Bentonia Blues Festival
The Bentonia is one of the longest-running blues festivals in the US. Bentonia is a tiny town in southern Yazoo County, Mississippi, which is also home to the oldest authentic juke joint that is still in daily operation. The annual Bentonia Blues Festival takes place in June, in downtown Bentonia at the historic Blue Front Cafe. Blues musicians from as close as the Mississippi Delta and as far away as Boston will come to help keep the blues alive. Admission to the event is free.
The Tampa Bay Blues Festival
The Tampa Blues Festival takes place in April on the tropical shores of Tampa Bay; Vinoy Waterfront Park, St. Petersburg FL.
America's finest waterfront blues festival, with great food vendors, full liquor bars, craft beers and wines. Winner of the International Blues Foundation's "Keeping The Blues Alive" award as the nation's top blues festival. The festival started 1995.
Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
Encompassed by a box canyon boasting 13,000-foot mountain peaks, the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival experience expands far beyond the parameters of the awe-inspiring Telluride Town Park, but is rooted in presenting an intimate connection to the best performers in music.
Throughout the years, the Festival has hosted legendary artists on the Town Park stage.
The festival strives to curate an artist lineup with a consistent, diversified and eclectic mix of blues, rock, soul, funk, gospel, roots, jam bands, and stand-up comedy.
North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic
Officially, the Picnic began as a non-profit organization in 2006, but musicians and their families in this beautiful area near Oxford have been having picnics of some sort or another for decades. Beyond just getting family together, the picnics served as a way to celebrate the distinctive Hill Country Blues that the region is now known for.
From roots as a family gathering for Othar Turner and his clan, the Picnic is a 2-day music and BBQ festival on the last weekend in June, complete with talented local arts and crafts vendors. The festival is on the grounds of the Betty Davis Ponderosa BBQ in a natural amphitheater complemented by a stage that is very accessible to fans (Cory Bryars).
Memphis In May International Festival
Memphis in May International Festival is a month-long festival held in Memphis, Tennessee. The festival honors a specific foreign country every year and features many events. The Beale Street Music Festival takes place the first weekend in May and showcases an eclectic lineup of national and local musical talent. International Week is a series of exhibits, screenings, arts and performances dedicated to each year's honored country.
Beale Street Music Festival
The Beale Street Music Festival is a three-day music festival that has both a mix of big-name stars and local musical acts. Held during the first weekend of May in the city's Tom Lee Park at the foot of Beale Street, it is considered to be the kick-off event of the entire Memphis in May International Festival celebration. It typically hosts over 100,000 people during the weekend. The Beale Street Music Festival is the only program that has been held every year since the inception of Memphis in May in 1977. Its history can be traced back to the 1800s, when African-American musicians throughout the South would come to Beale Street and perform.
