Beale Street Music Festival will not take place next year, and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest will be held at Liberty Park, organizers said in a statement Thursday.
Memphis In May International Festival (MIM) said Music Fest will be “paused” for 2024, leaving an unknown path forward for years after that. MIM said it plans to “explore all options to present an event in the future that meets the standards and authenticity expected of the brand.”
The decision came after 2023 attendance ”suffered a significant decline.” Its recent annual report said Music Fest attendance hit a 30-year low this year. But MIM president and CEO Jim Holt once again laid part of the blame for the situation at the feet of Memphis River Park Partnership (MRPP) and its $63 million renovation of Tom Lee Park.
“Obviously, Memphis in May has built a very authentic brand beginning with the name and location of the music festival,” Holt said. “With a pending lawsuit and the event now un-welcomed in the new Tom Lee Park, future Beale Street Music Festivals will face fundamental challenges.”
Last month, MRPP sued MIM to recoup $675,000, which the group said it was owed to repair the park after this May’s events.
“We have proudly presented the Beale Street Music Festival as a world-class entertainment event for nearly half a century,” MIM board chair Al Gossett said in a statement. “Our board’s decision is to not disappoint or underdeliver against the high standards and expectations of fans and supporters of this city’s largest annual event and signature music festival.”
Barbecue will be held May 15th-18th in Liberty Park, which has hosted the event twice in the past.
The Great American River Run will be held Downtown on May 25th, 2024.
