Some people come to the Mississippi State Fair for the food; others for the rides. This year many people will come to the fair for stardom.

Officials report that the Mississippi State Fairgrounds has partnered with American Idol to bring the first step of auditions to the Magnolia State during this year’s State Fair.

The 164th Mississippi State Fair will be held on Thursday, Oct. 5, through Sunday, Oct. 15, at the Fairgrounds in Jackson.

Five talented singers from this year’s “Mississippi State Fair Idol” competition will win a VIP Executive Producer Audition for the next “American Idol.”

Forty performers selected from the applications and videos submitted to officials before Sept. 1 will showcase their talents at the “Mississippi State Fair Idol” competition on Monday, October 9th at 11:00 a.m. Then, the top 20 finalists will advance to one last performance on October 10th at 6:00 p.m. where the top five will be selected.

Applications and videos must be received by September 1, 2023 deadline. Click here for the application and information on how to submit videos. 

For videos to be considered, they must be between 60 and 90 seconds of the applicant singing live with no voice alteration or filters. The applicant may sing cover songs or originals, and may play an instrument or sing with track music.

Applicants must have been born between June 2, 1994, and February 15, 2009, to be eligible, per American Idol’s requirements.

The “Mississippi State Fair Idol” competition will be held inside the Mississippi Coliseum. All chosen participants and guardians to minors 17 and under will receive free admission to the competition.

Two Mississippi performers, Colin Stough and Zachariah Smith, both from the Amory area, made it into the top five on American Idol last season.