On 901 Day, Memphis was full of music, food and pride
Hundreds of Memphians crowded onto Beale Street on Monday, Sept. 1, under the hot Memphis sun to celebrate 901 Day, the city’s unofficial holiday for civic pride inspired by the area code.
Children walked up and down Beale Street with tiger face paint, families danced along to bilingual theater group Cazateatro’s performance and attendees leaped to catch Memphis Grizzlies shirts at Handy Park during the City of Memphis’ official 901 Day celebration.
“We want it to be multi-generational, and it’s visibly that,” said DeMarcus Suggs, director of the city’s Office of Creative and Cultural Economy. “Everyone’s having a moment to showcase and share their thing that makes them a special artist, and Memphis is here to eat it up.”
The Downtown celebration featured artists from multiple creative disciplines — visual arts, music, dance, theater and fashion — performing on Beale Street and Handy Park.