Erika Pittman and Beth Wilson (Photos: Michael Donahue)
Danny Barlow recently attended his first RiverArtsFest, which was held October 19th and 20th on Riverside Drive.
“We kind of stumbled on it,” says Barlow, who attended with Kendra Hall. “We were Downtown doing a picnic and were looking for food.”
Vicki Phillips and Vincent PriceKendra Hall and Danny BarlowShauntelle Rodgers and Carter PhelanJeff Baldwin and Serena DavisSharon Ratton and Celia RacicotStan Taylor and Katelyn Butler
He was impressed with a man out of California who made watches. “I want to get connected with him. I want to get a couple of watches made.”
Around 165 artists markets were featured at this year’s event, which marked the 18th anniversary of RiverArtsFest, says founder and longtime board member Chuck Mitchell.
Kim Samuel and Ann Hyung JaeDustin and Kaytlyn McNealAaron Brame and Jeff HulettJosh and Lyndsey Hammond and Harold GraeterKent and Annette Simon, Jack Simon, and Savannah McCarter
He had great feedback from the artists. “All of them are thrilled with their experience here,” Mitchell says. “Hopefully, they sell a lot of artwork, but they’re always happy with how we treat them, load them in, and provide lunch for them in our hospitality tent.”
Jack Isley, Jonah Green, Kim Eubank, and Stefan HochhuberLatoyia, Joshua, and Jillian CaseyChris Norwood, Teresa Spencer, Winston NorwoodJonathan White and Jessica Faro
And, he says, “We’re really trying to make it great for the artists to share a great experience in Memphis. And all love being in Memphis and being Downtown.”
Artists also head to Beale Street “and other areas after the festival closes each day.”
The fest returns for its 18th year. (Photo: Courtesy RiverArtsFest)
The annual RiverArtsFest returns to the Memphis riverfront this weekend for its 18th year. As the largest and longest-running fine arts festival in the region, this year’s festival features 165 artists participating in the artist market, with artists from 31 states including 13 local artists.
“The quality of the artwork is superb,” says Denise Ford, the fest’s artist market director. “We are ranked number 19 in the country as the top fine arts festivals by Sunshine Artist Magazine, which is a magazine that’s devoted to art fairs and festivals in the country, … and those rankings are done by the artists themselves.
“There are many that come back year after year. Probably a third of the artists are new to the festival each year, so it always stays fresh. There’s something for everybody. There are fiber artists; there are people who make baskets. It’s not all just art to hang on the wall; it’s a little bit of everything.”
And the day has a little bit of everything, too. “There’s hands-on art,” Ford says. “People will be able to actually create a piece of artwork and take it with them. So that’s a nice way to have an experiential time there; while you’re at the festival viewing everything else, you can actually create something yourself.”
Six local artists will also demonstrate their craft: Brandy Boyd (metalsmithing), Rick Cannon (woodturning), Katey Henriksen Gardner (papermaking), Jarvis Howard (papermaking), Nicola Tupis (glassblowing), and Becky Ziemer (pottery). “The nice thing about that is that people can interact with them directly and ask them questions,” Ford says, adding that these artists will also be selling their work.
Both days will have live entertainment on two stages: the ARTSmemphis Partners Stage for performing arts groups, like Hot Foot Honeys Tap Dance Company and Opera Memphis, and the RiverArtsFest South Stage strictly for music. (See schedule below.)
Proceeds from the festival support year-round community and arts education programming for students, arts educators, and the public. “We try to provide paid opportunities for as many local artists as we can in the community, and some of that entails them teaching master classes in area schools, or partnering with an art teacher in a local school on a project that they jointly work on with their students,” Ford says.
In that mission of supporting local artists, for the festival, organizers also commissioned artists to create the murals for their tent walls, instead of having plain white tents, and their collectible poster features art by Carl E. Moore. “We also have an emerging artist program and that is another local opportunity,” Ford adds. Selected participants receive mentorship from professional local artists and free booth space at the festival. This year they are Dana DeLarme, Leigh Sandlin, and Hank Smith.
For more information on this year’s fest and to purchase tickets, visit riverartsmemphis.org.
Uber and Lyft drop-off and pick-up, as well as handicap pick-up and drop-off, is at the foot of at Jefferson and Riverside.
The volunteer-run fest returns. (Photo: Courtesy RiverArtsFest)
This Saturday and Sunday, the RiverArtsFest returns to Riverside Drive for its 17th year, bringing more than 150 artists from around the country to show off and sell their latest works. “The event is a celebration of the arts,” says Kelley Morice, the fest’s director of marketing and public relations. “We have the longest-running and the largest fine arts festival in the region.”
And that’s not all, Morice says: The festival has been ranked among the best fine arts festivals in the nation by Sunshine Artist magazine and Art Fair Source Book. Each year, a blind jury selects the more than 150 artists from hundreds of applications, making sure that the artists span a variety of media from jewelry to woodworking. “As a festival, we want to make sure when people come they get to see really amazing, unique work that’s not all the same.”
Part of the appeal of the market, Morice adds, is that you can interact with the artists. “You can see what’s inspired them, and maybe leave inspired.” And to lend an even more immersive experience, the festival will also have demonstrations, with local artists demonstrating their craft live: Kendra Burchett in fiber and leather, Rick Cannon in wood turning, Katey Henriksen in papermaking, Danielle Sierra in painting, Kenny Hayes in assemblage, Nicola Uphoff-Tupis in glassblowing, and David Johnson in pottery, and Brittney Boyd Bullock in metalsmithing.
Plus, festival-goers can enjoy live music from local artists and bands, and this year, the fest has added a dedicated stage for local performing arts to offer an all-encompassing arts experience. On Saturday, the Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Harmonic South String Orchestra, Memphis ChoralArts, Hot Foot Honeys tap dance company, and Hattiloo Theatre will perform, and on Sunday, you can catch performances by the Memphis Youth Symphony Program, Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, PRIZM Ensemble, Opera Memphis, and SubRoy Movement.
In addition, the festival will have two planned craft stations for children and the young at heart, food courts, and beverage vendors.
All proceeds from the festival support RiverArtsFest’s Community and Arts Education initiatives, which offer free programming to students of all ages and abilities, art educators, and the public, while providing paid opportunities for local artists. One such initiative, reintroduced this year after a Covid hiatus, is the Emerging Artists program, which mentors local budding artists in exhibiting and selling their creations. This year’s selected artists are Jana Wilson and William Lescheck, both of whom will showcase their original work at the festival.
RiverArtsFest, Saturday-Sunday, October 21-22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $10/general admission; $5/65+, veterans and Active military, children (6-18); free/children (5 and under).
Festival Stage Lineup
Saturday, October 21
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Jeff Hulett Trio 12:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m.: Graham Winchester 2 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Rachel Maxann 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m.: Alexis Jade & the Gemstones Strolling performance by Jeff Hulett
Sunday, October 22
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Beth Luscombe Strings 12:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m.: Jeremy Stanfill 2 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Loveland Duren 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m.: Tennessee Mass Choir Strolling performance by Brad Fielder
ARTSmemphis Partners Stage
Saturday, October 21
10:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Tennessee Shakespeare Company Noon-12:45 p.m.: Harmonic South String Orchestra 1:15 p.m.-2 p.m.: Memphis ChoralArts 2:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Hot Foot Honeys Tap Dance Company 3:45 p.m.-4:30 p.m.: Hattiloo Theatre
Sunday, October 22
10:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Memphis Youth Symphony Program Noon-12:45 p.m.: Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group 1:15 p.m.-2 p.m.: PRIZM Ensemble 2:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Opera Memphis 3:45 p.m.-4:30 p.m.: SubRoy Movement
Cooper-Young
Festival (Photo: Courtesy Cooper-Young Festival)
As you flip your wall calendars to the fresh, crisp September page, after Memphis’ humid, boiling August, you can exhale: It’s almost fall. And that means it’s time for more fairs and festivals, so crack open your planners, pull up your calendar app, tape a sticky note to your head, do whatever you gotta do to make sure you have these fairs and festivals tapped into your autumn plans.
SEPTEMBER
Southern Heritage Classic Cultural Celebration
Can I tell you what a yellow card is or what a running back does? No, but I can tell you that the Southern Heritage Classic, a premier sports and entertainment event, will be a good time. And if you don’t believe me, just take a look at the agenda: The O’Jays are putting on a concert, Landers Center is hosting a Classic Funk Fest, the Classic Parade will roll through Park Avenue, and so much more, including, of course, the Southern Heritage Classic football game featuring Jackson State vs. Tennessee State at the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Various locations, September 8-10
Germantown Festival (Photo: Courtesy Germantown Festival)
Germantown Festival
Some might say weenies aren’t cool by definition, but at this festival, the weenies will prove you otherwise as they gear up for the annual Running of the Weenies at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 10th. So don’t be a weenie! Go show your support at this festival of arts that, in addition to the famed race, offers children’s activities, rides and games, entertainment, a car exhibit, community displays, and more.
Germantown Civic Club Complex, September 10-11
Goat Days Festival
Bah-bah-bah, Bah-Barbara Ann, you got me rockin’ and a-rollin’, rockin’ and a-reelin’ from too long without goats. But take my hand and bring me to the Goats Days Festival and I’m yours. Starting at 7 a.m. with the much-beloved pancake breakfast, the day features goat yoga, live music all day, local vendors, food galore, a car show, an antique tractor show, a barbecue contest, an all-day kids zone, and so much more.
Millington Sports Complex, September 10
Memphis Rox Yoga Festival
This festival is yogalicious, definition makes yogis go crazy. (It’s hot, hot.) With more than 15 yoga classes, from acro yoga to handstand workshops, this festival also boasts a kids’ zone, live music, and lectures, including topics ranging from nutrition to personalizing yoga through astrology.
Memphis Botanic Garden, September 10
Collierville Balloon Festival (Photo: Courtesy Collierville Balloon Festival)
Collierville Balloon Festival
Enjoy the Wizard of Oz’s preferred mode of transportation at this festival all about the whimsical hot air balloon. Each morning will begin with a breathtaking release of the balloons into the sky, which the family can witness for free before the festival’s activities commence in the afternoon. The day will include a kids’ zone, food trucks, vendors, carnival rides and games, and of course some hot air ballooning. Once the sun goes down, the balloons will light up the sky with an evening balloon glow.
Maynard Way, Collierville, September 17-18
Cooper-Young Festival
Whether you’re young or young at heart, when you’re in Cooper-Young, you’re in for some fun with this festival all about celebrating the arts, people, culture, and heritage of Memphis. Bailey Bigger will headline a lineup of great local, original music, and a slew of artisans from Memphis and across the U.S. will be selling handmade, unique, and quirky art.
Cooper-Young, September 17
Mint Cream Market: Fall Fest
Shop from vintage collectors, craft goods, and unique art at this fest with live entertainment and food trucks.
Arrow Creative, September 17
Orion Free Concert Series
If you press your ear to a shell, you’ll hear the ocean for free. If you press your ear to the Shell, you might be too close to the stage, but you might also hear some country blues or powerpop, depending on the weekend, also for free.
Overton Park Shell, Country Blues Festival, September 17
Memphis Powerpop Festival, September 24
Gonerfest 19
Going, going, gone off to Gonerfest 19 for four days of rocking music, courtesy of Goner Records. The caliber of these artists is too hard to describe in a mere few sentences, which is why I urge you to read our cover story next week because it’s going to be all about Gonerfest.
Railgarten, September 22-25
Mid-South Fair (Photo: Courtesy Mid-South Fair)
Mid-South Fair
If you fancy yourself an old soul, perhaps reincarnated from bygone times, you’ll feel at home at this festival which has been a must-do event since 1856. Fair-goers can enjoy more than 50 rides, a wide array of ground acts, and of course favorite fair fare — funnel cakes, turkey legs, candied apples — you name it, they’ve perfected it.
Lots of things are celebrating their 50th this year. I mean, 50 years ago, The Godfather premiered its first installment in theaters, Watergate began to unfold, Jennifer Garner was born, and right here in Memphis, the Pink Palace Crafts Fair took place for the first time. And now, 150 artists in various mediums are coming from around the country to celebrate the fair’s big 5-0. Attendees can marvel at craft demonstrations, enjoy live music, and entertain the kiddos at the petting zoo and with a ride on the choo-choo train, some rock climbing, and pony rides.
Audubon Park, September 23-25
Mighty Roots Music Festival
We root for music, the mighty, mighty roots music. No longer a rookie, this music fest is back for year two, taking place at the same spot the famous blues singer-songwriter Muddy Waters began his love of blues music.
Stovall, MS, September 23-24
Aquatseli Bluegrass Festival
“Aquatseli” is Cherokee for “our,” so make this bluegrass extravaganza yours and check out the instrument workshops, open jams, square dancing, clogging, vendors, and more.
Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, September 24
Latin Fest
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group’s Latin Fest, where friends and families can listen to and dance to live Latin music, taste Latin food and drinks, enjoy activities for kids, and shop from vendors.
Overton Square, September 24
Memphis Comic Expo
The Mid-South’s largest comic-creator con has answered the Bat-Signal and is back in Memphis to celebrate your favorite creators, with over 100 artists and writers, a cosplay contest, more than 50 vendors, panels, and more. It’s going to be a marvel.
Agricenter International, September 24-25
Wiseacre Oktoberfest
Zicke zacke, zicke zacke, hoi hoi hoi! Oktoberfest is back, boy oh boy. So dust off your steins and snap on your lederhosen for a day with food trucks, Mighty Souls Brass Band, the Grizzline, and more.
Wiseacre Brewing Company, September 24
Soulful Food Truck Festival
Saddle up your picnic blankets and lawn chairs for this journey to the center of your stomach and your soul as you enjoy food from food trucks and vendors, shop from local artisans, and take in music by Carmen Hicks, Angie P. Holmes, and Courtney Little, plus DJs Zoom and Swagg.
Tiger Lane, September 25
Bartlett Festival
With the Judge Freeman Marr Panther Pride 5K to kick things off, this festival boasts local music, arts and crafts, a car show, children’s activities, a barbecue cooking contest, concessions, and so much more.
W.J. Freeman Park, September 30-October 1
Mempho Music Festival
Mempho Music Festival (Photo: Courtesy Mempho Music Festival/Joshua Timmermans)
You know it, I know, the music at Mempho always hits the right note. I mean, how could it not with The Black Keys, Portugal. The Man, Bobby Rush, Amy LaVere, Elizabeth King, and so many more on the lineup?
Radians Amphitheater, Memphis Botanic Garden, September 30-October 2
OCTOBER
Wine on the River Memphis
You don’t have to be Carmen Sandiego and glide around the globe and flimflam every nation just to get a taste of the world. Instead, take your taste buds on a global journey as you sample wine from national and international vineyards along with bites of food from each cultural region.
Riverside Drive, October 1
King Biscuit Blues Festival (Photo: Courtesy King Biscuit Blues Festival)
King Biscuit Blues Festival
Hear ye, hear ye, King Biscuit Blues Festival is back for its annual three-day event, complete with the Flour Power 5K, the Tour da Delta bicycle race, and a Kansas City-sanctioned barbecue contest, all in historic Downtown Helena. Oh, and of course, there’ll be blues music — lots of blues music — on five stages.
Helena, AR, October 5-8
Soul of the City
Rock around the clock as Elmwood Cemetery’s residents take you through Memphis music history. You’ll meet Sister Thea Bowman, Grammy Award-winners, rock-and-roll stars, blues crooners, and more.
Bacon? Good. Bourbon? Good. Memphis Bacon & Bourbon Festival? Good. That’s all you need to know.
Metal Museum, October 7
Big River Fit Fest
Let’s get physical in an HR-approved way. For the love of all things good and pure, this fitness fest is designed to expose (again in an HR-approved way) and educate the Mid-South community of all ages and skill levels on fitness, wellness, and health.
Mud Island Park, October 8
Edge Motorfest
If Cars taught me anything, it’s that life is a highway, and I wanna ride it all night long, and if you’re goin’ my way, well, we’re driving to the Edge, for a day to check out over 150 cool cars, food trucks, vendor booths, and more. Ka-chow, am I right?
Edge Motor Museum, October 8
Shell Daze Fall Music Festival
The music doesn’t stop when it comes to the folks at Mempho. Hardly a week after the big shebang, they are putting on a two-day mini fest, with a lineup featuring Moon Taxi, Tab Benoit, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Daniel Donato, Star & Micey, and Garrison Starr.
Overton Park Shell, October 8-9
Southern Soul Music Festival
Jam to your favorite soulful hits and songs by Tucka, Calvin Richardson, Sir Charles Jones, Ronnie Bell, Theodis Ealey, Karen Wolfe, and FatDaddy.
The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, October 8
Deep Blues Festival
Of all the shades of blue, deep blues are my favorite, and you can bet the Deep Blues Festival will be just the right shade of fun as it celebrates traditional and alternative blues with musicians from all over the world.
Clarksdale, MS, October 13-16
Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival
Are you a streetcar? ’Cause you look like your name should be Desire. Oh, is your name Tennessee? ’Cause you’re the only 10 I see. I promise I’m not a player, just a play-lover, and if you are too, meet me at the Tennessee Williams Festival, where we can enjoy screenings, lectures, and performances.
Clarksdale, MS, October 13-15
Fall Fest at the Nest
Soar like an eagle right over to Fall Fest at the Nest and enjoy food, fun, family, music and free admission. Shop vendors, enjoy a car show, chili cook-off, cornhole tournament, rides, food trucks, music fest, $10,000 cash raffle, and more.
St. Benedict at Auburndale, October 14-15
Memphis Brewfest
Fifty-something bottles of beer on the wall, 50-something bottles of beer, take one down, pass it around, and you’ll still have 50-something breweries and cideries to sample from. That’s right, at the Memphis Brewfest, you can get unlimited samples from more than 50 breweries and cideries from around the world.
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, October 15
Memphis Food & Wine Festival
It’s wine o’clock somewhere. Sorry. I know what you’re thinking — that’s so cheesy, borderline offensive. If you’re of a certain age, you might even invoke the word cheugy. But I bet you’ll quit your whining when you get to wining and dining at this festival which not only benefits the FedExFamilyHouse but also showcases local chefs alongside acclaimed national chefs and top global vineyards.
Memphis Botanic Garden, October 15
Shop Black Fest
Support more than 50 local Black-owned businesses of all types at this festival of fun vibes, music, and food.
Downtown Memphis, October 15
Soulsville USA Festival
Treat your soul to a day of music, food, educational activities, games for kids, and free admission to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, all to honor the city’s rich spiritual heritage and its roots in soul music.
Soulsville USA District at College and McLemore, October 15
Indie Memphis Film Festival
Why Netflix and chill when you could be less run-of-the-mill at an independent film festival? The Indie Memphis Film Festival will screen a range of features, documentaries, and short films from all over the world. Plus, festival-goers can enjoy live music, parties, free panels, meet-and-greets with special guests, and the Black Creators Forum. For more information, be sure to check out our Flyer cover story on October 19th.
Various locations, October 19-24
Cooper-Young Beerfest
I don’t know if you’ve heard but Taylor Swift is releasing a new album on October 21st, which is worth raising a beer mug to and downing a couple more after. And there’s no better place than the Cooper-Young Beerfest the next day.
Midtown Autowerks, October 22
RiverArtsFest
The Mid-South runneth over with art, and the Mississippi River floweth with inspiration — two phenomena that merge only once a year to create RiverArtsFest, where more than 180 artists from around the country can show off and sell their fine arts. As an added bonus, the festival features artist demonstrations, hands-on art activities for all ages, and local music.
Downtown Memphis, October 22-23
World Championship Hot Wing Fest
Wing wing wing! Sorry the old chicken can’t come to the phone right now. Why? ’Cause she’s dead. But that’s okay. She died a winner — a winner, winner chicken dinner — well, depending on how things shake up at the World Championship Hot Wing Fest. So don’t let the old chicken’s death be in vain and head on over to sample the competing wings, all while supporting The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis. As always, the contest will kick off with the Memphis Second Line Jazz Band leading a flock of chickens in a parade through Tiger Lane and across the main stage to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, October 22
Dia de Los Muertos Parade and Festival (Photo: Courtesy Dia de Los Muertos Parade and Festival)
Dia de Los Muertos Parade and Festival
Dia de Los Muertos is deadicated to celebrating and honoring ancestors who lived before us. On this day, enjoy a parade beginning in Overton Square with floats and performers making their way to the plaza at the Brooks Museum, where you can enjoy art-making activities, face painting, music, costumed performers, dance performances, and more.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, October 29
Hambone Festival
Presented by artist and musician Stan Street, this music festival features a stellar lineup, a jam night, street parties, and Cruisin’ the Crossroads Car & Truck Show.
Hambone Art Gallery & the Shack Up Inn, Clarksdale, MS, October 29-November 1
NOVEMBER
Fieldaze Memphis
Unlike other fields during autumn harvests, Fieldaze doesn’t have any crop circles (or fields for that matter), but it will have UFOs — Unadulterated Fun Outside — with fitness classes, music, food, entertainment, a half marathon, a bike race, a kayak race, and more.
Call me a 6- to 12-month-old baby ’cause I’m gonna be crawling down Beale for this artcrawl that welcomes artists of all mediums and styles from Memphis, Nashville, and surrounding areas.
Beale Street, Downtown Memphis, November 5
Memphis Japan Festival
Celebrate the history, culture, and people of Japan at this festival featuring food, entertainment, games, crafts, vendors, exhibitors, and more.
Draft your friends and family to the only sporting event that matters — holiday shopping. There are no fantasy leagues, only the real deal, and if you can get it done before Thanksgiving, the glory is legendary. So get a head start and do it all in one stop at the Memphis Crafts & Drafts Festival where local vendors will show off their goods, and local craft beers will make the experience all the more enjoyable.
Crosstown Concourse, November 12-13
DECEMBER
Holiday Spirits: A Christmas Cocktail Festival
This holly, jolly cocktail festival is sure to get you in the Christmas spirit, with its festive … er … spirits, plus the big man in red himself.
If the upcoming festival season was a road sign, it would read “Road Work Ahead.” After the year we’ve all endured, reconstruction of public events is underway. Some annual fairs and festivals are putting the brakes on events until 2022. Others are proceeding with caution by announcing a TBA festival date. Still, others that were to be inaugural 2020 events are pulling out of the parking lot in 2021.
This list of those that gave the green light should help with planning. Buckle up, you’re now in the fairs and festivals carpool lane. Full speed ahead!
If you like that new car smell, you won’t want to miss a couple of breakout festivals this year. The Mighty Roots Music Festival in unincorporated Stovall, Mississippi, near Clarksdale, is one of them. Though the festival is just sprouting, the roots are deep, according to festival producer Howard Stovall.
And not just the roots of the Delta region’s music, but the roots in the soil, too. That’s one of the unique features of this festival: It’s agri-centric. In fact, the festival is taking place at a long-defunct cotton gin.
“We’ve spent a year and a half converting an old cotton gin on 18 acres of land for this festival,” says Stovall. “There hasn’t been power in that gin for 40 years.”
Stovall has invited 150 young farmers from the Delta Council’s Future Delta group. They’ll meet near the main stage before the first act performs and stay for the entertainment.
It’s also the only festival that has a reading list. Check out the website, mightyrootsmusicfestival.com, and you’ll find not only a suggested reading list highlighting the music, art, and culture of the Delta, but also the history of the Stovall Cotton Gin, the Stovall Store, and former tenant Muddy Waters.
Waters lived on the property for nearly 30 years. The house, in which he lived with his grandmother, is where his music was first recorded in 1941 by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress. Long after Waters moved, the house was restored and resides at the Delta Blues Museum to this day.
The festival is not just blues music; it’s roots music: reggae, bluegrass, country, and Americana, as well blues. In fact, when Stovall calls his production partner the “ambassador of music in Mississippi,” he’s not kidding. Co-producer Steve Azar was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant as Music and Culture Ambassador of Mississippi in 2017. Azar is a country-music singer and songwriter with a dozen albums under his belt. He also founded the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival in his hometown of Greenville in 2013.
According to Stovall, Azar’s festival had all the right components except for the location. It was just too far from Clarksdale, and way too far from Memphis. Once that fact sunk in, Stovall and Azar worked together to produce a similar concept for Mighty Roots. This time they think they’ve hit the right note with timing and location. It’s sure to be a hit. Check them out.
$30-$65. Friday-Saturday, October 1-2. Stovall Gin Company, mightyrootsmusicfestival.com.
Another breakout fest that should be on your radar: the Carnival of Creativity.
Organizer and founder Yvonne Bobo refers to it as an “innovative art experience.” She promises “big and crazy” events from some of the most creative minds in Memphis. In addition, the carnival is a community builder. Off the Walls Arts has partnered with some familiar South Memphis neighbors — Girls Inc., Vance Youth Development Center, and Streets Ministries.
The artist incubator and exhibition space already hosts workshops from STEAM projects with Dunbar Elementary and Girls Inc. to continuing education and creativity classes for all ages. The carnival is just another way for the collaborating artists to showcase their talents. One of the most interesting features will be a parade of puppets — Second Line-style. Lucky 7 Brass Band will perform. There will be dancing, art exhibits, and classes. The carnival is a free, family-friendly event.
Saturday, October 2, noon-5 p.m. Off the Walls Arts, offthewallsarts.org
While some festivals are just getting started, others are well into their journey. It’s time to set the cruise control and let those drive themselves.
Gonerfest is a fun festival if you like music on the edgy side. The music lineup describes every dude in the ’80s at the Antenna Club — Spits, Nots, Cool Jerks. Fans of punk, garage rock, the bizarre, and unconventional should find their way to this music festival that is old enough to join the armed forces but not old enough to drink.
30 bands in four days, streaming or in-person. $30, $100 for four-day festival pass. Thursday-Sunday, September 23-September 26. Railgarten, goner-records.com
River Arts Fest (Photo: Mike Baber)
Did you know that River Arts Fest began under another name in 1984? At its inception, River Arts Fest was called Arts in the Park and held in Overton Park. I happened to be a vendor in one of the last years the festival operated under the old name. I even won an award for the best decorated booth. I also got a slap on the wrist from code enforcement because part of my winning decorations were hay bales. Something about how someone could drop a cigarette and catch the whole park on fire. Arts in the Park made its way to South Main with a new name in 2006.
A street celebration of the visual, performing, and culinary arts with attractions and activities for all ages. Saturday-Sunday, October 23-24. Riverside Drive along the bluffs, riverartsmemphis.org
The Pink Palace Crafts Fair is the largest fundraising event for the Museum of Science & History and one of the largest volunteer-run events in Memphis. Funds from the fair support museum exhibits, planetarium shows, Mallory-Neely tours, and the Lichterman Nature Center. The crafts fair started nearly 50 years ago in 1973. It’s grown from about 30 craftsmen to more than 200.
Shop for arts and crafts including woodwork, leatherwork, pottery, jewelry, paintings, sculpture, woven goods, and more. $10, $20 for weekend pass. Friday-Sunday, September 24-26, 10 a.m. Audubon Park, memphismuseums.org
Mid-South Fair (Photo: Courtesy of Obsidian Public Relations)
A lot of fairs and festivals in Memphis have staying power, though most haven’t exceeded the 50-year mark. Two come to mind: the Memphis Greek Festival, in its 62nd year; and the longest-running celebration by a mile — the Mid-South Fair.
In its 165th year, it might not surprise you that the Mid-South Fair was created for business networking purposes. Long before the internet or even phones, farmers and merchants struggled to find ways to communicate and meet one another. The first fair in 1856 was held so that the best in agricultural produce and the latest in machinery and inventions could be showcased to the public.
Shortly after the success of the first fair, fun and games were added for more appeal. The event weathered the Civil War, the yellow fever epidemic, the Depression, and two world wars. At the Centennial Fair celebration in 1956, Elvis made a surprise appearance. A time capsule was buried, to be opened in 2056.
Featuring a petting zoo, fair food, rides, attractions, contests, and more. $10. September 23-October 3. Landers Center, midsouthfair.com
Though it’s been a rough road this past year for festivals, it’s in our rearview mirror. Let’s take the rest of the year to celebrate the things that matter most — art, culture, music, heritage, history, and each other.
AUGUST
Memphis Film Prize
A film festival and contest featuring 10 short films made by filmmakers in and around Memphis. Audience votes for the winner of the $5K cash prize. Friday-Saturday, August 6-7. $30.
Malco Studio on the Square, memphisfilmprize.com
Elvis Week 2021
A lineup of events to celebrate the music, movies, and legacy of the King of Rock-and-Roll. August 11-17.
Graceland, graceland.com
Memphis Summer Cocktail Festival
Enjoy summer-inspired cocktails from more than 30 of your favorite spirits, local food, an epic dance party, and more. $39. Friday, August 13, 6-9 p.m.
Overton Square, memphisfestivals.com
Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival
A celebration of blues and gospel music in the Delta. Headliner James “Super Chikan” Johnson opens the festival. VIP tickets include food and beverages. Free. Friday-Sunday, August 13-15.
Clarksdale, Mississippi, sunflowerfest.org
Live at the Garden (Photo: Mike Baber)
Live at the Garden
• Brad Paisley, Friday, August 13, 7:30 p.m.
• REO Speedwagon, Friday, August 27, 8 p.m.
• Sheryl Crow, Friday, September 17, 8 p.m.
• Earth, Wind & Fire, Thursday, October 21, 7:30 p.m.
Summer music series featuring country, rock, pop, and soul-funk superstars. $55-$131.
Memphis Botanic Garden, radiansamp.com
Memphis Chicken & Beer Festival
Chicken, beer, yard games, live entertainment, and more. Benefiting Dorothy Day House. $40. Saturday, August 14, 6-10 p.m.
Liberty Bowl Stadium, memphischickenandbeer.com
Beale Street Artcrawl Festival
Family-friendly event featuring artists on Beale Street. Free. Saturday, August 21, 1-7 p.m.
Beale Street, dearmusicnonprofit.org
Memphis Fashion Week
Take a tour of Arrow Creative’s new Midtown space, join a class for fashionistas, meet designers and local makers, and watch a runway show. $50-$150. Wednesday-Saturday, August 25-28.
Sample wings from more than 70 competition teams vying for the hot wing world championship title. Benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis. $15. Saturday, August 28, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Liberty Bowl Stadium, worldwingfest.com
SEPTEMBER
901 Day: Exposure
City-wide celebration featuring live entertainment, giveaways, local bites, and several organizations representing the Memphis landscape of social, civic, recreational, and entertainment offerings. Wednesday, September 1, 5-6:30 p.m.
FedExForum, newmemphis.org
Delta Fair & Music Festival
Features carnival rides, fair food, live music, attractions, vendors, livestock shows, cooking contests, and more. $10. Friday, September 3-12.
Agricenter International, deltafest.com
River City Jazz & Music Festival
Features Damien Escobar, Karyn White, Con Funk Shun, Kenny Lattimore, and Julian Vaughn. $60. Sunday, September 5, 6:30 p.m.
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, thecannoncenter.com
Memphis Chevy Show (Photo: Mike Baber)
Memphis Chevy Show
The largest car show in the Mid-South region and a thrilling Pro Show featuring Larry Dixon’s Top Fuel Experience, fire-breathing Jet Funny Cars, and Open Outlaw Racing. $20. Friday-Saturday, September 10-11, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Memphis International Raceway, racemir.com
Memphis Rox Yoga Festival
Features a variety of local and regional studios and vendors, lectures, workshops, film screenings, yoga classes, live music, food trucks, and kids activities. $35-$55. Saturday, September 11, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Featuring bacon-inspired dishes from Memphis restaurants, plus an array of distilled spirits. $39. Friday, September 24, 6-9 p.m.
Metal Museum, memphisbaconandbourbon.com
Latin Fest
Kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month with a family-oriented festival featuring live Latin music, Latin food and drinks, crafts for kids, and vendors. Free. Saturday, September 25, noon-6 p.m.
Overton Square, cazateatro.org
Soulful Food Truck Festival
Featuring more than 100 vendors, 35 food trucks, game zone, and music by J. Buck, Keia Johnson, Courtney Little, DJ Zoom, and DJ Alpha Whiskey. $5. Sunday, September 26, noon-6 p.m.
Tiger Lane, cdcoevents.com
OCTOBER
Mempho Music Festival
Three days of performances, Pronto Pups, art pop-ups, and tunes. $80, $185 for three-day pass. Friday-Sunday, October 1-3.
Memphis Botanic Garden, memphofest.com
King Biscuit Blues Festival
Featuring blues legends and up-and-coming acts to preserve and promote the music of the Delta. $45, $85 for three-day pass. Thursday-Saturday, October 6-9.
Featuring the 2021 Beerfest mug, unlimited samples of beer, and local food trucks. Saturday, October 9, 1-5 p.m.
Midtown Autowerks Inc., cybeerfest.org
Harvest Festival (Photo: Courtesy of Agricenter)
Harvest Festival
Pumpkin-painting, kid’s activities, arts and crafts, hayrides, and educational stations. Saturday, October 9, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Agricenter International, agricenter.org
The Tambourine Bash
Featuring 30+ musicians performing for the benefit of Music Export Memphis. Funds go directly to the artists. $25. Thursday, October 14, 7 p.m.
Levitt Shell, musicexportmemphis.org
Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival
Highlights stories of the people, music, and history along the Mississippi River through discussion, performances, and presentations. Thursday-Saturday, October 14-16.
Various locations and online from Clarksdale, Mississippi,deltawilliamsfestival.com
Brewfest and Brunchfest
Local food trucks, live music, games, vendors, and unlimited beer samples from 40+ breweries from around the world. $45. Saturday-Sunday, October 16-17.
Liberty Bowl Stadium, facebook.com/memphisbrewfest
Indie Memphis Film Festival
Brings a range of independent features, documentaries, and short films to Memphis from all corners of the world. Wednesday, October 20-25.
Playhouse on the Square, indiememphis.org
Mushroom Festival
Camping festival dedicated to mushrooms. Features classes and demonstrations, live music, tastings, wild food forays and dinners, identification tents, guided hikes, and more. Thursday-Sunday, October 21-24.
Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, memphismushroomfest.com
Dia de los Muertos Parade and Festival
Enjoy a reverse parade where families are invited to honor ancestors and celebrate the cycle of life and death. Free. Saturday, October 23, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Memphis Brooks Museum, cazateatro.org
Vegan BBQ Cook-off & Festival
This Halloween edition will feature a cooking contest, food samples, fitness information, and costume contest, plus candy for the kids. Free-$20. Saturday, October 30, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Tiger Lane, missfitnessdiva.com
Crafts & Drafts Holiday Market
Showcases independent local artists, makers, and crafters. Enjoy shopping, family activities, and local brews. Thursday, November 11, 10 a.m.
Crosstown Concourse, memphiscraftsanddrafts.com
Whiskey Warmer
Features 40 labels of whiskey, bourbon, and Scotch, plus local food trucks, a cigar lounge, and bluegrass music. Benefiting Volunteer Memphis. $39. Friday, November 12, 6-9 p.m.
Overton Square, whiskeywarmer.com
Craft Food & Wine Festival
Celebrate culinary magic, benefiting Church Health. $65. Sunday, November 21, 3 p.m.
The Columns, craftfoodandwinefest.com
DECEMBER
Memphis Israel Festival
Enjoy all things Israel, including food, culture, market goods, and activities. Sunday, December 5.
Agricenter International, memphisfoi.org
Holiday Spirits Cocktail Festival
Sip cocktails, listen to music, and wave to the big man in red himself. Each ticket includes 12 sample-sized yuletide cocktails. Food and full-sized drinks will be available for purchase. $39. Friday, December 10, 6-9 p.m.
To fully experience Delta Axis @ Marshall Art’s current exhibition “Activation,” you had to be there opening night eating cake and looking at brutal images of war.
Creatures flayed beyond recognition were strewn across a butcher block in Rob Canfield’s savage, beautiful oil Slaughterhouse, and the figure that screamed in Canfield’s Thin Red Line looked like the old woman undone by treachery in Bronzino’s 16th-century masterwork Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time.
Jonathan Yablonski’s sleek, 21st-century image of war hung on the opposite wall. Slender lines soared skyward and narrowed at the top of a black skyscraper backdropped by a blood red sky. A human skeleton as large as the high-rise brought to mind the hordes of humanity whose toil and blood build economic and military empires.
In her mixed-media collage, Native, Leila Hamdan painted what it feels like to be hidden away, shamed, and treated like disposable property. A woman totally covered by a black burka, except for eyes that smoldered with rage and regret, shapeshifted into the thick neck, squat torso and stubby legs of a work-horse.
Conceptual artist Sanjit Sethi baked three large cakes for viewers, including one titled “Axis of Evil,” which was decorated with silhouettes of North Korea, Iraq, and Iran. We ate the cake from paper plates that were imprinted with the American flag.
Colored pencils and John Morris’ sardonic color-it-yourself print Coloring Colonialism lay on a table against the far back wall. Some viewers added a line or a touch of color to bear witness to the horror depicted. Some viewers turned away. Others, intoxicated by this show’s heady mix of celebration, patriotism, and brutality, colored the scene in ways that further debased the men and women being burned alive by Spanish Conquistadors.
The cakes have been eaten, but the provocative, brutally honest paintings and prints are still on view.
At Delta Axis @ Marhall Arts through November 3rd
Rob Canfield’s Thin Red Line at Delta Axis @ Marshall Arts
Emotional battles are fought in Memphis College of Arts’ exhibition, “Threads 11×1, Eleven Artists A Single Vision.”
We see the inner turmoil in Gwyneth Scally’s sienna-red painting Raven, in which a woman howls, tears at her flesh, and tries to crawl out of her skin as her left foot morphs into a bird of prey. We see foreboding in the stern, sad face of a little girl whose left arm is tied to a billowing black cloud in Emily Kalwaitis’ pencil and acrylic wash titled Held. Kristin Martincic’s ceramic sculptures are filled with unresolved longing. Two white legs in Waiting materialize out of an equally white wall, bend at the knees, and strain to touch the plot of real grass just beyond reach on the floor below.
Conceptual artist and writer Buzz Spector tops off these hauntingly noir works with Black Waterfall, a mixed-media sculpture in which tattered threads unravel and cascade down seven feet of black denim, bringing to mind torn curtains and pierced veils. Instead of white light, Spector and the other artists in this exhibition explore the shadows, the unresolved angers and fears, the dark clouds that gather inside and above us all.
At MCA through November 8th
Running in conjunction with this weekend’s RiverArtsFest in South Main is the “RiverArtsFest Invitational Exhibition” at Jay Etkin Gallery. Roger Cleaves’ robotic, cartoon-like characters skulk, stalk, strangle, and stab each other across every square inch of his paintings. In sharp contrast to Cleaves’ sly satire, Cynthia Thompson sculpts delicate understated paper works that tell us about the quiet, gentle wisdom of the body, and Ian Lemmonds’ images of plastic toys combined with evocative light create a tableau of possibility and joy. At Jay Etkin Gallery, October 26th-October 28th
While the RiverArtsFest is having its debut this weekend, it’s not really new. The visual and performing arts festival, hosted by the South Main Arts District, has its roots in Arts in the Park, the much-beloved annual event that was held in various locations, including Overton Park and the Memphis Botanic Garden.
Some of the early Arts in the Park organizers have come together again to work on RiverArtsFest, according to Jay Etkin, owner of Jay Etkin Gallery. Etkin, whose gallery was chosen to host the invitational exhibit for the festival, is in a unique position. A veteran of Arts in the Park as well as an established gallery owner on South Main Street, Etkin values both the artistic and the commercial sides of the festival. “The festival can share an audience with the Main Street stores and restaurants,” Etkin says. “Everyone can benefit from it. It’s syncretistic.”
For former Arts in the Park devotees who may be skeptical of the more urban atmosphere of the new RiverArtsFest, Etkin has only assurances.
“It’s very much like Arts in the Park,” says Etkin, with a grin, “only with much less grass.”
RiverArtsFest, Friday-Sunday, October 26th-October 28th, South Main Arts District. Admission is free. For more information, go to riverartsfest.org. (At Right: Painting by Roger Cleaves at jay Etkin Gallery.)
