April
Art of Good Taste — Wine lovers unite for this series of events benefiting the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and featuring a huge wine auction (55 lots!) on May 9th. It kicks off with a “Spring into Art” artists reception and preview party on April 2nd. theartofgoodtaste.org
Overton Square Crawfish Festival — Mudbugs galore at this festival on April 11th, from noon to 6 p.m. Benefits the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk. alz.org/altn
Southern Hot Wing Contest & Festival — Now in its new home in the South Main Historic Arts District, this festival, on April 18th, is all about the wings, the hotter the better. Benefits the Ronald McDonald House. southernhotwingfestival.com
Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival — Held on April 19th, at Wagner Place between Union and Beale. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a crawfish race, but the main event is at noon when 500 pounds of crawfish are given away. Benefits Porter-Leath. porter-leath.org
Beale Street Wine Race — Restaurant servers race with a tray loaded with filled wine glasses. What could go wrong? This year’s event is on April 26th.
May
Memphis Greek Festival — Go Greek for this annual event, with loads of delectables, such as moussaka and souvlaki. Don’t miss the pastry shop. This one’s on May 8th-9th at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on Highland. memphisgreekfestival.com
World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest — The Big One. This year’s Memphis in May barbecue fest is May 14th-16th. memphisinmay.org
Memphis Italian Festival — The Memphis Italian Festival takes over Marquette Park May 29th-30th. There’s serious cooking going on, plus live music, cooking demos, a bocce tournament, and more. Benefits the children of Holy Rosary Parish School. memphisitalianfestival.com
September
Art on Tap — A must for beer lovers, this annual event at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens includes live music, food, and lots and lots of beer from area vendors. This year’s Art on Tap is September 11th, from 7 to 9 p.m. dixon.org
Zoo Rendezvous — A massive party and the Memphis Zoo’s largest fund-raiser of the year. Good eats from 50-plus restaurants and live entertainment. This year’s event is September 12th. memphiszoo.org
October
Kosher Barbecue Contest and Festival — Now in its 21st year, this festival, on October 18th, includes some serious kosher cooking and a not-so-serious pickle-eating contest. Held at Anshei Sphard-Beth El Emeth Congregation in East Memphis. asbeekosherbbq.org
February
Wild Game Dinner — This popular annual fund-raiser for Opera Memphis includes a dinner of wild game, live music, and an auction. Early February. operamemphis.org
Soup Sunday — Soup’s on at this annual event benefiting Youth Villages, featuring soups from 50 or so area restaurants. Get there early for maximum soup-slurping. Usually held at FedExForum in late February. youthvillages.org
