2025 Features & Attractions

Something for everyone!

As Told by Sir

See your heart etched in verse. Visit our poet in residence, Stephen Randle, on the festival lawn and have a poem tailored and typed just for you… crafting your story, as told by SIR. 

Authors Alley

Presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi 

More than 100 authors and artists are positioned to sell their most recent works in large tents along Mississippi Street and N. West Street, all day. 

Book Signing Tent

Presented by Butler Snow

Don’t miss out on your chance to meet your favorite author one-on-one in the book signing tent, located on the south lawn of the Capitol! Participating Official Panelists will be available for book signings at appointed times. 

Booksellers Row

Independent booksellers are showcased at the center of the festival, directly across from the Book Signings Tent, along Mississippi Street and N. President Street, all day. 

  • Bookends
  • Carpe Librum
  • Cosworth Publishing
  • Hudson Publishers
  • Kerry Anne Co.
  • LeARnLab
  • Lemuria
  • Lorelei Books
  • Luna Press
  • Mississippi Museum of Art
  • Monument Lab
  • OffBeat
  • Revival Press & Publishing
  • Rose and Pearl Publishing
  • Sister Macs
  • Three Fortnights Press
  • University Press of Mississippi
  • Unroll the Scroll
  • Violet Valley Bookstore

Capitol Showcase

See inspiring exhibits on the ground floor of the Capitol Building in the Rotunda throughout the day.

  • Margaret Walker Center at JSU
  • Mississippi Humanities Council
  • USM de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection
  • USM Center for Writers

See hallway exhibits on the ground floor of the Capitol Building in the hallway leading to Room 113 throughout the day.

  • Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters
  • Chickasaw Inkana Foundation
  • Greenfield Farm Writer’s Residency
  • Walter Anderson Museum

Capitol Tours

This unique opportunity to see the grandeur of Mississippi’s State Capitol building is not to be missed! Every hour, beginning at 10:00 am, take advantage of this unique opportunity! Tours start at the ground floor visitor desk. Last tour is at 4:00 pm.

Children’s Museum

Presented by Mississippi Children’s Museum

Come play and learn with your friends and family at the Children’s Museum tent!

Community Lawn

Presented by Amazon

Organizations (non-profit, government, charitable) have it made in the shade with a provided tent and table on the south lawn of the Capitol grounds. No sales are allowed in this area, but there’s lots to see and share, all day!

  • Big House Books
  • Books for Jackson’s Children
  • Eudora Welty House & Garden
  • Homegrown: A Writers’ Exchange
  • Human Rights Campaign
  • Jackson Friends of the Library
  • Madison County Library System
  • Millsaps College
  • Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX)
  • Mississippi College School of Law
  • Mississippi Public Broadcasting
  • MSU’s College of Arts & Sciences’ Humanities Camp
  • NASA Stennis Space Center
  • Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration
  • National Folk Festival
  • Soulful Parenting and Caregiving Initiative, The Center for Ministry, Millsaps College
  • The Creative Haven
  • The Garden Club of Jackson
  • University of Southern Mississippi
  • Volunteer Mississippi

Cooling Stations

Presented by Volunteer Mississippi; Downtown Jackson Partners

Cooling stations are located on the east and west sides of the festival site for you to enjoy.

Food Pavilion & Live Music

Presented by Volunteer Mississippi

Chill out in the shade while listening to The Sessions (11:00 am - 3:00 pm) and enjoying your food truck selections.

Food Trucks

Food trucks flank both sides of the festival site.

N. West Street

  • ‘Sippsi Good Tea*
  • Bee Bee’s Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
  • Street Dough
  • Small Time Hot Dogs & Street Eats*
  • Sno Biz*
  • Squigglers
  • Green Ghost Tacos*
  • Mando’s
  • Jerk City Grille
  • The Good Guys Mobile Kitchen
  • Papa John’s Pizza*

N. Congress Street

  • Grab'N'Go by Hal & Mal's

N. President Street

  • Homegirl Beverage Company*
  • Dad’s Dogs
  • T&J Concessions*
  • T&J Chill Factory*
  • Lucy’s Lemonade
  • Green Ghost Tacos*
  • Skenny Burger
  • Finally Vegan Macarons*
  • Smokey’s Meal on Wheels
  • The Frosty Flamingo Italian Ice*

*vegan options

Kids Tent

Presented by The Phil Hardin Foundation

  • Join illustrator Kara Kramer at 10:00 am for storytime with her newest picture book, Ernö Rubik and His Magic Cube.
  • Join illustrator and author Marshall Ramsey at 1:00 pm for storytime with his picture book, Saving Sam! A Banjo the Dog Story.
  • Color your own 2025 Mississippi Book Festival art – available all day!
  • Make your own friendship bracelets to give to your favorite authors and best pals – available all day!

Merchandise Tent

Shop our merchandise tent at the center of the festival for 2025 keepsakes!

Rosie Ferguson Gathings was selected to create this year’s festival art, “Well-Fed and Well-Read.”  You’ll find it on posters and signed/numbered fine-art prints as well as comfy t-shirts and sweatshirts, roomy totes, and fun mugs.

MPB Kids Club

Presented by Mississippi Public Broadcasting

In the west wing of the Capitol ground floor, meet PBS’s Daniel Tiger for fun activities, giveaways, and educational resources.

Official Panels & Workshops

Lively discussions among Official Panelists are held throughout the day at these venues: 

  • State Capitol Building: C-SPAN / Old Supreme Court | Room 113 | 4th Floor House Corridor | 4th Floor Senate Corridor | Room 202 | Room 204
  • Galloway United Methodist Church: Sanctuary | Reception | Fellowship Center | Tween Room
  • First Baptist Church: Sanctuary

Photo Op

At the heart of the festival, look for the giant cube on The Capitol Mall for a great place to commemorate your visit with friends and family!

Pop-up Library

Presented by Mississippi Library Commission

Don’t miss the Mississippi Library Commission’s Pop-Up Library in the Capitol Cafe at the south entrance of the Capitol. Visitors can cool off, browse books by festival authors, play board games, and more!

Screening of MPB’s Everlasting

Presented by Mississippi Public Broadcasting

Join us in the foyer of State Capitol Room 201 at the top of each hour for a special screening of MPB’s Everlasting: The Life & Legacy of Medgar Evers extended trailer, releasing later this month. 

Everlasting is an MPB Original Production honoring the life, work, and impact of one of Mississippi’s most courageous voices. This powerful two-hour documentary features interviews with Evers’ family, colleagues, and historians. Everlasting offers a moving, personal look at his legacy in the fight for civil rights.

Toot, Teach & Roll

Toot, Teach & Roll is a mobile learning lab bringing education and creativity directly to festival-goers through hands-on activities. Create your perfect reading companion at our "Book Buddies" stuffed animal station, capture memories in our photo and video booth, and enjoy other activities that make learning an adventure for children and adults alike.