6 Mouthwatering Mississippi Food Festivals
Watermelon Festival
An annual fundraiser for the Mize Volunteer Fire Department, the Mississippi Watermelon Festival in Mize, Mississippi, offers watermelon-themed activities for children and adults. The festival takes place in July and includes a car show, watermelon contests, a 5k run/walk, fireworks and live music concerts.
See more: How to Pick Out a Watermelon
World Catfish Festival
The best place to celebrate catfish is in the catfish capital of the world, Belzoni, Mississippi. The World Catfish Festival in the spring features a catfish eating contest, the crowning of the Catfish Queen and the world’s largest fish fry.
SEE MORE: Catfish Recipes
Crystal Springs Tomato Festival
Crystal Springs, Mississippi, celebrates its tomato heritage every summer with the Tomato Festival. Vendors line Marion Avenue and Georgetown Street while attendees can enjoy the flea market, farmer’s market, live entertainment, the Tomato Museum and a kiddie parade.
SEE MORE: Facts About Tiny, Tasty Tomatoes
Blueberry Jubilee
Every year, 10,000 visitors travel to Poplarville, Mississippi, for the Blueberry Jubilee held on the second Saturday of June. Between storytelling, arts and crafts, live entertainment, and delicious foods showcasing blueberries, this festival provides much more than down-home Mississippi hospitality. In addition to celebrating blueberries in the community, the Jubilee Council promotes the blueberry industry by providing grants for programs around Pearl River county.
SEE MORE: We’ve Got the Blubes: 33 Blueberry Recipes
Vardaman Sweet Potato Festival
“A little taste of heaven in Mississippi,” otherwise known as the Vardaman Sweet Potato Festival, in Vardaman, Mississippi, celebrates the several generations of sweet potato producers in North Mississippi. Held over three days in the fall, the festival includes extensive Sweet Potato King/Queen contests, an original sweet potato recipe contest, an arts and crafts festival, antique tractor judging, a sweet potato tasting booth, a sweet potato pie-eating contest, and a sweet potato festival banquet.
SEE MORE: Vardaman’s Sweet Potato Tradition
Mississippi Pecan Festival
Held in September, the Mississippi Pecan Festival has been celebrated annually for more than 30 years. Attendees can taste a variety of tasty pecan treats, browse over 250 food and craft booths, and listen to live bluegrass and gospel music beneath the shade of the pecan trees. The family-friendly event also features several activities throughout the weekend, including baking contests, craft demonstrations, a mule pull, an antique engine show and more.