Memphis In May

I didnt know you can rate a invent. Well it was very coil to bad that you have to know people to get a tent but the open bands were awesome. And cant wait for next year!

Final night, no cameras allowed if they have a lens cap. We could easily have worked around that if it was posted ANYWHERE online. Cut to the world’s most belligerent line checker ever. … no dude, I don’t make a habit of bringing $ 1k worth of camera body and cheap punk lens where I know it isn’t wanted, you don’t need to shout at me. While I waited for my husband to jog 15 blocks BACK to the car, I observed SEVERAL people sneaking them in, and one guy with NO press credentials bringing in a specialized Pelican case that was never even questioned!!! Totally bogus. Grumpy ass guard totally ruined the night for us.

The festival so far this week nothing happening yet, The park looks amazing it’s beautiful. From the entrance right under the train bridge, the metal wind fan sculptures fantastically super creative. The entire park is transformed into a wonderful place to visit downtown and take in all of it, glory. Boat docks and the initial part that you come into with the sitting area, and basically a lookout point to view the river. You have to see it to get the full experience. playground landscape architecture design are simply amazing! This is a place for everyone and almond viens, all national and international visitors to come and have a great time River

Well, we were lucky, the weather was sunny and the crowds were large, but well-​behaved. The music acts were exciting although we confess to getting too tired to wait for the headliners like Kid Rock. If you order the tickets online they are a steal compared to other music festivals like the Monterey Jazz or Bottle Rock in Napa, California. Lots of food and drink purveyors so no need to get hungry or thirsty. Watching a Missisippi Steamboat go by with lights on it was a real plus. Except for the blues tent, however, which had folding chairs, you either stand or sit on the ground. So bring picnic blankets or very small, collapsible stools. Most importantly, bring hand sanitizer and a small flashlight (if your phone doesn’t have that app). The numerous porta-​potties are very dark inside at night and they run out of soap, water and sanitizers. We are pretty sure that is where my husband picked up MRSA which required a hospital stay and hand surgery to get rid of the infection.

I can’t speak for the BBQ contest aspect of Memphis in May, but I have been to Beale Street Music Fest twice.
To reiterate what you probably have already read: YES, it rains every year. It is frequently canceled (I bought tickets 3 years, but it was evacuated one of the years). The tickets are always nonrefundable.
The lineup can be really good, so it’s worth trying to make it out to the concert, but heed my words! BEFORE you come to Memphis, ALREADY have a pair of rain boots and a backup plan. You will NOT be able to find rain boots within a five mile radius on the weekend of music fest. And you will not be ok just toughing it out in flip-​flops or old shoes. You will become a miserable muddy swampfoot monster, mark my word.
That said, if the show is canceled or stalled, there are plenty of fun things to do in Memphis. Just know what some of these thing are ahead of time, because Beale St bars get old hat really fast. I suggest checking out
for some cool ideas.
Also, I don’t care what your friends or The First 48 told you, Memphis is not some scary gangland shantytown, it’s a really nice city with rich culture. You can walk around as safely as you could in any other large city. So don’t pay $ 20 to park somewhere, just drive down Main St or Front St until you see reasonable street parking. It’s free– even meters are free on weekends.
Sorry for those tangents, but it felt necessary. Enjoy Memphis; be prepared for the rain!

I love BSMF. But it helps that I live within walking distance. Definitely bring your rainboots! There was so much mud this year. I bought my 3-​day pass without knowing the lineup but I don’t regret it. It’s a good time regardless of who is playing, and you can’t find a cheaper 3-​day festival.

This was my first Memphis in May experience. This review is written specifically for the Beale Street Music Festival, which is a 3 day event that kicks off on Friday. I had an awesome time and for your sake, I’ve listed some pointers I’ve learned as a noob.
1. As with many other festivals, buying tickets in advance will save you a lot of green. The downside is you don’t know what the line up will officially be.
2. Listen to your bf and pack clothes you can care less about if it gets effed up because, it will get effed up.
3a. Listen to your bf and pack rainboots because it will be muddy as hell. According to him, historically, it’s always rained during Beale Street Music Festival.
3b. No rainboots? No problem. Grocery bag your feet. People actually did it. And it was effective!
4. Ziploc bag cash and other items you don’t want getting wet
5. You’re going to get grody so get over it. There are hand sanitizers outside the portable toilets if you must. Or bring your own
6. There are plenty of food vendors. That’s one of the best things besides the music experience. Load up on cash and go on a spree. I recommend BBQ nachos, foot long corn dogs and fresh squeeze lemonade. Next time, I’m getting funnel cake. Live life with NO REGRETS. There is one vegan option… veggie burger. You can look up their vendors online though to be sure.
7. If you forgot cash, there are atms
8. There are lockers and cell-​phone charging booths.
9. Be nice and courteous. If you need to move through the crowd, don’t be a jerk about it. just say excuse me or sorry if you need to. Most ppl don’t mind.

Memphis in May has multiple components and each really deserves their own review. The full title of this celebration is the Memphis in May International Festival and every year they celebrate a different country that ends up as the theme for many of the the events. The month of May is broken down into the following events:
1) The Beale Street Music Festival kicks off the festivities with a Friday-​Sunday line up of good music, good food, and fun times. This is the main big event and they typically get a really good music line up. I really wish they would move this part of Memphis in May to the second weekend so it wouldn’t be going up against Jazz Fest in New Orleans because then I would attend a whole LOT more. I really like the festival grounds and being right next to the Mississippi River is fantastic. Four to Five Stars
2) World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest which is a contest and championship dedicated just for the pig. This could be a great event but they have so many rules that it ends up sucking ass if you’re not on a team or know somebody on a team. They really need to change the rules and do whatever they need to in order for the teams to be able to sell their BBQ to a very motivated market of festival goers. A large number of festival attendees are expecting that they can actually EAT BBQ at a BBQ fest… DUH so it ends up being a HUGE disappointment when they discover they can’t. The BBQ teams work so hard they also deserve the ability to make some profit off their work so selling BBQ would just be a win-​win for all involved. The city of Memphis could EASILY issue temporary health permits and take whatever else steps would be needed to make this happen. If they don’t do something like this soon I might have to bring the idea up to folks in professional festival city of NOLA where I live! I’m also disappointed that they only judge the pig as BBQ is so much more than just one animal and it could be so much more interesting to expand the offerings! Many of the teams do multiple types of BBQ and these fantastic pieces of meat are left with no possibility of being judged so that is a big missed opportunity! If I didn’t have friends on a BBQ team I would NEVER come to this event!
If you know somebody on a team or are on a team Three to Four stars… if you don’t know somebody One star
3) Sunset Symphony which is typically held on a Saturday. This is a pretty sedate event and is a nice thing to bring a date to. Two to Three stars
So to summarize I would mainly just go to the music festival but they do have some other fun events like a canoe race that’s really cool.

Party on ye olé Mississippi river. Reckon it’s May, gone take me riverboat down yonder for some good Tennessee barbecue and some crazy down south fun. Best git goin at nightfall.
Free drinks, free BBQ!!! 10 $ to get in!

Boy oh boy, I sure wish I’d read these reviews before I flew to Memphis for the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Competition. The official website makes it sound like you’re going to have a great time eating barbecue, and I made the mistake of believing it. The Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau site even suggest you «pig out at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Competition.» The problem is, you can only pig out on pronto pups and funnel cake. Wait, I take it back, my Corona beer was cold and delicious, washing down free samples of Oscar Meyer wieners. This was my first trip to Memphis, and I was impressed with the friendliness of the locals, all the fun venues around downtown, how easy it was to get around, and how much good food there is. So if you want a nice weekend out of town, sure, go to Memphis, but skip this event, because you’ll end up feeling really ripped off.
We mentioned this over and over to locals, and they would sympathetically say, «yeah, you have to know someone.» Some said if you go late at night when everyone is drunk, and hang around a tent, eventually someone will offer you some barbecue. Great! To have a good time, I have to make like Blanche in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, always depending on the kindness of strangers!
Here’s the kicker: it turned out that my company was one of the major sponsors of the event and they had a big tent there, but even when I identified myself as management with the company, I didn’t get invited in … so much for southern hospitality.
(Note to Neil below — Hey, I understand that you pay to participate in this, and it’s not your job — or mission — to feed the public. I bet this event is loads of fun for competitors. The griping from us tourists is because we trust what we read on the official websites, and spend our good money to come to Memphis only to feel like kids with our noses pressed up against a candy shop window. If you have to suck up to people on Facebook in advance to have fun here, just tell us! … But then a lot of us wouldn’t come, and maybe the Memphis tourism people are happier to mislead us so we’ll spend our money? Anyway, I had a nice weekend in Memphis but after this experience I won’t be coming back, so — hey! Memphis tourism guys! are you listening?)

I think this BBQ festival/​competition is such a scam. The website is sooo deceiving. The website made you feel like it was a BBQ festival where you can try all this award winning BBQ from award winning places but that is not what it really is. If you are an out of towner, don’t bother to come. I too traveled far far away thinking that I could get an opportunity to try award winning BBQ but instead, it felt like going to a carnival with no rides and only funnel cakes and corndogs to purchase to eat. I think it is just one big party for people who set up tents to «compete» in this BBQ. I loosely use the term «compete» as it appears that some teams were not even serious about queing but more serious about partying at the event. It sounds like one BIG giant party more for the locals since the majority of the teams competing are from Memphis. Also, it did not feel like it is for the public but more so for these teams to get together and for them to eat BBQ, laugh it up, and drink, while they watch the out of towners get in the massive 2 hour wait lines into a small 500 sq feet space in an auditorium setting to try at $ 5 a tasting some of the mediocre BBQ and while standing in line, hope to make it in within the 1−4pm window. Now, I know that I went during the flood times and this 2011 Memphis in May was moved to Tiger Lane but even if this was at the original location, I think it would still suck. What a waste of money to park, eat crappy food, and watch a whole bunch of people get drunk in a tent. Also, tried to get in for a tour and it was all booked up a month before and the last REAL BBQ festival I went to, it did not require me to make a big effort to «make friends» on facebook to get invited to a tent prior to a BBQ festival!!!
What a scam!!! Last I checked I didn’t know this was some popularity contest to get «invited» to a tent. Best part of the trip was skipping the festival after half a day there and going to eat at Interstate BBQ own by the Neely’s. Not the Food Network Neely’s but their cousins. Now that is REAL BBQ and now it makes sense that they didn’t compete in Memphis in May because it wasn’t a real competition for serious BBQ.

We bought tickets a month in advance and traveled from hundreds of
miles away to attend the Memphis BBQ festival. In anticipation of the
endless BBQ we hardly ate all day while driving eight hours. On the
ride we eagerly scoured the BBQ festival website on our smartphones.
When we finally arrived at dinnertime there was no BBQ available.
Volunteers at the festival were no help and couldn’t direct us where
to go. Disappointment slowly dawned on us as we realized that each and
every tent emitting the sumptuous scent of BBQ was exclusive to
private parties. In fact, some of these tents did not house a smidgen
of BBQ– it was a desolate wasteland that only offered the public fast
food and funnel cake — hardly the BBQ cornucopia that the website
depicted. after we had lost all hope we bought some dried out, fast
food BBQ that looked like it had been cooked many hours ago we found
only the side of a soaking wet fountain to sit on. We planned to
return to Memphis several days later but are now trying to restructure
our travel to avoid Memphis at all costs.

Music Fest has a lot of room for improvement, but advanced tix for $ 74 (including all charges) for three days of top notch blues, jazz, and rock entertainment can’t be beat for the price. Overlooking the Mississippi at Tomlin Square Park just adds to the enjoyment.
Do– Bring your Wellies and rain boots, it gets muddy. Like, the whole time.
–Eat beforehand. Good food like Corky’s (BBQ Nachos and pulled pork) are few and far between the fried food vendors. Oh, and Shucks corn!
–Leave your bottled water and snacks at home, they’ll confiscate
–Do your pot smoking like, very clandestinely. Saw so many people getting the cuffs. The Sheriff don’t mess here.
–Buy premium beers like Yuengling, Fat Tire, etc. for $ 5 at the Beer Tent rather than sucking down Bud Lights for $ 4.
Improvements I’d like to see:
–Fill in the damn lakes of mud overnight. Pitchfork does this in Chicago and it makes for a much better Saturday and Sunday. You’re going to do it after the Fest anyway, right???
–Leave the stairwells from Riverside Park open until everyone has left. Not just until Midnight.
–Have the Headliners start earlier. I’ve never seen a more tired crowd at a Flaming Lips concert (that started at 11pm).
–Put your Green preaching in action. Like Lollapalooza does, let volunteers in for free if they do 2 hours of can pickup. Have people walking through the crowds with a recyclables bag on their back.
Still had a great time, with room for improvement.

MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII­IIICCCCCCCCCCCCCC FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!
Ok. Now that I have that out of my system, all me to say the following:
Best music, BBQ, and time of your life. It certainly does kick off the summer, and I won’t miss it for the world.
I’ve been going for almost six years, now, and each year passes by, it only tends to get better. The music line up they having this year is stellar. So much so, that I am driving down from St. Louis to go. I previously lived in Memphis before my move there last year.
I honestly do not know where you could get better priced tickets to see as many bands as you get to. Plus they all play long sets as if you were going to band’s own personal concert. It is crowded, it usually rains, and you won’t get out of there without being muddy or drunk. One if not both of the two. That’s the beauty of Music Fest.
It is a weekend long of festivities without any down time. Good luck on your venture this year, because trust me when I say — it is going to be the best one yet!

I’m torn on the whole Memphis in May ordeal. We moved here right before this past year’s fest and were so freaking excited to partake in the festivities. That was until we found out you cannot eat the BBQ being created in the competition. You cannot even purchase it from the BBQ cook off folks. Now, I totally get why you cannot eat this unless you are in the competition or know someone in the competition. Regardless, that doesn’t mean I have to like the fact.
The problem is that Memphis in May gets so much publicity in every state. I’ve heard about it from just about everyone– including the Travel Channel and the Food Network. No one ever mentions the little tid bit on the food issue. Imagine how angry you’d be if you made travel plans to come here and enjoy the BBQ, only to find out after paying and getting your taste buds all worked up that you couldn’t have anything. Sure, Corky’s has a booth you can purchase sandwiches and such, but it just ain’t the same.
I will say that the band lineup they have at Music Fest are usually pretty awesome. We are lucky enough to live right near the river front and could hear them sound checking and playing this year from our roof deck and whenever we walked our dogs.
If you are thinking of going– my advice is to get a pair of rain boots (there’s a reason we call it «Mud Fest» in these parts) and get there early.

I started going to Memphis in May almost 20 years ago, and couldn’t wait to spend 3 rain-​soaked, mud-​filled days listening to my favorite bands at Music Fest, visiting friends’ tents at BBQ Fest, and enjoying the Memphis Symphony Orchestra at Sunset Symphony.
In the past 6 or 7 years, every event has become so incredibly crowded that it is almost impossible to move. If you’re a lifelong Memphian, you probably know to stake out your parking place a couple of weeks in advance, contact everyone in your address book to see who has a booth, and buy galoshes.
The music fest books some great talent every year with various different stages and tents. I like to check out the blues tent, as well as the two larger stages featuring the bigger acts.
BBQ Fest is actually much more fun to me, as I love roaming from tent to tent visiting with friends and trying out the awesome BBQ with delectable sauces, spices and dry rubs. I will admit that a tourist or Memphis newbie may not have nearly as much fun at BBQ Fest because it really does depend on who ya know. Tents are private, and you may be able to talk your way into one or two, but most require wristbands these days to gain entrance.
Sunset Symphony is a beautiful close to a busy, wet, fun-​filled month. It’s become my favorite of all the Memphis in May activities.

Most of the people here are talking about the BBQ festival. On a side note. I think its pretty atrocious that you pay $ 8 to get in and then barely get to taste any food. What a waste. However, my experience isn’t with that, so I’ll leave it alone.
My Memphis in May experience had to do with the Beale Street Music Festival. Basically, Memphis hardly ever gets any famous bands to come anymore. Most end up playing in Nashville instead. The Beale Street Music Festival is the only time of the year that Memphis gets a massive amount of famous bands… all at the same time.
While a lot of people go to this festival for the beer so they can cut loose and party, I go here for the music. Especially since I live in midtown, I don’t have to waste time going to other attractions at Beale Street.
Overall, the festival is pretty awesome. Food is massively expensive just like you’d think it would be. There are several huge stages. You can tell that the staff has been doing this for a while though because each stage is spaced just far enough apart so that you can’t hear music from the other. If you’re sober… its okay to be in the front for the first few bands, but when the band gets popular, either migrate to the fence and refuse to budge, or get as far back as you can. Being crammed in the middle is one of the worst experiences… especially if you haven’t had a drink or two. Also, my greatest advice is bring a good set of ear plugs and use them. I wouldn’t have been able to survive the weekend without them… especially when listening to bands like Fiver Finger Death Punch and Chevelle.
The experience was at times grueling and other times beyond awesome. But it was a weekend to remember.

I see that some people have trashed this amazing BBQ festival because teams hold private parties and won’t let them in… this is the truth, all of the teams do hold private parties and most of the time we won’t let you in, but please give me a chance to explain WHY we don’t (and CAN’T) let people in to our booths…
The reason all of us teams do not provide food to festival goers are:
1. Health codes prohibit us from distributing food and beverages to festival goers… We only can give things to our «invited guests» if we do hand food over the fence, we can be disqualified from the contest.
2. We pay for this contest out of our own pockets… even the smallest Patio Porker team is probably spending 2 grand to enter and compete… some of the bigger teams can spend over 25 – 30 thousand dollars… My teammates and I throw in $ 300 each, so yes, it is our party.
3. We cannot accept money or sell anything to the general public — We WILL BE disquallified from the contest for doing so. It is about winning to us, so please don’t ask us to ruin our chance to win.
We as teams are truly sorry that people like yourselves come every year expecting to be able to just walk in and eat whatever they want… Every year people yell at us, and I’ve even had some people become violent (I have been hit) because of the above rules. Please understand this, we plan and save our money for months to do these contests. We spend a week of our vacation time to set this up and take it down. We work very hard to compete and the parties that people are not «allowed in» are our celebrations with family and freinds…
NOW– If you do a little internet leg work you will find that in the months prior to the contest you have the ability to join many of the teams through their facebook and webpages.
If you just want to attend the festival and not be on a team then you have many options —
1. Get on Facebook and the web and make friends with some teams
2. The Peoples Choice Contest — From 2−6pm on Thursday and Friday of the contest. $ 4 gets you 5 samples of BBQ which you vote on, the winner is determined by the masses.
3. Cooker Caravan — This program is free and lets you tour team booths
Teams give you guided tours of their booths, and here’s a little secret… a few of us will invite you back for the party :-)
Neil Gallagher
Pitmaster — Too Sauced To Pork BBQ

I’ve seen some wonderful shows at Memphis in May. One lineup that was quite memorable was the Buddy Guy, Cat Power, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, and Lou Reed lineup that I saw all in one afternoon! I just wish it wouldn’t rain every year.
The BBQ fest is quite fun as well. I’ve never had any trouble getting into tents to try some BBQ, listen to music, or grab a beer. Some of the parties are invite only, but I never got sour about it.

It appears that if you don’t hail from Memphis or know someone there, the Memphis In May Barbecue Competition = FAIL.
The way it works is this: you buy an $ 8 ticket to get in. You walk by all these booths where you can smell the mouth-​watering pork barbecuing on huge smokers — hundreds of booths, all of them «invite only.» People sit in them, looking out at you, drinking beer, seemingly enjoying themselves, but you’re not allowed in.
There’s one place where the hoi polloi can try a little BBQ, and that’s the «people’s choice» tent. Unfortunately, on this day at least the people were disenfranchised — by the time we got to the tent they were all out of food. Supposedly, if you’re lucky, on the last day of the BBQ Competition the cooks who run the booths will throw the people the dregs of the BBQ, whatever’s left in the smoker. Sounds wonderful. That’s a nice $ 8 down the drain.
Memphis in May? Stay away.