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Memphians are passionate about what we love. What better way to share that excitement than with thousands of your closest friends? Find a festival that’s perfect for you, whether it’s food, music, film, or something new to explore.
Party down:
- Eat your heart out at one of the many food festivals across the city throughout the year
- Learn more about the year’s host country, sample some world championship barbeque, race your friends or jam out by the Mississippi River at the Memphis in May International Festival
- Peruse hundreds of booths manned by local artisans and vendors at the Cooper Young Festival in Midtown
- Find your inner film critic at the Indie Memphis film festival – Selected as a 2021 Satellite screen for Sundance Film Festival
- Celebrate your love of nature at the Hummingbird Migration and Nature Celebration, one of the Southeast’s biggest nature festivals
- Rock out in Shelby Farms at the Mempho Music Festival
- Expand your horizons at the Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival
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Memphis is rapidly becoming as well known for its food as it is for its music. In fact, Travel + Leisure magazine named Memphis one of the “America’s Best Cities for Foodies” in 2015. And don’t just think barbecue — Memphis has a full range of choices to satisfy any palate.
Memphis offers:
- A wide array of farmers markets across the city
- James Beard Honorees for Best Chef in the Southeast: Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman from Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen (2018-2020)
- Many food festivals throughout the year to keep you full
- Enjoy a drink at Old Dominic Distillery or one of our many breweries
Some of our favorite restaurants are Global Café, MEMPops, and Urban Fusion Asian Bistro. Our kids love the Japanese and Thai food. They order sushi rolls and challenge each other on how much wasabi they can eat with the roll.
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If you love music, it doesn’t get better than Memphis. It’s not just the heart of the country’s live blues scene and birthplace of rock n’ roll. It’s also a regular tour stop for big-name talent, an incubator for great local artists and a rich place for opera and classical music.
Memphis is home to:
The world-famous Beale Street Music Festival
Free outdoor concerts at Levitt Shell
My idea of a great night out with friends is a picnic dinner at a show at the Levitt Shell or Live at the Garden. The Memphis area has so much to offer! There’s so much history and culture to explore.
Great small performance venues across the city like:
Not to mention . . .
- Iconic spots in music history like:
- Tune up your music history at the Blues Hall of Fame and Memphis Rock n’ Soul Museum
- Destination blues and jazz venues on Beale Street, voted the most iconic street in America by USA Today
- Opera Memphis, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and a regular schedule of visiting international artists
My initial thought of Memphis was how much of an underdog city it is. There are so many cool things to do in this city that people don’t talk about.
I love listening to live music, which you can find anywhere in the city at any time of day. Raiford’s is a great place to go dancing and get a feel for a Memphis staple. I love that Memphis is a ‘small big city,’ so I often run into friends and coworkers while out.
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Memphis loves sports — though not everyone agrees on the best team. Whether your passion is pro athletics or college ball, you’ll have plenty to keep you entertained.
Cheer on the home team:
- The thrill of Memphis Grizzlies NBA basketball – Go Grizz!
- Family-friendly Memphis Redbirds AAA baseball, with downtown games all summer long at Redbirds Stadium
- Huge turnouts for University of Memphis Tigers football, basketball and more
- Score a hat trick with the 901 FC fútbol team
- Nearby SEC action from the University of Mississippi, University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt and more
- See the stars of golf up close at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational
- Race your friends in one of the hundreds of 5Ks, 10ks, half-marathons, and marathons throughout the year, including the St. Jude Marathon in December
- Gallop out east to the Germantown Charity Horse Show
Get to know the community, city life and distinctive culture that makes Memphis so special.
