The Choctaw Indian Fair is rapidly approaching, and we now have a closer look at what all will be taking place during the event’s 76th edition this summer.
The official fair dates are July 14-18, but guests can enjoy even more of what the fair has to offer with pre-fair events taking place from July 7-13.
Located at the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians fairgrounds, near Pearl River Resort, pre-fair festivities kick off with Choctaw’s world series stickball, which the fair’s website calls “the granddaddy of all field sports.” The tournament will have three categories: men, men over 35, and women, and will run from July 7 to the end of the fair on July 18.
In keeping with the competitive spirit, the fair will also host five competitions throughout the week, ranging from golf to volleyball, that anyone can take part in.
“We invite you to join us for the annual Choctaw Indian Fair on our beautiful ancestral homelands located in east central Mississippi,” an official statement from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians reads. “We gather each July to celebrate our heritage and share our culture and traditions with our friends and neighbors. The theme of our fair is: The Choctaw Spirit Lives On.”
This year’s evening entertainment lineup features a range of music performers, including Natalie Grant, Clay Walker, Warren Zeiders, and the headliner — Busta Rhymes.
The fair will get things going Tuesday, July 14 starting at 3 p.m. with the opening of Tushka Village and social dancing groups, which will feature a visit from 2025 Choctaw Indian Princess Lexi Camille Rodriguez. The dancing will lead the way for Natalie Grant to take the stage that evening. Grant is a contemporary Christian singer who won the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Award for four consecutive years from 2006 to 2009.
On Wednesday, July 15, the fair will open at 11 a.m. and feature Ossi Cove’s MSU bug show exhibit, as well as Áyipa Village’s activities and shows for guests to enjoy. Similar to Tuesday, the social dancing and Tushka Village games and events will continue before the Choctaw Indian Princess Pageant crowns a new princess that night.
During the day, the rest of the week will feature food and shopping vendors, along with everything else the fair has to offer. Áyipa Village plans to spice things up with a different theme every day, such as Throwback Thursday, Hawaiian night, and cultural night.
The main act on Thursday, July 16, will be Clay Walker, a country artist who debuted in 1993 with his hit song “What’s It to You.” Sticking with country, Warren Zeiders will be welcomed to the main stage on Friday, July 17. Zeiders earned his first number one hit on country radio with the 2023 single “Pretty Little Poison.”
Finally, the fair will finish off with another jam-packed day on Saturday, July 18, making way for Busta Rhymes to wrap up the 2026 lineup. In 2000, the “I Know What You Want” singer set a Guinness World Record for the most syllables said in one second of a rap song. He will take a break from his tour in Germany to perform on the mainstage at the Choctaw Indian Fair.
The full schedule of events and ticket information for the 2025 Choctaw Indian Fair can be found here.
