Some thirty years ago, a tradition began in Memphis that embraces the joy that is the entire month of May. If you know anything at all about the weather in West Tennessee, you can certainly understand the wisdom of choosing this particular month to get out and do what you love in Shelby county.The whole thing kicks off the first weekend in May with the Beale Street Music Festival featuring an eclectic mix of world renowned musicians and local talent lasting for three days and nights or as long as your boogie shoes hold out.
Each year, the festival honors a different country with the lofty ambition of giving kids and adults alike the opportunity to celebrate culture and traditions from another locale on our great green planet earth. Food and cultural exhibits showcase the featured country which just happens to be Turkey for 2008.The World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest will be held May 15-17 at Tom Lee Park, come rain, mud or high water. Hundreds of dedicated teams gather on the banks of the Mississippi to dress up, party and slow roast pork to compete for thousands of dollars worth of prize money, all in the name of good southern barbeque and bragging rights as a winner. Don't you DARE ask for the secret sauce recipe! You'll just get laughed right outta' town.
Feel like exercising off all that pork and brew? The official triathalon begins at Edmund Orgill Park in Millington on May 18th and consists of a 1.5K swim, 40k bike run and finishes with a 10K run. Unless the temp warms up considerably between now and then, the water will be coooooollld.The grand finale of Memphis in May is the Sunset Symphony at Tom Lee Park. Featuring the Memphis Symphony Orchestra on the banks of the river, this event is an opportunity for thousands to picnic and party with the Big Muddy as a backdrop. This year's symphony features The Four Tops as guest artists. Sunset on the Mississippi? Better than fireworks!Memphis in May International Festival
88 Union Ave., Suite 301 Memphis, TN 38103
Phone - (901) 525 4611