The Neshoba County Fair® began in Philadelphia, MS, in 1889 and has reconvened every year since, except 1942 – 1945. Managed by a private organization, it has been on the National Registry of Historic Places since 1980 and is affectionately known as Mississippi’s Giant Houseparty®.
The Fair is not a typical county or state fair. It is a campground fair during which most participants reside on Fair property in cabins passed down from generation to generation. Specifically, thousands of people willingly crowd into very limited space in over 600 cabins and 200 recreational vehicles to spend eight days together. The occupants of each space are genetic and legal relations accompanied by a variety of friends and neighbors, and most remain for the entire Fair. The reality of the phenomena really is mind boggling.
There is a range of traditional fair events, including a midway, rodeo, mule races and pulls, harness and horse racing, farm-related competitions and numerous music venues. However, interpersonal interactions and simple conversations are the glue that bind fairgoers together and has kept them coming back for over 100 years.
