(CLARKSDALE) The Juke Joint Festival returned to Clarksdale during the weekend, bringing musicians and visitors to the Mississippi Delta for three days of blues music and related culture.
The annual event is rooted in juke joints, venues central to the development of the Delta blues, and it highlights the region’s influence on American music.
“To play here means a lot to me,” Vicksburg native Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport said. “I’ve seen so many people that I know from all over the world here. When people say the blues brings people together, it really does. When everything in the world is going bad, it’s time to get together.”
Events took place across downtown Clarksdale, with daytime performances and street vendors and nighttime sets in clubs and juke joints. The festival blends live music, food and art while focusing on the music that defines the Delta.
“I’ve been coming to this for about as long as I’ve been alive,” Lindsey Campbell said. “Community and being able to come out and celebrate with everyone is what stands out to me.”
Crowds moved between stages and venues throughout the weekend as the festival underscored Clarksdale’s place in blues history and its ongoing role in preserving the genre. The festival is scheduled to return on April 17, 2027.
Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Audience members listen as Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.John Primer performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Audience members enjoy John Primer’s music during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Will Coppage performs at Marty’s Barbershop during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Logan Elliott plays a makeshift guitar during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Spit Cup and the Jukes performs at Marty’s Barbershop during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Spit Cup and the Jukes performs at Marty’s Barbershop during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Audience members stand in front a blues-inspired mural as Spit Cup and the Jukes perform during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Music fans wait for Ghalia Volt to perform during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Ghalia Volt performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Friday, April 10, 2026.Blues-inspired art is displayed in the window of a downtown Clarksdale business during the Juke Joint Festival on Friday, April 10, 2026.Jerry Little takes a look at the classic cars on display during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Jerry Little poses for a photo during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Carlos Elliot performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.People enjoy the festivities during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Sir Rod and the Blues Doctors perform during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Jimmy “Duck” Holmes performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.A line dance sessions takes place at the Griot Arts during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Eddie Mendoza, of Houston, plays guitar in an alley as people pass during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Deejay Hustleman poses for photo during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Kenna Hawes, right, dances as Jesse Cotton Stone performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Jesse Cotton Stone performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Olivia Harding and Django Bonderman dance together as Jesse Cotton Stone performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.People enjoy the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Terry “Big T” Williams performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Anthony “Big A” Sherrod performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.A saxophonist performs with Anthony “Big A” Sherrod performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Guitar Frenchie performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.A child rock climbs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Cash’s Juke Joint performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Martine Gumtree dances while listening to Cash’s Juke Joint performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.Cash’s Juke Joint performs during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
