Memphis Music and Heritage Festival

Loved this festival! Loved it so much it will be on the festival going once a year list for this household. The best part? It's free. No paying to park (unless you park in a garage downtown somewhere) and no hugely inflated entrance fee. There are some phenomenal bands here- jazz, blues, rock, country, rock-a-billy, hip hop- everything. Not to fret, they have it all marked out for you on their website. You can find out where everything is happening and head on over to that stage whenever your band of choice is playing.They also have some phenomenal food vendors. I'm from Chicago- and back home we have The Taste of Chicago. Being a Chicagoan, I rarely went- you tend to stay away from downtown when that is happening. What I thoroughly enjoyed about the Taste was that the vendors were all local restaurants and food establishments. It was a great way to get a "taste" of what the city had to offer. You could sample different things (for exorbitant prices) and figure out which restaurants you wanted to visit in the future and which were not worth your while. Well, Memphis does just that with this festival. There were folks from Mesquite Grill, Las Delicias, Mississippi Mud Coffee, and Bluefin to name a few. They were all not only giving out samples of their food, but also teaching folks what it takes to prepare said items. Memphis, you just gave Chicago a run for its money!They also had stages with dancers, arts & crafts, "talkers" telling stories of Memphis past and a rather large amount of things in the way of kids. What I loved most about all of this was it was located on Main Street, so we were amongst all the downtown store fronts and lined up on the cobble stoned street enjoying Memphis culture at its finest. That's just what it is. It isn't some run of the mill fair with no history or culture- rather it is a way to make Memphis history fun and new for the Memphians who choose to partake. Job well done!

September 4 and 5, 2010 - A stellar free 2-day festival featuring the Music, Dance, Food, Stories and Culture of the South, with special emphasis on Memphis' role in Southern Culture. Multiple stages of performers. Featured performers include: Bobby Rush, Kate Campbell, Sid Selvidge, Jason D. Williams + the best of Gospel, Rock-a-Billy, Bluegrass, Hip-Hop and much, much more. More info at http://southernfolklore.org

Memphis Music and Heritage Festival is an awesome (and free) 2 day event in downtown Memphis at Main Street and Peabody Place. Created by the Center for Southern Folklore, the event is on Labor Day Weekend this year, September 4-5, from 11-11 each day. You'll hear some great blues, alternative rock, country, bluegrass, soul and more from the many performers scheduled throughout the festival. There are also artists, dancers, and crafts people featured. Lots of entertainment, and something for the whole family, don't miss one of the best events in town.