Mississippi Food Festivals & Fairs, Exhibitions,
Food & Wine Events, Food Trade Shows, BBQ Events

2013 MISSISSIPPI 2013
FOOD & WINE FESTIVALS and LOCAL FOOD EVENTS
(see also: 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009)

Mississippi Cooking Classes & Culinary Schools

February 14, 2013  Valentine's Day
Most of the more than 1/2 million restaurants in the U.S. have special events scheduled for today. They are too numerous to list.

March 4-8, 2013  National School Breakfast Week 2013 - Nationwide
National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) was launched in 1989 to raise awareness of the availability of the School Breakfast Program (SBP) to all children. Each year, the School Nutrition Association (SNA) helps schools to celebrate NSBW with a fun theme – this year it is School Breakfast--Go For The Gold.

March 19, 2013  'AgDay' National Agriculture Day - Nationwide
National Ag Day is a day to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture. Every year, producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless other across America join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture.

March 26, 2013  9th Annual Taste of DeSoto - Southhaven, Mississippi
This annual food tasting event showcases awesome cuisine of over 50 area restaurants, complete with a silent auction and live entertainment. The Taste of DeSoto benefits the American Liver Foundation and local charities.  Last year we had over 1000 attendees for this popular event.

April 6, 2013  38th Annual World Catfish Festival - Belzoni, Mississippi
The Catfish Capital of the World. Crowning of Miss Catfish, Catfish Eating Contest, Catfish on Parade, music, arts, crafts. (also: worldcatfishfestival.org )
 

April 13, 2013  9th Annual Sante South Wine Festival - Jackson, Mississippi
Santé South has grown into the largest wine and culinary extravaganza in the state of Mississippi. A signature for the capital city of Jackson, it has generated more than $300,000 in proceeds for the Alzheimer’s Association® | Mississippi Chapter. Truly Mississippi’s top luxury wine and food experience! Epicureans and connoisseurs in the greater Southeast revel in the fresh and flavorful cuisine. Only small production and boutique wineries are invited to Santé South.

April 18-21 & 25-28, 2013  21st Annual Crawfish Music Festival - Biloxi, Mississippi
Cookin' up over 20,000 lbs. of cajun mudbugs! Ay-Yee! Plus the Crawfish Cookoff the second Saturday. Locals competed for cash, the coveted Budweiser Trophies, and bragging rights! Folks purchase a Tasting Ticket, try them all, then cast their vote for the People's Choice Winner. Then a select group of MudBug Experts taste all the entries and through a points-system determine the Judge's Championship. Concerts, Midway Rides, etc.

April 22, 2013  Earth Day - Worldwide
The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network (EDN) works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.

May 11, 2013  4th Annual BBQ Challenge - Lucedale, Mississippi
The George County Fire Fighter Association will be hosting its annual BBQ Challenge. There will be a car/ bike show, arts & crafts, live entertainment, space jumps, dunkin’ booth and food vendors.

June 1, 2013  Walthall County Dairy Festival - Tylertown, Mississippi
Always held the first Saturday in June, the all day event is staged at Holmes Water Park and attracts thousands each year. Attractions include a pageant, mooing & butter churning contests, arts & crafts, entertainment, and fireworks.

June 14-15, 2013  Desoto Shrine Club 5th Annual BBQ Cook Off - Hernando, Mississippi
The event has been proclaimed by the governor of Mississippi, as a State Championship and sanctioned by KCBS.  We plan to put on a quality contest again this year in one of the most pristine environments of any BBQ Cookoff in the country.

JULY 4, 2013 - There are so many events on this day that they are too numerous to list. Virtually every community in the U.S. has a 4th of July celebration.

July 11-13, 2013  26th Annual Slugburger Festival - Corinth, Mississippi
A one of a kind favorite, named in honor of a unique 'burger', a deep-fried beef and soy meal patty. Live entertainment, arts, crafts, carnival rides, and slugburger samplings. The carnival is located on Court Square.

July 13, 2013  Annual Ice Cream Safari - Jackson, Mississippi
Ice Cream Safari is held at the Jackson Zoo.  5,000 visitors sample over a dozen ice cream favors scooped by local television, radio and print media celebrities, and they are asked to vote for their favorite flavor as well as favorite celebrity scooper. Attendance: 5,000.

July 19-20, 2013  35th Annual Mize Watermelon Festival - Mize, Mississippi
It's a time to eat all the watermelon you can handle, enjoy games such as seed spitting and watermelon eating contests, music, and the warm days of summer in Mize, home of world famous Smith County watermelons.
 

July 26-28, 2013  Natchez Food & Wine Festival - Natchez, Mississippi
The Natchez Food and Wine Festival has become one of the most anticipated events in the area. With an agenda taking you from one remarkable experience to the next, you will find yourself constantly surrounded with some of the region's most prominent chefs and restaurants, and indulged in the finest of food, wine, and entertainment.

November 28, 2013  Thanksgiving Day - Nationwide
All StatesThere are so many events on Thanksgiving Day they are to numerous to list.  (4th Thursday in November).
 

2012 MISSISSIPPI 2012
events still waiting for new dates

April 7, 2012  5th Annual Crossroads Chili Cook-Off - Corinth, Mississippi
(domain name expired: xroadsfest.com/ )
Official 2012 Mississippi International Chili Society Cook-Off, held in conjunction the with the Green Market at the Corinth Depot, which offers produce, arts and crafts.

July 14, 2012  18th Annual Ice Cream Safari - Jackson, Mississippi
Ice Cream Safari is held at the Jackson Zoo.  5,000 visitors sample over a dozen ice cream favors scooped by local television, radio and print media celebrities, and they are asked to vote for their favorite flavor as well as favorite celebrity scooper. Attendance: 5,000.

July 20-21, 2012  34th Annual Mize Watermelon Festival - Mize, Mississippi
It's a time to eat all the watermelon you can handle, enjoy games such as seed spitting and watermelon eating contests, music, and the warm days of summer in Mize, home of world famous Smith County watermelons.

July 27-29, 2012  Natchez Food & Wine Festival - Natchez, Mississippi
The Natchez Food and Wine Festival has become one of the most anticipated events in the area. With an agenda taking you from one remarkable experience to the next, you will find yourself constantly surrounded with some of the region's most prominent chefs and restaurants, and indulged in the finest of food, wine, and entertainment.

September 8, 2012  Muscadine Jubilee - Pelahatchie, Mississippi
For 30 years, thousands of people have been coming to Pelahatchie late in the summer to pay homage to the muscadine grape, famed ingredient in southern wines, pies, and jellies. Food, fun, arts and crafts, music, and of course, the Grape Stomp!

September 8-9, 2012  31st Annual Biloxi Seafood Festival - Biloxi, Mississippi
For over 31 years the Biloxi Seafood Festival has been held as a celebration of Biloxi's rich culture, heritage, and connection to the seafood industry. Continuous live entertainment, an array of seafood, Sunday's Gumbo Contest, arts & craft booths, and children's activities. Attendance: 25,000.

September 15-16, 2012  3rd Annual Mississippi Gourd Festival - Raleigh, Mississippi
Classes include gourd scarecrow, carved bowl, birdhouse and more. Hear some fine gourd banjo music by Jason Smith of Clinton.

September 28-30, 2012  25th Annual Mississippi Pecan Festival - Richton, Mississippi
This family-oriented event, held in a shady 30-acre pecan orchard, offers some of the South'S Finest Foods.  Purtiest Rooster Contest, Pecan Pies, Charity Bake-Off, Mule Pull, Draft Horse Demonstrations, live music, arts and crafts, live demonstrations, and more.
 

September 29, 2012  Wing Dang Doodle Festival - Forest, Mississippi
Teams will vie for bragging rights and a $1000.00 grand prize for the best grilled, smoked or fried chicken wings in the area. Arts and crafts, an antique tractor show, chicken crowing contest will delight all festival participants.  Activities are planned throughout the day for all ages.  Live Music.  Bring your lawn chair and enjoy a fun filled afternoon.   Admission is free so come and have a "wing dang doodle" of a time and enjoy a little southern hospitality.

October 4-6, 2012  22nd Annual Hog Wild BBQ Contest & Festival - Corinth, Mississippi
This competition 'pits' some of the best cooking teams around in a tasty barbecue contest. The festival was once known as the Tri-State Fair and features live entertainment and thrilling rides.

October 19-21, 2012  Barbecue: 15th Southern Foodways Symposium - Oxford, Mississippi
Barbecue: An Exploration of Pitmaster, Places, Smoke, and Sauce.  The symposiums provide opportunities for thinkers, writers, cooks, and eaters to come to a better understanding of American regional culinary culture. Lectures and performances, staged on the University of Mississippi campus, and at locations around the city of Oxford, will be amplified by informal breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

October 20-21, 2012  22nd Annual Gautier Mullet & Music Festival - Gautier, Mississippi
Enjoy delicious regional food specialties, Music & Entertainment, Arts & Craft show, Regional Food, Heritage & Educational Area, Car & Motorcycle Show, Mullet Toss Contest and Kid's Area. Fun for all ages. Over 30,000 folks attended last year”s festival. Attendance: 30,000.

November 3-10, 2012  39th Annual Sweet Potato Festival - Vardaman, Mississippi
Come help celebrate the delectible, versatile sweet potato, a mainstay of the southern diet. Arts & crafts, beauty pageant, 5K run, sweet potato tasting booth, sweet potato pie eating contest, and a great cooking contest.

December 7, 2012  Annual Wassail Fest - Columbus, Mississippi
Enjoy entertainment throughout downtown as musical groups perform along the sidewalk and inside establishments, many offering door prizes and demonstrations. Wassail is served at all participating businesses--pick up your ballot and vote for your favorite wassail!

2011 MISSISSIPPI 2011
Food & Wine Festivals, Shows & Local Events
events still waiting for new dates

July 24, 2011  WWISCAA Food Festival 2011 - Greenville, Mississippi
Delicious Southern Cuisine, ethnic dishes and unique displays and costumes are the highlights of this event. Door Prizes. WWISCAA--Community action Partnership--Helping People, Changing Lives.

2010 MISSISSIPPI 2010
Food & Wine Shows & Local Events
events still waiting for new dates

August 7, 2010  2010 Snowden Beer Festival - Southaven, Mississippi
This one-day event offers food, live entertainment and a chance to sample over 70 beers, which will be selected to reflect the spirit of Mississippi and the Mid-South.

September 18, 2010  4th Annual Flavor of the Americas Festival - Biloxi, Mississippi
Festival featuring food and other cultural offerings from serveral Latin American countries, booths displaying clothes & artifacts, music, dance lessons, hourly raffles and much more.

September 18-19, 2010  Antique Engine & Tractor Show/Tractor Pull - Sardis, Mississippi
Tractor pull, antique tractor parade, live entertainment and much, much more.

October 2, 2010  Sorghum Festival - Michigan City, Mississippi
Sorghum has many uses, the most famous of which is molasses making. Join in all of the great excitement surrounding this fun-time festival.

October 12, 2010  3 Blind Wines - Oxford, Mississippi
A blind wine tasting: teams of 2 people select 3 bottles of the same red wine. 2 of every team’s bottles of wine are set out for the tasting with labels covered, the 3rd bottle of wine is held for the auction prize.  Everyone samples the other team’s wines and votes for their favorite.  The team whose wine is selected as the most popular wins the auction which includes all the other team’s third bottle of wine. The proceeds benefit the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and Oxford Tasting Society and annual programs presented by the organizations.

2009 MISSISSIPPI 2009
FOOD & WINE FESTIVALS and LOCAL FOOD EVENTS
events still waiting for new dates

March 6-8, 2009  Southern Breeze Wine + Culinary Festival - Biloxi, Mississippi
(bad link:  www.coastalwinetour.com)
The Southern Breeze Wine + Culinary Festival visits cities throughout the Gulf Coast states to share the love of fine wine, gourmet cuisine and Gulf Coast culture.