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Memphis In May International Festival
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Memphis in May
The Shed BBQ from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, took home top honors at Memphis in May’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest last weekend. Teams also took wins in contests away from the smokers, like Miss Piggy Idol and barbecue sauce wrestling matches (above).
SmokeSlam
Posted to Facebook by SmokeSlam
Smokemasters BBQ took SmokeSlam’s top prize during its inaugural contest. Music, fireworks, a Ferris wheel, and more entertained the crowds at Tom Lee Park, like rapper Tone Loc (above).
News You Can Use
Posted to kontji.com
Kontji Anthony wants to help you find a job. Among the many resources you’ll find at her website, kontji.com, is a massive list of Memphis-area jobs updated each week. The current list includes an airport shuttle driver, lawn care specialist, a tour guide, stylist, lots of jobs at Bass Pro and Graceland, and tons more. Let’s get to work, y’all!
May means barbecue in Memphis. It’s like something comes over this city. This year we have two whole barbecue festivals on the same weekend: Memphis in May’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest and the new SmokeSlam. (How will Memphis eat so much barbecue?) Our food writer Michael Donahue profiled two barbecue joints in his food column this week: Pollard’s Bar-B-Que and Jimbo’s Brickhouse BBQ (see page 25). He rarely ever does a double-feature, but the barbecue got to him, it pulled at him. (How did he eat so much barbecue?) And then the writers at the Flyer simultaneously started craving barbecue — like some sort of supernatural phenomenon — and all they could think about was barbecue, barbecue, barbecue. Or is it barbeque? BBQ? Bar-b-que? Our editors argued; tears were shed. Barbecue was expensed, for the sake of journalism. We had to capitalize on this madness and make a whole barbecue issue. We had no choice; we had to share what we learned. So please read about the barbecue places and dishes that have made us go mad with gluttony. Join us, won’t you?
Arnold’s Smokehouse (Photo: Bruce VanWyngarden)
Arnold’s Smokehouse
Located in the Castalia Heights neighborhood, a few blocks behind the Kellogg’s plant, Arnold’s Smokehouse is off the beaten path, but well worth the effort to find. It’s in a non-pretentious building, hard by some railroad tracks, making it clear Arnold’s isn’t about atmosphere; it’s all about the food. And the food is very good.
The owners are sister and brother Ivy and Shanon Arnold, and they have each created their own extensive menu. Ivy’s is vegan, and features creative smoked ingredients including jackfruit, cauliflower, mushrooms, grilled veggies, tomatoes, greens, pasta, gumbo, and, of course, tofu. Shanon’s menu is more traditional and meat-friendly. Both are stellar and varied, with some ambitious and unexpected offerings. But this story is about barbecue, so we went the more traditional route.
We started with the cauliflower puffs and green beans as sides, and went with the pulled pork sandwich and pulled pork fajitas as our main dishes. Everything was superb. In fact, I’d rank both the sandwich and the fajitas as among the best I’ve eaten in my 30 years here in Barbecue-Ville. Seriously delicious food, y’all.
A little logistical advice: Because of the varied menu, I suspect, our wait time was around 30 minutes after ordering. It wasn’t unpleasant. We chatted with Willie Arnold, the father of the owners, and some of the patrons and watched an episode of Martin, but next time, I’ll probably call in our order ahead of time or use DoorDash. However you do it, you’d be wise to give Arnold’s Smokehouse a try.
— Bruce VanWyngarden
2019 East Person Avenue, 901-922-5950
Payne’s BBQ Tacos at Molly’s La Casita (Photo: Chris McCoy)
Payne’s BBQ Tacos at Molly’s La Casita
Most of the other restaurants in this story are devoted to barbecue. Molly’s La Casita is not. It’s a Midtown staple, long known for its hearty Tex-Mex fare, including some of the best refried beans you will ever experience. One of the newest additions to the menus fits into the Memphis barbecue story. It’s a collaboration between two Memphis culinary institutions.
“We bought the restaurant about three years ago,” says Jessica Cornell, owner of Molly’s La Casita. “We were just ordering our pork through one of the vendors. I was like, we’re in Memphis. We have so many barbecue options that are made locally. We should try to do something with a local restaurant. Ron Payne is a regular customer. He comes in here once a week and I approached him and asked him what he thought about us using his barbecue pork for our tacos. He thought it was a great idea. So now that’s what we do. It goes in the pork tacos and our pork tamales.”
The Payne’s Pork Tacos differ from the classic pork tacos only in the protein. The dinner portion is two tacos, served with soft tortilla or crunchy shell, with a sprinkling of onion and cilantro. The shredded, slow cooked pork barbecue elevates the dish way beyond the average taco. It’s a match made on Madison Avenue, which is kind of ironic, given that Molly’s original location was on Lamar Avenue, just around the corner from Payne’s.
“Everyone loves them,” says Cornell. “We sell out of the pork all the time. Every time he [Ron Payne] comes, he has to bring us more pork.”
— Chris McCoy
2006 Madison Avenue, 901-726-1873
Eddie “Bossman” Patterson (Photo: Michael Donahue)
Bossman Pit Stop
Eddie “Bossman” Patterson’s logo is “Come Get Lost in the Sauce.” It’s on the back of the T-shirts for his Bossman Pit Stop.
And that’s easy to do. I recently tried one of Patterson’s pork barbecue sandwiches for the first time. There’s so much going on with those delectable flavors. I asked him if it had buffalo sauce in it. He says no. He uses Cattlemen’s barbecue sauce as a base and then adds his own ingredients.
A native of Tunica, Mississippi, who grew up in Memphis, Patterson tells me he learned how to barbecue from his mother and grandmother. He also learned barbecuing when he worked at the old Papa Chuck’s BBQ on Getwell Street. Papa Chuck’s later moved to the Airways location, which Patterson bought a year after the owner died.
The NBA player Antonio Burks gave him his nickname 19 years ago, Patterson says. “He said I was ‘the boss’ in barbecue. He called me ‘The Bossman.’” They both attended Booker T. Washington High School, he says.
Patterson says he barbecues every day. He goes to bed at 4 a.m, takes his grandson to school the next morning, and then at some point starts barbecuing. “I barbecue for eight hours, put it to the side, and let it do its own thing.”
The secret to good barbecue? “Cook it slow in its own juices.”
Patterson, who also does catering for businesses and events and also operates a food truck, says he eats barbecue every day. “I have to test it to make it right.”
His wife, Patricia, isn’t too happy with him not getting enough sleep, Patterson says. “She’s the ‘Bosslady.’”
— Michael Donahue
2251 Airways Boulevard, 901-743-5426
BBQ Tofu Nachos at RP Tracks (Photo: Abigail Morici)
BBQ Tofu Nachos at RP Tracks
I’ll be honest with y’all because that’s what journalism is all about: honesty. I wasn’t looking forward to this issue because I don’t eat meat; therefore, I don’t eat barbecue. So I was planning on playing hooky and just not writing anything for this cover story — not because I’m a slacker but because I’m picky (I swear I’m not just saying that to keep my job). But then I remembered that I once heard that RP Tracks had BBQ Tofu Nachos, and I eat tofu and I eat tortilla chips. Have I eaten them together? No, but, hey, I have a job to do.
So I moseyed on down to RP Tracks — which, no, isn’t a barbecue joint, I’ve been informed, but it’s a place where this non-barbecue-eater can eat some barbecue, so deal with it. To my surprise, the menu has quite a few barbecue tofu options — the nachos plus a quesadilla and a sandwich — so I had choices for barbecue which, normally, I don’t. And that was kinda nice (and they have other barbecue meat, but I don’t care about that).
I stuck with the nachos for my visit, and they did not disappoint. They came topped with cheese (good), lettuce (good), jalapenos (I didn’t eat), and sour cream (good). I got the black bean chili on the side because, like I said, I’m picky and just don’t like black bean chili, but my boyfriend does and he gave it a thumbs-up. Now, for the pièce de résistance, the barbecue tofu — the rating? Pretty dang good. Cooked just right — not chewy, not mushy, perfect, dare I say. Since I’ve never had “real” barbecue, I can’t make any comparisons, but the flavor was like barbecue chips, especially when you put it on a tortilla chip, which, duh, makes sense. (That was an embarrassingly late-in-life epiphany for me.)
All in all, with this being my first foray eating barbecue in Memphis, I’d say RP Tracks serves up a great vegetarian/vegan/pescatarian option. Try it. I did. And this picky eater liked it.
— Abigail Morici
3547 Walker Avenue, 901-327-1471
Cozy Corner (Photo: Alex Greene)
Cozy Corner
When I dine at Cozy Corner, my longtime go-to barbecue sandwich joint, I think one thing: savory. While many of the slow-cooked meats around town have flavor profiles leaning more towards a vinegary edge or a sweet edge, I feel that Cozy Corner approaches the great quality recognized by Japanese culture: umami. Yes, there is a very subtle sweetness to their sauce, balanced with an equally subtle touch of vinegar, but those are mere elements in a whole that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.
That earthy, slow-roasted whole comes through in every delectable bite of a Cozy Corner barbecue sandwich, complemented with a bit of slaw, of course. Unlike many joints offering pulled pork, the meat here is thinly sliced, but the difference in texture matters little to this diner. It’s the flavor profile that’s key. And that’s also true of Cozy Corner’s ribs.
Served (of course) with slices of the whitest of white breads, the meat on these ribs practically falls off the bone. Perhaps one key to that is the Chicago-style smoking technique they use, with the coals placed a bit further from the grill. Starting the meat on the lowest rack and then progressively moving upward increases its time in that luscious smoky environment.
Aside from their classic ribs and sandwiches, Cozy Corner is also famous for their whole Cornish hens, whole chickens, and barbecued bologna sandwiches. But it’s at Thanksgiving that they really shine: My family always pre-orders a whole smoked turkey from them that never disappoints.
— Alex Greene
735 North Parkway, 901-527-9158
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On the Queue for the Weekend
Barbecue smoke plumed blue and beautiful (and mouth-watering) over Liberty Park Wednesday and another will rise Thursday right on the river.
Two barbecue festivals do it low and slow this year in Memphis. The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (WCBCC) opened to the public Wednesday. SmokeSlam, the brand-new festival, was slated to open doors at Tom Lee Park Thursday afternoon.
The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest returns to Liberty Park. (Photo: Memphis In May via Facebook)
Everyone used to just call the WCBCC “Barbecue” or “Barbecue Fest.” Time will tell what shorthand or nickname will arise with two contests in town at the same time.
One thing is the same, though. Memphis in May has attracted some of the biggest, most-winning teams in barbecue. The roster shows Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q competing in shoulder. Barbecue celebrity Myron Mixon’s Jack’s Old South team will compete in whole hog. Sweet Swine O’ Mine is back cooking shoulder.
In all, Memphis in May boasts about 130 teams from 22 states and five foreign countries. All of them compete in the traditional categories of ribs, shoulder, and hog, as well as hot wings, sauce, and “Anything But Pork.” Winners will take home a share of $150,000 in prize money.
Down on the river, SmokeSlam’s three-day event promises a “fan-first” experience. This means barbecue, of course, but also fans can shop the National Barbecue & Grilling Association (NBBQA) BBQ Bazaar, a central marketplace with a wide array of products from celebrity chefs and other curated goods. The marketplace will also feature live demos from big-name pitmasters like Carey Bringle, Thyron Mathews, Ray Sheehan, Melissa Cookston, and more.
Other high-profile pitmasters will show their stuff at the B&B Charcoal: Live Fire Extravaganza. This will feature demos and live-fire samples from pros like Al Frugoni (Open Fire Cooking), Derek Wolf (Over the Fire Cooking), and others.
The biggest buzz around SmokeSlam in Memphis has been the music lineup. It includes Tone Loc, Young MC, War, The Bar-Kays, and St. Paul and the Broken Bones. Every night ends with a fireworks show.
SmokeSlam attracted some heavy-hitting teams, too: 10 Bones BBQ from Nesbit, Memphis-loved caterers Hog Wild BBQ, and Nashville’s barbecue-famous Peg Leg Porkers. In all, nearly 60 teams will compete. They’re mostly from the Memphis region but the contest pulled in teams from South Carolina, Wisconsin, Arizona, and elsewhere.
SmokeSlam boasts the biggest purse in barbecue competition history. Teams will share $250,000 in prize money.
— Toby Sells
World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, Liberty Park, Wednesday-Saturday, May 15-May 18, $15.00-$549, memphisinmay.org
SmokeSlam, Tom Lee Park, Thursday-Saturday, May 16-May 18, $15.13-$544.74, smokeslam.com
The new, three-day barbecue festival slated for May at Tom Lee Park will be called “SmokeSlam” and will come with the biggest purse in pork barbecue competition history, organizers said.
Forward Momentum, the group behind the new festival, announced the details Thursday afternoon. The event will take place May 16-18, basically the same dates now scheduled for Memphis In May’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest at Liberty Park.
The SmokeSlam purse is $250,000. To judge it, Forward Momentum partnered with the Memphis BBQ Network (MBN), and the event will be sanctioned by that group. Teams can compete in whole hog, ribs, and pulled pork with prizes awarded across five places per category, totaling $150,000 in prize money.
The competition will feature seven other categories: dessert, bacon, duck, poultry, beef, seafood, and wings. The top-five placing teams across all those categories will share a total prize of $40,000. Competition in these categories is sanctioned by the World Food Championship. Each winner in these categories will get a golden ticket to the World Food Championship.
The grand prize in the MBN Pork competition will be $50,000 for the winning team. Small prizes to the value of $10,000 will also be awarded.
The festival will include a carnival with a Ferris wheel, a carousel, and games; a central marketplace, which will be a partnership with local businesses where fans will be able to buy merchandise and other goods; and an interactive element where fans will be able to sample food and participate in fun food-related events. The festival will also feature live music on all three nights.
“Our event is called a festival because we aim to attract barbecue fans, but also families, music lovers, and young people from Memphis and beyond,” says Mike Smith from Forward Momentum.
Applications for the event will open online next week. Space will be limited to “ensure the quality of competition and the best use of the venue space for a high-quality fan experience,” the organizers said. A SmokeSlam steering committee will make the final selection of teams.
Team booths will be available on the river in Tom Lee Park and on Riverside Drive. The cost will range from $2,000 for a basic space to $3,500 for a larger booth.
SmokeSlam’s tagline is “The World’s Ultimate BBQ Showdown.” For steering committee member Melzie Wilson, it ”perfectly captures the essence of barbecue and the intensity of competition, which is what this event is all about.”
“I have no doubt it will attract Memphians from all walks of life and visitors from all parts of the U.S. to Downtown Memphis.”
There is about to come a true reckoning for Memphis, and for the two organizations — the Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) and Memphis in May (MIM) — who’ve been wrangling for years over the fate of the 30 acres of land along Memphis’ Mississippi waterfront that comprise Tom Lee Park.
MIM, the ever-whinging predictors of doom for their annual events because of the new park’s facilities and landscaping, and MRPP, the ever-optimistic promoters of a “world-class reimagined riverfront,” will soon see their competing visions encounter a real-world test.
From May 5th through May 7th, the Beale Street Music Festival will return to the still-uncompleted but thoroughly reconfigured terrain along the river. Tens of thousands of music fans will stream into the park searching for music, which for the first time ever will not involve merely wandering around in a big field and stopping when you see a band on a stage.
According to MRPP, the new Tom Lee Park is 80-percent completed. There are new trees, sodding, bushes, and grasses, plus landscaped ridges, moguls, and walkways and partly completed shelters and playgrounds, plus natural spaces and trails, including a “riffle area.” In other words, music fans are going to have to walk around the plantings and landscaping and new construction — or on it and over it.
In the past, after Music Fest, with its seemingly inevitable rainy day or two, the park was almost always a disaster area — a muddy, gross morass littered with discarded tennis shoes, boots, clothing, food and drink detritus, and dozens of ever-aromatic porta-potties. How will it go this year?
I don’t know, but I’m trying to imagine, say, Keith and Travis, two young music fans from Jonesboro, a little stoned, a lot drunk, meandering through the park. Then let’s say they hear the raucous sounds of Low Cut Connie in the distance and head in the direction of the music. It’s dark, and Keith stumbles in some monkey grass, drops his beer cup, falls to his knees, then climbs up on a mogul of earth to get a better view. Travis, who is a more sensitive type, says, “Dude, you probably shouldn’t be up there. You’re trampling the liriope.”
Multiply this action over three days and 30,000 people, plus a probable rainy day or two, and you’re reimagining some serious damage repair. Or at least, one would think so.
Then two weeks later, the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest settles in for four days of nonstop partying and carousing, including the building of often-massive ramshackle temporary shelters for teams to boogie the days and nights away while tending their world-class smokers. Lumber gets hauled in; muddy pathways form between team shelters and sites. Booze gets drunk, trash gets thrown, pigs get smoked, and a good time is had by all. Except the clean-up crews.
Memphis in May has complained that it hasn’t been given enough acreage to carry out its events in the new park. MRPP responded with a document clearly showing that it has in fact provided more space than MIM asked for. Even so, MIM has disinvited 35 barbecue teams to this year’s contest, claiming a lack of space. In addition, the Blues Tent is being moved to Beale Street, also because MIM says the new park configuration isn’t big enough for it. So it goes. If you get what you ask for, it’s difficult to justify the complaints.
But enough theory, enough predicting, enough sniping. Events are in the saddle now, and we’ll soon know for sure whether MIM can succeed — financially and otherwise — in the new park.
And we’ll also soon know how much MIM events will damage the area and its new landscaping. One assumes that both sides will learn a lot from 2023, and that both sides may have to make adjustments for future Memphis in Mays.
The good news is that, after much wrangling, the contract between MRPP and MIM has been signed, with the city agreeing to pay for any repair damages above $500,000. That’s an open checkbook for taxpayers, with the amount to be determined, one would assume, after the last barbecue smoker trailer leaves the grounds. It’s also another reality check, literally, and another learning opportunity.
Call me Pollyanna, but I think that after all the smoke clears this May, both organizations, and the city, will know more about how to create a win-win for Memphis: namely, a great annual festival held in a world-class river park that also serves the populace year-round. That’s the reality we should all be hoping for.
It has been division for amateur barbecue teams for years, offering smaller sites and lower costs for teams during the Memphis In May (MIM) World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
Patio Porkers was cut in 2021 when the contest temporarily moved to Liberty Park. The division came back, though, during last year’s contest.
MIM made no announcement that the Patio Porkers division had been cut. But a Friday statement from the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) characterized the division as “formerly part” of the MIM barbecue contest.
This year’s inaugural Patio Porkers on Beale event will be organized by the DMC and Beale Street Management. The event will bring 30 teams to Handy Park on Saturday, May 20th for a single-day, ribs-only competition.
“We can’t wait to welcome 30 of the best backyard barbecue teams to world-famous Beale for the ultimate amateur title,” said DMC president Paul Young. “Bringing the Patio Porkers competition to Beale just feels right.”
The competition is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society competition. The winning team will take home $1,000 in prize money, a trophy, and bragging rights.
The contest will be free and open to the public. But — as any MIM barbecue vet will tell you — that doesn’t mean it’s free to eat. Teams usually cook for themselves, their friends, and judges and are not obligated to share any food with the public.
However, the DMC noted that Beale Street has 10 restaurants that all serve barbecue. They include:
Alfred’s on Beale
BB King’s Blues Club
Blues City Cafe
Jerry Lee Lewis Cafe & Honky Tonk
Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar & Grill
King’s Palace Cafe
The Pig on Beale
Rum Boogie Cafe
Silky O’Sullivan’s
Tin Roof
Applications for teams are now available with a deadline of April 3rd. Click here for more details.
A Facebook group, called Memphis Formula, was organized this weekend to help families find baby formula during the shortage. This is the MEMernet at its best.
Grizz
The Memphis Grizzlies’ season ended Sunday with a Game 6 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the semi-conference finals. NBA on ESPN summed it up nicely with this tweet: “What a season for the Grizzlies. The future is bright in Memphis.”
Barbecue
Posted to Instagram by @tom.rainey.
Last week, the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest brought thousands of people from 212 teams, tons of charcoal, piles of pork (and more), plumes of smoke, a heaping helping of good times, and dozens of locals complaining about the fireworks on Nextdoor.
Little Willie Farmer plays at the Juke Joint Festival. (Photo: Courtesy Juke Joint Festival)
For the past two years or so, our calendars have been a bit bare. But things are looking up as Memphis is going full-throttle with events once again. With food, fashion, art, music, and more, it’s time to celebrate the return of the fair and festival season!
APRIL
Bluff City Blues Crawfish Festival
Where crawfish are red and the music is blues, this festival is perfect for a rendezvous. Benefiting A Betor Way, the festival will have arts and crafts vendors, food, and music by Memphissippi Sounds, Mick Kolassa and the Endless Blues Band, the Eric Hughes Band, and more.
Carolina Watershed, April 16, tinyurl.com/bluffcityblues
Farm to Tap Festival
As part of an initiative to have more Tennessee brewers use more local farm products, the festival will showcase more than 20 guild member breweries, with tickets including unlimited samples, tasting cups, and great times with farmers, food trucks, vendors, and more.
Wiseacre Brewing, April 16, farmtotap.org
Shelby Forest Spring Fest
Shelby Forest Spring Fest is going to be a hoot — at least that’s what the owl there tells me. With live music, shopping, kids zone, food trucks, and wildlife exhibits and lectures throughout the day, you won’t want to miss out.
Shelby Farms, April 16, shelbyforestspringfest.com
Africa in April
Saluting the Republic of Malawi for its 35th festival, the family-friendly Africa in April event will be filled with live performances, food and merchandise vendors, and the International Diversity Parade.
Robert R. Church Park, April 20-24, africainapril.org
Double Decker Festival Oxford
In 1994, Oxford, Mississippi, made the bold decision to import a double-decker bus from England. A momentous occasion for the history books if you ask the Double Decker Festival, which speaks to the momentous-ness, with 100+ art and 20+ local food vendors, an impressive slew of musical performances, art demonstrations, and a Best Dressed Pet Contest.
Oxford Courthouse Square, April 22-23, doubledeckerfestival.com
Sashay! Memphis Fashion Week walks the runway. (Photo: Courtesy Sierra Hotel Images)
Memphis Fashion Week
Walk, walk, fashion, baby. You’re gonna want to work Memphis Fashion Week into your schedule. The live runway show will feature emerging designers and a special headlining designer guest, Amanda Uprichard.
Arrow Creative, April 22, memphisfashionweek.org
Juke Joint Festival
The Juke Joint Festival celebrates the Delta’s past and living history. Kicking off at 10 a.m., the day will include blues music, racing pigs, arts and crafts, food, and a dozen free outdoor stages of blues and roots music.
Clarksdale, MS, April 23, jukejointfestival.com
Taste the Rarity: Invitational Beer Festival
The best and weirdest beers from breweries all over the country are coming to Memphis to celebrate the seventh Taste the Rarity with unlimited drinking, plus live music, food trucks, and other nonsense.
Wiseacre Brewing, April 23, tastetherarity.com
Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival has crawfish galore. (Photo: Courtesy Porter-Leath)
Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival
Too few occasions present themselves when you can bob for crawfish, race crawfish, and eat crawfish, but you’ll have the chance at Porter-Leath’s festival.
Downtown Memphis, April 24, porterleath.org/rajun-cajun-home
Art in the Loop (Photo: Courtesy Greg Belz)
Art in the Loop
Some of the region’s most talented artists will set up shop at this festival celebrating the arts, where you can also enjoy live music and food trucks.
Ridgeway Loop Road, April 29-May 1, artintheloop.org
Storyfest
Forty Memphians, ranging in ages from 9 to 93, will share their stories through live performances at the Halloran Centre. Engagement activities and community reflections will follow at the free fest.
Halloran Centre, April 29-30, orpheum-memphis.com/event/storyfest
May Day Festival and Memphis Children’s Theatre Festival
Theatre Memphis celebrates a century of entertaining with live entertainment, an array of artists’ and artisans’ booths, food trucks, and more. On the same day, Theatre Memphis will host the Children’s Theatre Festival as a pay-what-you-can event.
Theatre Memphis, April 30, theatrememphis.org
MAY
Beale Street Music Festival
Megan Thee Stallion, Weezer, Van Morrison, Lil Wayne, and many more (60+ artists) are coming for the city’s legendary springtime music festival.
Fairgrounds in Liberty Park, April 29-May 1, memphisinmay.org/BSMF
Memphis in May International Festival
For the month of May, this annual festival brings the world to Memphis and Memphis to the world, and this year, it is saluting Ghana through cultural events and performances, museum and gallery exhibits, films, luncheons, and a gala.
Various locations, May 1-31, memphisinmay.org
Bookstock: Memphis Area Authors’ Festival
You’re gonna want to book it to Memphis Public Libraries for this festival of author talks, activities for teens and children, and 60 local authors’ exhibits.
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, May 7, memphislibrary.org/bookstock
World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
When May rolls in, Memphis knows that’s the cue to start getting our tummies ready for what USAToday calls the “Most Prestigious Barbecue Contest.” For four days, the best of the best barbecue buffs will compete in such categories as Ribs, Shoulder, and Whole Hog, as well as Hot Wings, Sauce, and “Anything But Pork.”
Fairgrounds in Liberty Park, May 11-14, memphisinmay.org/WCBCCtickets
Bluff City Fair
This fair isn’t bluffing when it comes to fun and excitement. You’ll be entertained with a majestic thrill show, rides galore, fair food, and an all-day petting zoo.
Liberty Bowl Stadium, May 20-30, bluffcityfair.com
DreamFest Weekend
A dream is a wish your heart makes, but this festival is doing more than just wishing for its dream of unity, collaboration, and community. For this three-day event, an impressive array of artists will come together to promote Memphis music and artist collaboration.
Overton Park Shell, May 20-22, dreamfestweekend.com
Memphis Greek Festival
Cue the groans from children as parents inevitably evoke the phrase “It’s all Greek to me” at this family-friendly festival with scrumptious Greek food, tours of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, live music, artisan booths, and activities for kids.
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, May 20-21, memphisgreekfestival.com
Beale Street Artcrawl Festival
Before the barcrawlers creep onto the street we call Beale, artcrawlers can go amuck at this pop-up market of art and merchandise.
Beale Street, May 21, bealestreetartcrawlfestival.com
Memphis Mushroom Festival
All fungi, fungals, and funpals are invited to this five-day, four-night camping festival that celebrates the foods and fungi grown in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. With speakers, workshops, forays through the forest, yoga, dancing, cooking classes, and tastings — let’s just say this festival covers a lot of ground.
Shelby Forest Park, May 26-30, memphismushroomfest.com
JUNE
Memphis Italian Festival
Is it sauce or gravy? Well, the folks at this fest have taken a side, seeing that the festival boasts a Spaghetti Gravy Contest. In addition to their food-related competitions, the event will have live music, along with art vendors and, of course, tons of great food.
Marquette Park, June 2-4, memphisitalianfestival.org
Memphis Pride Fest Weekend
Spanning four days, the celebration includes a Drag N Drive, dance party, parade, and full festival with two stages, more than 150 vendors, food trucks, and so much more.
Various locations, June 2-5, midsouthpride.org/pridefest
Memphis Margarita Festival
Sometimes all life gives you is limes, and all you can do is make margaritas. Thankfully, the city’s best margarita-makers are ready to inspire you at this festival where you can sample margaritas from your favorite restaurants alongside awesome entertainment.
Overton Square, June 4, memphismargaritafestival.com
Craft Food & Wine Festival
Showcasing scrumptious, locally-produced breads, cheeses, fruit preserves, cured meats, and more, this event will raise funds for Church Health.
The Columns, June 5, craftfoodandwinefest.com
MidSouth Nostalgia Festival
Veteran actors from your favorite classic movies and TV shows — from the likes of Leave It To Beaver and Laramie — are appearing in person to talk about their careers and give out autographs at this fest.
Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center, Olive Branch, MS, June 9-11, midsouthnostalgiafestival.com
Memphis Vegan Festival
If you’re living on the veg, you’ll want to check out this day full of vegan food, live entertainment, and a marketplace featuring local businesses, plant-based health and beauty products, and clothing.
Pipkin Building,, June 18, facebook.com/901veganfestival
Tri-State Black Pride Weekend
Tri-State Black Pride presents workshops, lectures, a drag show, stand-up comedy, and a Sunday Funday of live music.
Various locations, June 16-19, tristateblackpride.com
Bluff City Balloon Jamboree
Scheduled for Father’s Day weekend, the Bluff City Balloon Jamboree will delight its attendees with hot air balloon rides, a balloon glow event, carnival attractions, arts and crafts, and live music.
Shelby Farms Park, June 17-19, bluffcityballoonjamboree.com
With Juneteenth being declared a federal holiday in the U.S. last year, the 29th Annual Memphis Juneteenth Festival promises to celebrate African-American culture, food, entertainment, and the overall significance of the holiday. Along with food, music, and entertainment, festival-goers can look forward to the annual Juneteenth Career and Health Fair Expo, the Memphis Juneteenth Lifetime Achievement Awards, the Juneteenth Ultimate Dance Showdown, Food Truck Sunday, and Praise Fest at Juneteenth.
Health Sciences Park, June 18-19, juneteenthfreedommemphis.com
Mid-South Air Show
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s … yeah, it’s a plane. While Superman might not be in the sky for the Mid-South Airshow, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels are just as impressive, featuring military demonstrations, aerobatic performances, static display aircraft, and local emergency response helicopters.
Millington-Memphis Airport, June 18-19, midsouthairshow.com
Memphis Crafts & Drafts
Shopping is exercise. Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. So if you don’t want summertime happiness to be smothered by rising temperatures, you’ll want to head over to this market of local makers and artists. It’s called the transitive property, right?
Crosstown Concourse Plaza and Atrium, June 25, memphiscraftsanddrafts.com
July
Summer Cocktail Festival
Shake it up a bit this July with this epic dance party with summer-inspired cocktails, fresh local food, photobooth ops, and fun activities.
Overton Square, July 29, memphisfestivals.com/summercocktailfestival
AUGUST
Memphis Chicken & Beer Fest
If, like the Zac Brown Band, you appreciate your chicken fried, a cold beer on a Saturday night, a pair of jeans that fit just right, and the radio up, you’ll appreciate the Memphis Chicken & Beer Fest where you can get all that — except the jeans. With live music, interactive games, a bungee run, and more, tickets include more than 90 beverage samples, and a portion will benefit the Dorothy Day House.
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, August 6, memphischickenandbeer.com
Elvis Week 2022
This August marks the 45th anniversary of Elvis’ death and the 44th anniversary of the first Elvis Week. What began as a small group of fans gathering at Graceland’s gates has turned into the multi-day phenomenon we know today. Highlights from the week include personal tours of Graceland led by Priscilla Presley and Jerry Schilling, the Candlelight Vigil, the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, and nightly parties.
Graceland, August 9-17, graceland.com/elvis-week
SEPTEMBER
Delta Fair & Music Festival
Carnival rides, live music, attractions, livestock shows, oh boy, there’s so much going on every day at the Delta Fair.
Agricenter International, September 2-11, deltafest.com
Germantown Festival
This festival is one of the few places in town where you’re guaranteed to see a weenie and say, “Aww, look how cute.” In addition to its Running of the Weenies race, this festival of arts has children’s activities, rides and games, entertainment, a car exhibit, community displays, and more.
Germantown Civic Club Complex, September 10-11, germantownfest.com
Cooper-Young Festival
There’s no need to stay cooped up in your house when you can join in on the fun at the Cooper-Young Festival, where art, music, and crafts come together to celebrate Memphis’ culture and heritage.
Cooper-Young, September 17, cooperyoungfestival.com
Gonerfest 19
Music enthusiasts won’t be able to resist Goner Records’ siren call, and yes, somehow, this siren call reaches all the way to Australia. Be on the lookout for the lineup.
Railgarten, September 22-25, goner-records.com/pages/gonerfest
Mid-South Fair
At this must-do event since 1856, fair-goers can enjoy more than 50 rides, an array of ground acts, and of course favorite fair fare — funnel cakes, turkey legs, candied apples; you name it, they’ve perfected it.
Landers Center, September 22-October 2, landerscenter.com/mid-south-fair
Mighty Roots Music
Whatta fest, whatta fest, whatta mighty good fest. Mhhm, this event is back for year two, taking place at the same spot the famous blues singer-songwriter Muddy Waters began his love of blues music. The lineup will be announced April 11th, so keep an eye out.
Stovall, MS, September 23-24, mightrootsmusicfestival.com
Latin Fest
We may not be talking about Bruno once September rolls around, but we should be talking about Latinx representation year-round. Though this fest takes place for just a day, it captures that spirit of appreciation with live Latin music, Latin food and drinks, crafts, and fun for everyone.
Overton Square, Saturday, September 24, overtonsquare.com
Pink Palace Crafts Fair
The Pink Palace Crafts Fair is back to celebrate its Big 5-O with 150 artists from around the country, ready for you to explore their works.
Museum of Science & History, September 24-26, moshmemphis.com
Mempho Music Festival
Mempho never disappoints, and you know it. Three days of music’s biggest names playing amid the natural beauty of Memphis Botanic Garden. The lineup will be released next week and tickets are already selling fast.
Radians Amphitheater at Memphis Botanic Garden, September 30-October 2, memphofest.com
OCTOBER
King Biscuit Blues Festival
Founded in 1986, this fest celebrates blues music with the highest regard across five stages; plus you’ll see a variety of buskers. Of course the three-day event wouldn’t be complete without the Flour Power 5K, the Tour da Delta bicycle race, and a Kansas City-sanctioned barbecue contest, all in historic Downtown Helena.
Helena, AR, October 5-8, kingbiscuitfestival.com
Memphis Bacon & Bourbon Festival
You might ask, what’s shakin’ over at this festival? Well, bacon, that’s what’s shaking — bacon and bacon-inspired dishes to sample. Oh, and bourbon, lots of bourbon.
Metal Museum, October 7, memphisbaconandbourbon.com
Edge Motorfest
Start your engines and gear up for this day of more than 150 cars, food trucks, vendor booths, and more in the Edge District. Trust us when we say, this’ll be more than a pit stop in your weekend activities.
Edge Motor Museum, October 8, edgemotormuseum.com
Soulsville USA Festival
We all know Memphis wouldn’t be Memphis without its roots in soul music, and this festival aims to remind us of that fact. In addition to educational and interactive activities, the festival will include live music, food trucks, vendors, games for kids, and free admission to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.
Soulsville USA District, October 14-16, soulsvilleusafestival.com
Memphis Food & Wine Festival
Benefiting FedExFamilyHouse, the Memphis Food & Wine Festival, which showcases local chefs alongside acclaimed national chefs and top global vineyards, will leave your tummy so full and happy that you’ll miss the festival dearly until its return.
Memphis Botanic Garden, October 15, memphisfoodwinefestival.org
Indie Memphis Film Festival
If you’re a bit more introverted, a lot of the events on this list will probably leave you needing a day to recover from the social exhaustion. And while it’s worth it in exchange for all the fun you’ll have, what if I told you there was a festival where you can have fun while being your introverted self? Yep, at this one, you get to be a semi-couch potato and watch indie film after indie film to your heart’s content while in the company of your fellow movie-lovers. Plus, enjoy behind-the-scenes panels and discussions.
Midtown, October 19-24, indiememphis.org
World Championship Hot Wing Fest
A championship that is everything we wish it to be — dare I say, it’s the wind beneath our wings, there to bestow the glory upon the best chicken wings, content to let the winners shine and the festival-goers sample the fare, all the while supporting The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis.
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, October 22, worldwingfest.com
RiverArtsFest
The largest juried artist market and urban festival in the Mid-South, the RiverArtsFest brings more than 180 artists from around the country to 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, riverartsmemphis.org
Dia de Los Muertos Parade and Festival celebrates the Day of the Dead. (Photo: Angel Ortez)
Dia de Los Muertos Parade and Festival
If you think Dia de Los Muertos is Mexico’s version of Halloween, you’re dead wrong. The Brooks Museum and Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre will show you what the day is all about: honoring ancestors and celebrating the cycle of life and death. A parade begins 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, and more.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, October 29, brooksmuseum.com
New Wing Order started out as a group of friends who love hot wing festivals. In less than a decade, they’ve catapulted themselves into the wing scene, sweeping competitions, running one of the city’s most popular food trucks, and launching a successful catering business.
And it’s not all about the wings: New Wing Order also has some of the best nachos around (both the fried chicken barbecue nachos and the hot wing nachos are creative and delicious) and a vegan avocado taco that puts other tacos to shame.
Partners Cole Forrest and Jesse McDonald have even more planned for New Wing Order in the year ahead.
Photos Courtesy New Wing Order
“We’ve been competing since 2012,” says Forrest. “We started the team in 2012, and [Jesse McDonald] definitely put a lot of work into developing the recipes. Then 2015 is when we won our first grand championship. And every year since, it’s been first place, third, first, second, second, and some other grand championships here and there.”
New Wing Order has won multiple awards, including first place in the Southern Hot Wing Festival, The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (exotic category), and the Bluff City Wing Contest.
“I don’t really have a culinary background,” says McDonald. “I don’t call myself a chef, but it’s my passion, and I’m self-taught.
“I started out in the logistics world,” he continues. “I was at FedEx Ground for a long time as a manager there. I liked it and was good at it, but it didn’t satisfy me.” After gaining some experience in the restaurant world while living in Nashville, McDonald knew he was ready to go out on his own.
“I kind of knew I wanted to start a business. Everyone kept telling me to start a food truck,” he says. “I’m from Memphis, so I decided to move back home and start it here.
“At the time, the competitions were going so well with [New Wing Order] and I was kind of bouncing around different concepts, and everything was pointing to ‘Hey, we’re successful as a competition team, let’s turn this into a business.’ So I came home, and that’s what we did.”
New Wing Order recently underwent a flavor update and launched a batch of new sauces — like Spicy Garlic and Mo-Rockin’ — at Wiseacre in mid-January. In total, the menu now includes 24 sauces, including many with Memphis names, like Grind City Gold, Mud Island Jerk, and Midtown Masala. They’ve also introduced two new premium fry options — Nikki’s Hot Fries and lemon pepper fries — and two new seasonings, Riverside Ranch and Caribbean Heat.
But New Wing Order is primarily known for their Memphis Buffalo sauce —which they’ve dubbed the “perfect blend of traditional New York heat and Memphis barbecue sweet” — and you can now buy bottles of it straight from the truck.
“The Memphis Buffalo sauce is a me-and-Cole collaboration,” McDonald says. “Once we figured out the flavor profile, we knew it could be a winner. So literally every weekend, I’d make a batch and do a little tweak, and then he’d make a batch and do a little tweak, and we just went back and forth until we perfected it. And it won us some awards, so we kept going with it.”
New Wing Order has also ramped up its catering activities and is looking forward to a busy Super Bowl season. “We updated our catering menu for the Super Bowl, so it has picked up. It’s a big day for us, for sure,” says McDonald.
Big Bob Gibson’s took home the World Championship prize for a record fifth time.
Patio Porkers: (1) Bad Pig BBQ, Bartlett, TN; (2) It’s About Time, Memphis, TN; (3) 4UWEQUE, Memphis, TN; (4) Smokin’ Spiders, Memphis, TN
Whole Hog:
(1) Yazoo’s Delta Q, Hernando, MS
(2) Mac’s Smoke Shop, Charlotte, NC
(3) Southern Hoggers BBQ Company, Germantown, TN
(4) Will-Be-Que BBQ Team, Cordova, TN
(5) Salty Rinse BBQ, New York City, NY
(6) 3 Taxi Guys, Pittsburgh, PA
(7) The Shed BBQ, Ocean Springs, MS
(8) Jack’s Old South, Unadilla, GA
(9) Grilla Grills, Cunningham, KY
(10) Whole Hog Café, Heber Springs, AR
Shoulder:
(1) Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, Decatur, AL
(2) Red Hot Smokers, Olive Branch, MS
(3) Cool Smoke, Richmond, VA
(4) Pork Illustrated, Memphis, TN
(5) Moe Cason Barbecue, Des Moines, IA
(6) Pork Me Baby, Southaven, MS
(7) The Pork University, Memphis, TN
(8) Delta Porkers, Marion, AR
(9) Sweet Swine O’ Mine, Olive Branch, MS
(10) Victory Lane BBQ, Olive Branch, MS
Rib:
(1) 10 Bones BBQ, Olive Branch, MS
(2) 901Q, Arlington, TN
(3) Emily’s Tennessee Prime, Chicago, IL
(4) Dirk Piggler’s Porkographic BBQ, Memphis, TN
(5) Blues Hog, Washington, MO
(6) Pitmaker- BBQ Addiction, Humble, TX
(7) Rowdy Southern Swine, Oxford, MS
(8) Meat Mitch, Mission Hills, KS
(9) Fat Side Up, Collierville, TN
(10) Slabs A’ Smokin’, Memphis, TN
Kingsford Tour of Champions:
(1) The Shed, Ocean Springs, MS; (2) Too Sauced to Pork, Grand Island, NY; (3) Blue Collar Smokers, Olive Branch, MS; (4) The Other Team, Olive Branch, MS
Poultry: (1) Smokin’ with an Attitude, Rossville, TN; (2) Greaseland Porkers, Arlington, TN; (3) Bryce Boar Blazers, Memphis, TN
Seafood: (1) Uncle Murle’s BBQ Team, Cordova, TN; (2) Fat Side Up, Collierville, TN; (3) Smoking Yotes, Memphis, TN
Exotic: (1) Swinos, Memphis, TN; Sweet Brown Smokers, Memphis, TN; Ribdiculous Bar-B-Krewe, Astonia, NY
Photos Courtesy New Wing Order 
