First staged in 1986, the King Biscuit Blues Festival celebrates the rich musical heritage of Helena and the broader Delta region. The main stage faces the steep Mississippi River levee, which provides a great view for all attendees.
Bridging the Blues is a several week constellation of music events in late September and early October anchored by the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas, and the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival along the mighty river in Greenville. Established in 2012, Bridging the Blues offers a wide range of experiences seven days a week, including shows at local juke joints, small town arts festivals and an international blues conference. Our main goal is to maximize visitors’ pilgrimages to the area during this period, but we also promote events throughout the year via frequent updates on our Facebook page.
There’s plenty of shows that demonstrate the unique quality of local culture. Both Clarksdale and Memphis offer live blues at a wide variety of venues, and part of the joy in exploring the region on your own is coming across special events in small towns and in rural jukes, such as Po Monkey’s in Merigold and the Blue Front Café in Bentonia.
Note: From most recent to oldest, single-day events are listed in the left column. Multi-day events and festivals are listed in the red column on the right. Recurring events are also listed in the right column beneath Festivals.
