Category Archives: Tourism

‘This race allows us to show off the assets of Memphis’

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Thousands of runners from 39 states and at least three different countries gathered at the corner of Beale and Fourth streets bright and early Saturday, May 27, for the seventh Memphis in May Great American River Run.

The downtown race held to kick off Memorial Day weekend included a 5K, 10K and half-marathon throughout Downtown Memphis. The river run is the final event for Memphis in May but no less significant to the annual monthlong celebration, according to Randy Blevins, Memphis in May vice president of marketing and programming.

A Travel Writer’s Guide to the Best Bars in Memphis

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Memphis is in the midst of a reboot. A little off-the-beaten-path, a little misunderstood, and all heart. Memphis is undeniably one of America’s culture capitals. This blue-collar city on the banks of the Mississippi River lays claim as the birthplace of at least two musical genres, the blues and rock n’ roll, while serving as a hotbed of talent and innovation for two more, soul and hip-hop.

Patio Porkers, Rib King bring the barbecue competition to Beale Street. Here’s who won.

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Downtown Memphis was hazy Saturday afternoon, with a combination of smoke and overcast skies. Just off Beale Street, people walked in and out of Handy Park and popped over to the various tents where contestants in this year’s Patio Porkers competition were cooking.

The Patio Porkers division of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest was dropped this year due to space constraints in the redesigned Tom Lee Park, but that did not stop teams from 15 different tents from competing on the same street where the barbecue competition first began in 1978.

The 2023 edition of Patio Porkers, a sanctioned Kansas City Barbecue Society competition, saw teams face off in a one-day event Saturday in Handy Park to determine the best of the backyard barbecuers, with each team cooking ribs for the judges.

Down by the river: BSMF cranks up the energy in Tom Lee Park

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Beale Street Music Festival returned to Tom Lee Park Friday, May 5 at 5 p.m., with multiple acres of garden patches and trees greeting attendees along with a new pavilion and pathways.

But despite updates to the notorious park which have stirred a fervor among many Memphians, some festivalgoers didn’t feel much of a difference once they got back on the river.

As a crowd gathered in front of Zyn stage around 6 p.m., waiting for Marcy Playground to begin its set, sunshine emerged from the dusky clouds over the Mississippi River and took the moderately cool temperatures up to nearly hot within moments.

‘Blues Stage on Beale’: The story behind Memphis in May’s big change and what to expect

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On May 5, the Memphis in May Beale Street Music Festival will launch a new stage in its history.

Literally.

The “Memphis Tourism Blues Stage on Beale” relocates the festival’s popular Blues Tent theme from Tom Lee Park to the gently sloped lawn and built-in outdoor performance space at Handy Park, in the center of the Beale Street Entertainment District, about three blocks east of the Mississippi River park where the other three music festival stages will operate, as usual.

The new blues stage is free, making it an open-to-all complement to the music festival as well as a component of the paid-admission main event.

Your survival guide to Memphis in May’s return to the river

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Hey there, festie friends! Are you ready to return to the river? After two canceled pandemic years and a weird year at Liberty Park, Memphis in May International Festival is heading back Downtown to its longtime home at Tom Lee Park.

The park has a fresh new look (complete with a giant otter!), and MIM attendees will be among the first to officially break in the new space. And we don’t mean literally “break in,” though any natural wear and tear should hopefully be covered by the festival’s damage deposit.

Memphis in May: Moon Taxi, Eric Benét added to Beale Street Music Festival lineup

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Moon Taxi and Eric Benét are joining this year’s Beale Street Music Festival lineup, Memphis in May announced Wednesday.

Indie rockers Moon Taxi are making their second Beale Street Music Festival appearance, while Grammy-nominated neo-soul sensation Benét is making his festival debut. Both are set to perform May 7.

Also announced Wednesday, Azmyl & the Truly Asia will perform May 5-6 on the Blues Stage on Beale. The band will represent the blues stylings of Malaysia, Memphis in May’s honored country this year.

Gladys Knight to headline Southern Heritage Classic Concert at Orpheum

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Grammy-winning R&B singer, Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer and soul music legend Gladys Knight will headline the annual Southern Heritage Classic Concert at the Orpheum on Sept. 7.

Knight will perform as part of the festivities leading up to the 34th edition of the Southern Heritage Classic football game between University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Tennessee State University on Sept. 9.

Tickets for Knight’s concert are $68-$128 and go on sale Friday at Ticketmaster.com.

Journeying Through Beale Street Memphis: A Fusion of Art, Music, & History

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Beale Street is a 1.8-mile-long street stretching from the Mississippi River to East Street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It holds a special place in the annals of blues music and the city’s past.

This National Historic Landmark of Memphis—famous as the “Home of the Blues” and the “true birthplace of Rock n Roll”—showcases the city’s iconic live music heritage through museums, picture spots, and clubs where visitors can still hear the music being made in Memphis today. Beale Street is a popular destination for Memphis locals and visitors thanks to the variety of exciting live performances and cold brews.