Tennessee, United States — Events
Carnival Memphis
A charitable tradition since 1931, Carnival Memphis strives each year to raise as much as possible in support of causes for underprivileged children. The Carnival is filled with a round of social events, including luncheons and balls presided over by the annually elected Carnival King and Queen, and a three-mile (5km) children’s fun run.
Beale Street Zydeco Festival
Not only is the famous Beale Street in Memphis the home of Blues and rock ‘n roll, but it is also a center for devotees of Zydeco music - accordion-driven Cajun sounds. On two days each year top zydeco artists converge on the local clubs and pubs, and offer street performances and jam sessions.
Tin Pan South
America’s largest music festival dedicated to songs and songwriters is held in Nashville each year, highlighting all that is lyrical and legendary in the cultural heritage of Tennessee. Tin Pan South is named for New York’s fabled Tin Pan Alley, and features more than 70 shows at various city venues over a week, the world’s best songwriters performing close up and personal in small intimate clubs. In the past the festival has featured the likes of Art Garfunkel, Loretta Lynn and Carole King to name but a few. Besides the club shows, the week includes a songwriter’s symposium.
Country Music Marathon
Music City takes to the streets in aid of charity each year when thousands of runners descend on the city to run the Country Music Marathon (or a half marathon), vying for trophies and prizes. The runners are encouraged by the strains of more than 50 bands belting out their best from about two dozen stages set up along the marathon route. The day also includes the spectacle of a cheerleading contest and the final of a Kid’s Marathon. It all ends up with a massive evening concert featuring a top country music star, with free entry for runners.
Memphis in May
May is the month with the most celebrations in Memphis, when the city celebrates with a clutch of festivals designed not only to highlight the indigenous charms of Tennessee but also as a cultural exchange exercise, honoring a different ‘guest’ country each year. Kicking off the merry month is the Beale Street Music Festival, billed as ‘one outrageous party’ taking place over three days, with four stages on 13 hectares (33 acres) alongside the mighty Mississippi.
Fan Fair
June is the month for country music lovers to ensure they are in Nashville, particularly during the four-day Fan Fair, when the Country Music Association lines up a feast of four big concerts and numerous other events to add up to Country Music’s biggest party. What makes the CMA week so special is that the big names of country music go all out to meet the fans, happily posing for photographs and signing autographs as they wander through the event and activity venues.
Bonnaroo Music Festival
Bonnaroo is an American music festival that attracts premier artists, and which has rapidly grown into one of the country’s coolest, and most popular outdoor festivals. Each year, Bonnaroo draws up to 80,000 young hipsters looking to recreate the ‘Woodstock Experience’ to a 700-acre farm just outside Manchester, Tennessee. Not only is the setting of the festival idyllic, but year after year, mouth-watering line-ups grace the festival’s many stages, showcasing the very best in a huge array of musical genres.
Elvis Week
Memphis boasts the most famous and most visited tourist attraction in the United States, Graceland, former home of rock ‘n roll legend, Elvis Presley. Each year on the anniversary of Presley’s death hundreds of thousands of avid fans flock to Graceland for a week of scheduled events, most of them having become traditional like the Candlelight Vigil, a 1950s style dance party, and a fun run in aid of charity. Live music and singing is provided all week.
Nashville Oktoberfest
For those seeking a change from the chorus of music festivals that abound in Nashville all year round, why not check out Germantown’s version of the always-popular Oktoberfest” Filled with everything you’d expect to see in Bavaria, from authentic German food and beer, to home-baked treats, polka dancing, and grown men dressed in lederhosen, Nashville’s version of the world’s favorite beer festival is sure not to disappoint. Also on offer are free tours of Germantown’s historic churches, a free Funland for the kids to distract themselves with, and plenty of arts, crafts and antique booths.
Pink Palace Crafts Fair
A great outing for avid shoppers, the annual craft fair in aid of Memphis’ Pink Palace Museum attracts tens of thousands of visitors. The event includes a juried show and the sale of works by about 300 artists, live music and ethnic food. For more information, call (901) 320 6408.
