Visitors come for the music and are captivated by the history, stories and Southern hospitality
CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI–JANUARY 2026–In Clarksdale, Mississippi, every season holds a reason to celebrate and there’s no better way to experience this distinctive Mississippi Delta town than to visit during one of its iconic festivals. Located in Coahoma County, Clarksdale is just 70 miles south of Memphis and is where U.S. Highways 61 and 49 intersect. Fittingly, these “Blues Highways,” which are celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2026, create a crossroads in a town where live Blues music can be enjoyed every day. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker for THE CROSSROADS AT HWY. 61 & 49 will be unveiled at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at the Crossroads in Clarksdale.
Local festivals celebrate that music, which is such a part of Clarksdale’s identity, as well as other parts of its history and heritage. Visitors, many of whom come to be entertained by the music, find they are also intrigued by the history, captivated by the stories and enchanted by the local Southern hospitality they find here. And, of course, from Delta hot tamales to classic soul food to famed Mississippi barbecue, they love the food. Each festival has a character of its own, but the spirit of Clarksdale itself takes center stage in welcoming visitors all year long.
The Clarksdale Film & Music Festival celebration is January 23-25, 2026. Headquartered at Stone Pony’s Tack Room (226 Delta Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-624-7669), a pop-up theater adjacent to the downtown pizza joint, the event features a curated collection of music documentaries, Mississippi movies, showings of live blues performances and more. From first-hand accounts to dramas based on life and lore, the stories of these films paint an amazing picture of Delta Blues music history and the lives of many of its famed musicians. This town has a film history of its own and movie buffs will recognize Clarksdale as the setting for popular Crossroads movie, celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026. More recently, Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster film Sinners was set in Clarksdale.
The popular Juke Joint Festival is scheduled for April 8-12, 2026. The event has been described as “half Blues festival, half small-town fair” and it’s all about the Delta. Approximately 100 performers take to stages and venues throughout the weekend, entertaining visitors from around the world. More than a dozen venues host performances during the festival. Lesser known gems like the Clarksdale Sound Stage (313 Issaquena Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614) recording studio and the Messenger Pool Hall (133 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-902-2015) add to the variety of popular performance venues like Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art (252 Delta Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-624-5992) and Hambone Art and Music (111 East Second Street, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-403-8810). Of Course, the Delta Blues Museum (#1 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-627-6820) takes part. It is internationally acclaimed as a showcase of the history and significance of the Blues in this region. It is filled with memorabilia, photographs, recordings and more, telling the stories of Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Charlie Musselwhite and other legends.
The Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival, celebrating its 38th year, is a three-day festival held at the Delta Blues Museum Outdoor Stage (1 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614) on August 7-9, 2026. This is their 38th festival. There are over a dozen festivals each year. You can see the most up-to-date festival listing a VisitClarksdale.com.
Clarksdale carries the mantle of its Blues history all year long, as live Blues music can be heard every day at one of its venues around town. Bad Apple Blues Club (349 Issaquena Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-624-1201), Red’s (398 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-627-3166) and Ground Zero Blues Club (387 Delta Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-621-9009) are just a few of the favorite spots for live performances that prove the Blues is something to be experienced, not just heard.
The 34th Annual Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival will be celebrated October 15-17, 2026. Clarksdale was the boyhood home of the famed American playwright, so celebrating one of its own is a natural here. It is said that many characters who came to life in Williams’ works are based on the people he knew as a child. His life and works are honored at Clarksville’s Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum (106 Sharkey Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 646-465-1578) at the site of church where his grandfather served as rector. The festival includes cocktail events, keynote presentations, museum tours, Clarksdale tours and more.
Clarksdale is home to more a dozen festivals each year. The most up-to-date festival listings can be found at VisitClarksdale.com.
If you go
In October of 2025, Clarksdale celebrated the opening of the Riverside Hotel Interpretive Center (615 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-634-9163) at the site of the famed hotel, which is also part of the region’s music history. The center is being dubbed a Living Blues & Civil Rights Museum inside the historic Riverside Hotel. The building was originally the Clarksdale Colored Hospital and after more than two decades it became known as a safe place for Black musicians on the “Chitlin’ Circuit” to stay, when it opened as a hotel. The Riverside Hotel was the only Clarksdale hotel ever listed in the “Green Book,” a travel guide for African American motorists published from 1936 to 1966. The hotel, which has been closed for renovations, is reopening for overnight guests in 2026.
Clarksdale is home to many one-of-a-kind lodging options that will add to any Delta experience. Boutique downtown hotels, historic motels and rural shacks are all options here. Travelers Hotel (212 Third Street, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-483-0693) is a trendy 20-room hotel with a mission to provide a home for art and artists, as well as travelers. Clarksdale also has individual rentals and lofts, designed using the character and culture of the original buildings and their surroundings. The Clark House Inn (211 Clark Street, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-621-1632) and the Lofts at the Five & Dime (211 Yazoo Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 888-510-9604) are located in iconic Clarksdale buildings. Just outside of town, the Shack Up Inn’s (001 Commissary Circle Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614; 662-624-8329), rural setting offers rustic shacks that surround an original cotton gin.