Schedule of Events
2025 Bicentennial Events
200-Year Anniversary of Vicksburg Incorporation*
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
January 29, 2025 marks 200 years from the incorporation of the City of Vicksburg on January 29, 1825. We will celebrate this historic day with a series of events on the actual Bicentennial date and the days following.
2:00pm Mayor’s Proclamation & Dedication at the City Auditorium
Free and open to the public!
5:00pm Bicentennial Parade The first-ever local parade to travel to be hosted indoors at the Vicksburg Convention Center!
Free and open to the public! Join us for the City’s birthday cake afterwards.
Descendants of Newit Vick, our City’s founder, will serve as the Parade Grand Marshals.
Thursday, January 30, 2025
5:30 - 7:00pm Bicentennial Symposium at the City Auditorium
Theme: “Vicksburg’s Past, Present and Future”
Free and open to the public!
Saturday, February 1, 2025
7:00pm Vicksburg Bicentennial Ball at the B.B. Club
10:30pm Bicentennial Ball After Party at the Watermark
Music & Culture Festival*
April 26, 2025
The Bicentennial Music & Culture Festival will showcase the local and regional music many Vicksburgers already know and love, but we’ll also highlight cultural aspects of the Delta that may be a little less familiar. Think: dancing, theater, demonstrations and culminating with the Mississippi Metropolis Fashion Show at Levee Street Warehouse. The Festival is in conjunction with the Key City Classic, Alcorn State University Jazz Festival, Key City Anniversary, and the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen Pageant, and we’ll add some special celebratory surprises!
Independence Weekend*
Saturday, June 28, 2025
8:30 a.m.: War is Over: Paroled at Vicksburg Event: Be a witness to the 160th anniversary of the end of the struggle for Southern Independence. Gates open at 8:30 a.m.; Inspection at 9:00 a.m.; Program starts at 10:00 (reenactment of the palor of Confederate Soldiers captured at Vicksburg on July 4th, 1863); Break for lunch at 11:30 a.m.; Program ends at 2:00 p.m. The reenactment group will perform drill demonstrations, live firing of rifles, and a Parol Reenactment of the captured Confederate Soldiers on July 4th, 1863. The Military Truck Club will be on display with vehicles ranging from WWII to Desert Storm all day.
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Strollin’ the Sip
Friday, July 4, 2025
Vicksburg is already known for hosting the longest fireworks show in the State of Mississippi every year on the Fourth of July, but for our Bicentennial year we plan on making it bigger and better than ever! This year we welcome home William Michael Morgan as our featured performer!
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Events at Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg Hipstoric Art Festival
September 26-28, 2025
The Vicksburg Hipstoric Art Festival is one of the new signature events for the city. The show will present artists and their work against the splendid setting of the vibrant, hip, and historic downtown area, during glorious fall weather and the dryest time of the year in Mississippi. The timing of the Vicksburg Hipstoric Art Festival works well for routing with some of the fall shows in the South including the Cottonwood Art Festival near Dallas, Bayou City Art Festival in Houston, and RiverArtsFest in Memphis.
Interested in becoming a vendor? Visit our Zapplication page!
IMPORTANT DATES
March 4, 2025 (Tuesday): application available online at ZAPP - $30 jury fee
June 30, 2025 at Midnight CST (Monday): Application Deadline
July 11, 2025 (Friday): Artists notified of selection via e-mail
July 31, 2025 (Thursday): Deadline to accept invitation and pay booth fee
August 14, 2025 (Thursday): Last day to cancel and receive a 90% refund of the booth fee
For more information, visit the website or contact Bob McFarland: 253.275.8108.
RSVP on Facebook.
Fall Family Fair*
October 4, 2025
We invite all current and past Vicksburgers to assemble in their beloved city for a Fall Fair and Vicksburg Homecoming! There will be games, music, and even some unexpected fun for the entire family, all generations and walks of life.
“Voices From The Hills”
October 16-18, 2025
Presented by Cedar Hill Cemetery Association. More information coming soon.
New Year’s Eve/Closing Celebration*
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
We are closing out Vicksburg Bicentennial year with a New Year’s Eve celebration that’s not to be missed. We will reminisce on what’s hopefully a memorable year for all while looking to the future to recognize What’s Next.
*Asterisk indicates one of five pillar events
Other Bicentennial Events
We will celebrate the Vicksburg, MS Bicentennial through five pillar events in 2025, listed above; however, the City of Vicksburg has much, much more to offer!
For a full City event calendar—including other Bicentennial-themed events—please navigate to the Visit Vicksburg website.
