Magazine
Visit Starkville: Festivals and Parades
Cotton District Arts Festival & Taste of Starkville – The Cotton District Arts Festival & Taste of Starkville (CDAF) is an annual festival held the third Saturday in April in the Historic Cotton District in Starkville. The festival is free and open to the public, and located just 0.2 miles from the Mississippi State University campus.
The CDAF is a family-friendly event with live music, arts and crafts vendors, food vendors and more. Some of the festival events include the Taste of Starkville, Y'all Magazine Sweet Tea Challenge, Server Race, Father of Waters Bagpipe Parade, Juried Art Exhibition, Artisan's Village, Poetry Slam, International Village, Old Cotton Mill 5K Run/Walk, the Junior Humane Society Children's Pet Parade, more than 30 local food vendors, over 100 local artisans vendors, and non-stop live entertainment from 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. on three different stages.
Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival – Johnny Cash was arrested in Starkville, Miss., on May 11, 1965, for public drunkeness. He wrote the song, “Starkville City Jail,” and performed it at San Quentin State Prison on Feb. 24, 1969. Cash played at Mississippi State University again in 1970 and gave many officers involved with his arrest front row tickets to the performance. Our community appreciates the depth and humanity of the Man in Black formally by renewing the symbolic pardon granted by the city and county in 2007 each fall with the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival.
The city of Starkville and Oktibbeha County issued symbolic pardons during the first festival, and will continue to renew the annual pardon during the festivities of the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival. The pardon doesn’t suggest anyone condoned Cash’s behavior. It symbolically recognizes Cash an imperfect human who made mistakes but gained insight and wisdom by learning from his indiscretions. It’s not about Johnny Cash getting arrested; it’s about what his life symbolized to so many people — that no matter what happens in life you can redeem yourself.
Magnolia Independent Film Festival – With about 800 rooms, Starkville offers many local options for overnight lodging. Lodging options range from national hotel chains to unique bed and breakfasts, which are perfect for families, business travelers or romantic weekend getaways. Always providing Southern hospitality and genuine kindness to all visitors, accommodations in Starkville will definitely suit your needs.
The Festival takes place in February. Films are juried during the year and judged at the Festival's conclusion, with awards given. The categories include short films, drama, comedy, experimental, full-length, and documentary films. Filmmakers are invited to town, taken to and from the airport, and housed at no charge at the Old Waverly Golf Course villas in West Point. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and additional celebrations are held in their honor throughout the weekend.
Templeton Ragtime Music Festival – The Charles Templeton Ragtime Music Festival is sponsored by the University Library and the Charles Templeton Sr. Music Museum as a means of enhancing the research in the area of ragtime music, increasing the awareness of the Templeton collection housed in the MSU Library and introducing people to the sounds of Ragtime being performed by world-renowned ragtime musicians.
The festival is comprised of a blend of major concerts, mini-concerts, seminars and tours of the Music Museum. Seminars will be held in Mitchell Memorial Library and major concerts will be held at the Lee Hall Auditorium on the MSU Campus.
Bulldog Bash – Mississippi’s largest free, open-air concert, Bulldog Bash is another free event held in mid-September in the Historic Cotton District that features an MSU Football Pep Rally and live music on several stages. The festival draws around 40,000 visitors and is held on a Friday night before a MSU home football game. Past performers include Sister Hazel, Big Daddy Weave, Patrick Smith Band, Daybreakdown, Edwin McCain, Eric Church, Bobby Valentino, etc.
Old Main Music Festival – This annual festival was once held downtown, but in recent years has been moved to the MSU Amphitheater or the Humphrey Coliseum on campus, and features national touring acts such as the Nickel Creek, Gin Blossoms, Drive-By Truckers, moe, Robert Randolf, The Wailers, One Republic, Old Union, etc. The festival is spearheaded by the MSU Student Association, the Campus Activities Board and Music Makers and is free to the public.
Sturgis South Motorcycle Rally – The Sturgis South Motorcycle Rally is the nation’s fourth-largest motorcycle rally, drawing over 40,000 riders and fans annually. Now in its 12th year in existence, the rally has seen such world renowned country music artists as the Charlie Daniels Band, Marshall Tucker Band, Little Feet, .38 Special, Confederate Railroad, and others. This year, the concert portion of the rally will be headlined by legendary country music icon Merle Haggard.
Dudy Gras Parade – Dudy Gras marks the unofficial beginning of Mississippi State Baseball, a mid-February parade of the trailers and contraptions that adorn the outfield terrace of Dudy Noble field, home of the Diamond Dawgs. The Parade begins in the parking lot of Rick's Cafe Americain and runs West on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive / Highway 182, South on D.L. Connor Drive, East down Main Street and University Drive all the way to the parking lot of Dudy Noble Field / Polk Dement Stadium on the MSU Campus. It is a Maroon & White, Mardi Gras-themed parade complete with floats and trailers, beads and doubloons, music and tailgating. With donations coming from parade sponsors, Dudy Gras LLC is able to make donations to benefit the MSU baseball team.
Citywide Tailgate – The sixth annual Citywide Tailgate Party and Competition has been scheduled for Oct. 10, which is the Friday preceding the Mississippi State Bulldogs' home football game against the Vanderbilt University Commodores.
The event is sponsored by the Starkville Daily News and the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. The Tailgate Party will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Various awards will be given to winners in the Tailgate Party competition, which will be judged by local celebrity panels to be announced the week of the event.
MSU Homecoming Parade – The MSU Football Players, Coaches, Cheerleaders, Famous Maroon Band, Bully and the whole gang take the Homecoming Floats through the City of Starkville, Downtown and through the Cotton District. The parade comes complete with a pep rally, float competition, face painting for children and more.
Starkville Christmas Parade – The Greater Starkville Development Partnership’s Christmas Parade Committee holds their annual Starkville Christmas Parade the first Saturday in December each year as a way to officially kick-off the holiday season. Any persons interested in entering a float in the parade can register in the Partnership lobby.