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WE SAW YOU: Memphis Greek Festival

If you felt like dancing at, say, around 1 o’clock in the afternoon, you were in good company at the Memphis Greek Festival. Groups of dancers performed at designated times each day at the festival, which was held May 9th and 10th at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. Guests were invited to jump in after they finished and try their hand — or feet — in a dance.

More than 10,000 attended this year’s event, estimated Kathy Zambelis, who co-chaired the event with Maria Moore. Admission was only $3 or three cans of nonperishable food.

Traditional dance, shopping, and a kids zone were featured. Food included made-in-house spanakopita and Greek pastries. “We start months in advance to get everything out there,” Zambelis says. “We’re pretty much a well-oiled machine.”

“Biftekia,” a tantalizing concoction, was advertised in front of the booth as “Deliciously Seasoned Meat Sticks Made With Ancient Recipe.” It was served with pita bread and tzatziki sauce.

Reverend Simon Thomas, the parish priest, led church tours. His son, Demetri Thomas, who wore a traditional Greek fisherman’s cap, was one of the dancers. 

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WE SAW YOU: RiverBeat Music Festival

Carter Billingsley and Brittney McVey, both from Champaign, Illinois, were among the 30,000 people who attended this year’s RiverBeat Music Festival, held May 2nd through 4th in Tom Lee Park.

They go to as many festivals as they can, but this was their first RiverBeat, Billingsley says. Getting to and from the festival was “a breeze,” the check-in process “efficient and secure,” Tom Lee Park was “a great venue,” crowd size was “perfect,” and the people were “awesome.”

The lineup was “eclectic,” Billingsley adds. “Not many festivals can boast headlining Missy Elliot, the Killers, and Anderson .Paak in the same weekend.”

A highlight? “Khruangbin’s more chill energy and careful choreography was ethereal. And the band posted a picture of me on their Instagram page with my hands open to receive their jams.”

RiverBeat producer Mike Smith says RiverBeat 2025 was “a total success.” And, he adds, “Growing a music festival takes time, but, honestly, we’re overwhelmed by all the support from the Memphis music lovers and everyone who traveled to enjoy our amazing city with us.” 

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WE SAW YOU: Science of Wine

Wine lovers worked on their “oenology degree” at Science of Wine, which was held April 25th at the Pink Palace Museum & Mansion.

About 300 attended the event, which featured 17 wine stations sand 19 food stations. People manning the stations explained various facets of wine.

An unexpected surprise for guests was getting to party in the mansion. “We used the Deep End Theater as a food and wine area with laser lights as a vibe zone,” says John Mullikin, Memphis Museums of Science & History (MoSH) special events coordinator. “We also used the bridal suite and Clyde Park [Miniature] Circus area for our VIP rooms. Feedback was great because guests were able to see parts of the museum they normally can’t access.”

Deep End Theater “was Clarence Saunders’ plan for a 110,000 gallon heated swimming pool.”

All money raised from the event goes to support the museum’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Education Fund, which “provides free or low-cost experience for underserved students in the Memphis region.”

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We Saw You: Love Food Hate Waste

People helped the environment by attending Love Food Hate Waste, which was held Friday, April 11th, at Memphis Made Brewing Co. at The Ravine.

The event, hosted by Project Green Fork during Food Waste Week, included food trivia, prizes, and two food trucks, Flipside Asia and Good Groceries. Project Green Fork notes on their website that “we waste up to 40 percent of food grown for human consumption. Most of this food ends up in landfills where it gives off methane gas that is driving climate change. Additionally, in Memphis nearly one in five residents is food insecure. We’re throwing away the solution to two problems and creating new ones.”

According to information sent by Project Green Fork program consultant Ali Manning, Love Food Hate Waste is “a free, interactive event designed to engage the community in fun, educational activities focused on reducing food waste. The event will feature three rounds of food waste trivia, a culinary demo using surplus ingredients, and a volunteer recognition.”

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We Saw You: Scenes From Tattoo Fest Memphis ’25

If you didn’t get to Tattoo Fest Memphis (the new name for the former “Memphis Tattoo Fest”), here’s a video showing some of the tattoo recipients and their tattoo artists in action.

Whether it’s a leg, foot, or arm, Bodies are the canvases.

This was the second year of the festival, which was held April 4th, 5th, and 6th at Renasant Convention Center.

As Quinn Hurley, director of operations for the three-day festival, says, “This is an artistic show. Everyone that’s here is here because they love some form of art. A lot of it’s tattooing, but we have our vendors that make art as well. And so we wanted the festival to reflect the love of that.”

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WE SAW YOU: Huey’s 55th Anniversary Block Party

Beautiful weather, the smell of hamburgers, the sound of music from performers that included Lucero and Sons of Mudboy, and a throng of people helped make Huey’s 55th Anniversary Block Party a success.

The party was held around the original Huey’s Midtown location at 1927 Madison Avenue. Huey’s now has eight locations in Tennessee and two in Mississippi, says Alex Boggs, Huey’s area director and marketing director.

Madison Avenue from Barksdale Street to Rembert Street and 100 yards of Tucker Street were blocked off for the April 13th event, Boggs says. As for the crowd count, he says, “I think we had about 3,500 to 4,000.”

The block party wasn’t just to celebrate 55 years. “We wanted to thank Memphis for taking care of us. Thank our staff and customers for being so loyal and supporting Church Health, which has been a charitable partner with us for decades.”

He adds, “Our employees are the ones who make Huey’s what we are.”

Huey’s, which supports many charities, is “more than a restaurant,” Boggs says. It’s “part of the entire community for the greater Memphis area.” 

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WE SAW YOU: Memphis Tattoo Festival

Cameron Carroll traveled from the north Seattle area to Memphis for the Memphis Tattoo Festival, held April 4th, 5th, and 6th at the Renasant Convention Center.

It was his second year attending the festival, Carroll says. College Station, Texas, tattoo artist David Hershman worked on one side of his leg last year, and his other leg this year. Carroll says he “had to come back. [Hershman] invited me out here, and I flew out from Washington.”

Asked what he likes about the festival, Carroll, who sports seven tattoos, says, “It’s a blast. Amazing people. It’s always a good time. Just a bunch of laughs. Great people out here. It’s a fun time.”

Quinn Hurley, director of operations for the three-day event presented by Tattoo Fest and the Explore Tattoo Conference, was pleased to be “coming back to a city that really embraced us and embraced us again this year.”

“This is an artistic show,” he says. “Everyone that’s here is here because they love some sort of art. A lot of it’s tattooing, but we have our vendors that make art as well. And so we wanted the festival to reflect the love of that.” 

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WE SAW YOU: Trolley Night

Trolley Night kicked off with a bang. The March 31st event, the first of the season, was “the busiest Friday night we’ve had in years,” says South Main Association president Joe Simon. “Almost every shop and restaurant and bar was completely crowded. To where there were many stand-up areas, it was so busy.”

Trolley Night is held from 5 p.m. “until” on the last Friday of every month on South Main. People stroll up and down and drop in on establishments, some people buying, some just looking.

The only change this year was moving the starting time up to 5 p.m., Simon says. “Just to get an early start. Happy-hour style.” 

They were “highly successful” with the time move, he says. “A lot of bars and vendors appreciate that. People getting off early on Friday, it gives them a chance to start the night early.”

Simon adds, “We’re still partnering with DMC [Downtown Memphis Commission] even with the trolleys not running. MATA says they’re going to have them back up and running by late summer.” 

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We Saw You: Puerto Rican Night

Overton Square in Memphis turned into the Plaza de Armas in San Juan for a few hours during Puerto Rican Night. The inaugural event featured music, dancing, and food.

More than 500 turned out for the free event, which was held March 22nd in Overton Square’s Trimble Courtyard, says Dorimar Cruz with Darts Productions, which put on the event. Darts also put on Colombian Night in October 2024. And Darts wants to put on more community events, Cruz says.

The event was a great opportunity for the local Puerto Rican community to “celebrate their own culture,” Cruz says, and at the same time let others learn about Puerto Rico as well.

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We Saw You

About 1,500 people turned out for this year’s Memphis Irish Society/Cooper-Young St. Patrick’s Day Parade, says Tamara Cook, executive director of the Cooper-Young Business Association.

Green was the preferred wardrobe color of the day.

As usual, the parade was held on March 17th.

“We had a ton of people,” Cook says. Part of the reason was the timing of the parade,
she says. It was held about 4 p.m. “We did it after school was out.”

Memphis Irish Society presented the parade in conjunction with Celtic Crossing. DJ Naylor opened up his Celtic Crossing Irish bar/restaurant for outdoor and indoor celebrating.

This year’s parade featured 21 entries. As is the custom, the parade included horses, dancers, bagpipers, and Inis Acla School of Irish Dance step dancers.

The parade was family-oriented. “We gear ours toward the family. We wanted kids here, and we got them. And dogs. And I even saw a cat on a leash. Everybody brought everybody, so that was good.”