WellsFest 2023

BENEFITTING OPERATION SHOESTRING

Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023

9:30 a.m. — 4 p.m. 

FREE ADMISSION

Jamie Fowler Boyll Park on Lakeland Drive in Jackson


9:30 a.m. — Pet Parade Begins on the Festival Grounds


10 a.m. — Entire Festival Opens with Two Stages of Non-Stop Music


What began as a small church-sponsored afternoon of music 39 years ago is now one of Jackson’s major fall festivals with top musical talent on two stages, food trucks, children's activities, arts and crafts vendors, and more!

Since the festival began in 1984, WellsFest has raised nearly $1.5 million for local non-profit agencies.


Although the festival is organized and put on by Wells Church with community volunteers, all proceeds go to this year's beneficiary: Operation Shoestring


Click the links below to find out more about WellsFest 2023.

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  • WellsFest Music

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  • WELLSFEST PET PARADE

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  • Volunteer 2023

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WellsFest 2023 Beneficiary 

The beneficiary of WellsFest 2023 is Operation Shoestring. Founded in 1968 in a back room at Wells Church in response to the struggles of the civil rights era, Operation Shoestring was born out of a desire by local residents to put their values into action by uplifting children and families in our central Jackson service community, especially in the areas of education, health and economic equity.


Since then, Operation Shoestring has been at the forefront of efforts to improve the lives of the children and families they serve through high-quality after-school and summer programs for kids, services and support for their parents, and more. Their core service community consists of neighborhoods bordering the southern end of Bailey Avenue in central Jackson, Mississippi.


The scope of Operation Shoestring’s work has grown over the years, but the vision remains the same since its founding: love your neighbor as yourself, and act on that love. Today, Operation Shoestring provides year-round academic, social, and emotional support services to some 200 pre-K - 7th grade children a year, while providing resources to their families. 


Learn more about Operation Shoestring at operationshoestring.org.

Be a WellsFest 2023 Volunteer!

WellsFest is grateful for the support of volunteers who make this event possible, and gladly provides certification of service hours for students and others who need community service hours.  

Please sign up HERE.


Thanks to the WellsFest 2023 Sponsors!

WellsFest is grateful for the amazing sponsors that allow it to continue to present a fun, annual event that makes a difference in the community.


Atmos Energy

Charles and Doris Beauchamp

Brown Bottling

Liz and Steve Brandon

Brown, Ewing & Co, PA

Ergon

John and Margrit Garner

Golding Barge Line / Golding Foundation

Edwina Goodman

Darden and Molly MacWade

Shelby and Richard McRae Foundation

Jackson Advocate

MS Cold Drip Coffee

Anthony and Dian Parkinson

Mississippi Link

Paul Moak Subaru

Pigott Law Firm

Raymond James

Regions Bank

Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance

Stages Mississippi

Sally and Bill Thompson

WellsFest Receives 2019 GIVE Award

WellsFest and its volunteers received the 2019 GIVE (Governor's Initiative for Volunteer Excellence) Award for outstanding achievement in community building. The GIVE Awards were established through the Office of the Governor and Volunteer Mississippi to recognize those individuals and organizations that have made an outstanding impact in their communities through their gifts of service, advocacy, and outreach on behalf of the citizens of Mississippi. Read more here.