The National Folk Festival in Jackson: The Logo

Debuting Jackson’s National Folk Festival logo! This logo combines two images rooted in Mississippi’s history—the historical trail marker and the trombone player—for a design that reflects the city and state’s rich legacy of artistic and cultural excellence.

The Historical Trail Marker

Two important trails celebrate Mississippi’s contributions to American music, the Mississippi Blues Trail and the Country Music Trail. Other trail markers—for Mississippi writers, the Civil Rights Movement, important pre-Columbian contact sites, and more—appear throughout the state, commemorating important events, places, and people in Mississippi history. The shape of the National Folk Festival logo was inspired by these familiar markers, in recognition of the role Jackson and Mississippi have played in American popular music. The record centered at the top of the National Folk Festival logo references the Blues and Country Music Trail marker designs.

The Trombone

HBCU marching bands are vital musical institutions in the South, with their showmanship, dazzling performances, and energy. Marching bands go hand-in-hand with college football games and campus life in Mississippi, and Jackson is home to the renowned Sonic Boom of the South from Jackson State University. Nearby, there is also the Sound of Dyn-O-Mite at Alcorn State University, as well as the Mean Green Marching Machine at Mississippi Valley State University. The trombone, with its iconic slide, featured on the National Folk Festival logo nods to this dynamic musical tradition, one whose impact ripples across Mississippi, the South, and the rest of the U.S.

Logo designed by Willie Smith