’s most popular western musicians and songwriters.
These outstanding artists join the following performers, who have already been announced:
The Campbell Brothers (Rochester, New York) – sacred steel guitar
Dale Ann Bradley (Middlesboro, Kentucky) – bluegrass
E.U. featuring Sugar Bear (Washington, D.C.) – go-go
Eileen Ivers (Bronx, New York) – Irish
John Primer & the Real Deal Blues Band (Chicago, Illinois) – Chicago blues
LOS RICOS featuring Sonia & Ismael (New York, New York) – flamenco
Plena Libre (San Juan, Puerto Rico) – bomba and plena
Riyaaz Qawwali (Houston, Texas) – South Asian qawwali
To learn more about these artists and their stories, please visit nationalfolkfestival.com/artists. The National Folk Festival will feature individual artists on its Facebook page (facebook.com/NFFJackson) and Instagram (instagram.com/NFFJackson) throughout the summer.
More performers will be announced as they are confirmed.
Performer assets may be downloaded here: bit.ly/NFFPressKit.
The National Folk Festival is a partnership of the National Council for the Traditional Arts, 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. The festival is FREE to the public.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL:
Since it was first presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National Folk Festival, the National Council for the Traditional Arts’ flagship event, has celebrated the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was the first event of national stature to present the artistic traditions of all Americans on equal footing. It was also the first to present to the public musical forms such as the blues, Cajun music, polka, Tex-Mex conjunto, Peking Opera, and many others. Today, the National is an exuberant traveling festival, produced by the NCTA in partnership with communities around the country, from Maine, Maryland, and Massachusetts, to Michigan, Montana, Ohio, and Virginia, that embraces the many cultural expressions that define us as a people in the 21st century. For more information, visit nationalfolkfestival.com.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE TRADITIONAL ARTS:
A leading non-profit in the field, the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk and traditional arts in the U.S. Stressing excellence and traditionality, the NCTA strives to expand awareness of the richness of America’s multicultural, living heritage through exciting, thoughtfully curated live programs that create dynamic cultural encounters between the nation’s finest artists and the public. It works in partnership with communities across America to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that deliver lasting social, cultural, and economic benefits. Over 7,000 hours of the NCTA’s archival audio recordings dating from the 1930s are permanently housed at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The NCTA also champions the interests of folk and traditional artists and organizations in the arena of public policy. For more information, visit ncta-usa.org.
ABOUT THE CITY OF JACKSON:
Jackson is the capital of the State of Mississippi. Known as the City with Soul, Jackson has a population of 153,701. The city, founded in 1821, sits on the Pearl River and is the anchor for the Jackson metro area. Jackson is home to a number of cultural gems including the Two Mississippi Museums, the Mississippi Museum of Art, and other historic treasures. The city is proudly regarded as the “Blackest city” in America. For more information, visit jacksonms.gov.
