The Picnic is Ready for YOU!
Keepin’ the down home alive and well, well, well …
The goal of the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic is to enhance appreciation and educate the general public about the native art form of North Mississippi Hill Country Blues music through performance, preservation, and interpretation.
The Local Voice media company in Oxford, Mississippi is proud to partner with the Picnic to bring you this official festival guide. There are free souvenir printed copies around the picnic grounds and a digital download is available. Just scan the QR code on the big ass banner near the stage for more information, videos, and artists’ links. See you at the Picnic!
—Newt Rayburn (Publisher) and Nature Humphries (Editor)
Access the 2026 North Mississippi Hill Country
Picnic PDF here
WHAT TO BRING
Bug Spray
Blanket or chair for sitting
Water
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Hat for shade
Rain gear
Shade tent
More water!
WHAT NOT TO BRING
No weapons
No glass containers will be allowed ANYWHERE on the festival site
For safety reasons – NO motorized vehicles inside the festival (No golf carts or 4 wheelers except by event staff).
For safety seasons – NO pets
No professional photography equipment, please restrict photos to the first 2 songs of each artist set and NO video or audio recording.
THE PICNIC HAS
Portable toilets
Showers
Water faucets for drinking water
Vendors will be selling various food, snacks, and beverages
Campsites
The largest collection of authentic Hill Country Blues musicians you can find on one stage in 2025.
TICKETS & GENERAL INFORMATION:
Tickets are available online at NMSHillCountryPicnic.com and Eventbrite.
Online ticket sales end Wednesday, June 23 at 11:30 pm.
All ticket sales at the gate are CASH ONLY. There is no ATM available at the festival site.
VIP tickets must be purchased online.
Gates open Thursday, June 26 at 5 pm. No one will be admitted early. Music goes from 1 pm till midnight on Friday and 9 am till midnight on Saturday. All Picnic attendees must be off site by Sunday, June 29 by noon—no late departures.
Friday Only: $30
Saturday Only: $30
Camping: $20 (Flat rate of $20/person to spend 1–3 nights. If you spend the night you pay $20, no cars in camp ground.) No open fires on the festival site.
RV Fee: $100
Ice Chest inside festival: $15 (NO GLASS allowed on festival site.)
CASH ONLY – NO ATM AVAILABLE AT FESTIVAL SITE
If you go out the ticket gate, you must have your wristband on to re-enter the festival site.
Parking is FREE!
Children 12 and under are admitted for FREE
Really Cool Art Vendors and Picnic Merch are available for sale on site, Picnic Merch is CASH ONLY!
SHADE TENTS
Shade tents are only allowed in designated area and only as room allows. When that area is full no other shade tents will be allowed. Size limit 10×20, 10×10 is preferred.
WHAT DO VIP TICKETS INCLUDE?
The VIP ticket includes access to a covered, concrete floor pavilion with tables, chairs, and fans. One meal a day on Friday & Saturday and four non-alcoholic drinks each day. You are welcome to bring your own cooler for $15 (no glass please), and the very best view of the stage!
The North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic takes place at Betty Davis Ponderosa
Corner of Highway 7 South and Highway 310
7252 Highway 7 South
Waterford, Mississippi 38685
View Map
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHTS:
The Black Keys – interview with Patrick Carney
LifeWings Peak Performance – interview with Richard Doss
Mississippi Arts Commission – interview with Maria Zeringue
R&B Feder Foundation for the Beaux Arts – interview with Ron Feder
Cathead Distillery – interview with Austin Evans
Cetacea Sound, Inc. – Interview with John McDowell
Access the 2026 North Mississippi Hill Country
Picnic Digital Guide here
About the Author
