Good eats and live music at Memphis’ coolest events

We can’t talk about Memphis’s most important events without mentioning Memphis in May. Lasting almost the entire month and encompassing several major festivals, celebrations and concerts, it’s a huge event with something for everyone.

The first happening is the Beale Street Music Fest, which occurs early on in the month at Tom Lee Park. Over three days, 66 artists perform across five stages. And there’s more than just great tunes here; you can also find tons of food vendors serving up everything from BBQ (this is Memphis, after all) to deep-fried everything!

During mid-May, the World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest occurs, also at Tom Lee Park, featuring teams competing to make the best barbecue and win the top prize, along with the wacky Ms. Piggy Idol competition.

And at the end of the month, the newly-instated 901Fest happens. This event is all about local pride: the best local musicians, artists and food vendors come together at Tom Lee Park to celebrate the city. It all ends with an epic air show and fireworks display over the Mississippi!

And there’s more to Memphis than just music and BBQ; beer-lovers come from all over to attend Wiseacre Brewing Company’s Taste the Rarity Beer Festival. A ticket to the end-of-May event gets you access to incredibly sought-after and delicious beers from breweries across the country, live music, food trucks, backyard games, and tons more. The chance to mingle with other beer-lovers and taste some of the rarest and most interesting beers around is definitely a recipe for a good time.