Beale Street Music Festival Reveals Rescheduled Dates

Memphis’ Beale Street Music Festival has been pushed to the fall amid coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns.

Last week, organizers announced that the May event, which was set to take place from May 1 to 3 in Tom Lee Park, would have to be rescheduled. Now, the festival will run from October 16 to 18, and organizers said 42 of the 65 original artists will still be able to perform at the fall event. At this time, they are still working to confirm the rest of the lineup.

This is the first time that Memphis In May will become Memphis in October.

“For forty-four years, Memphis in May has been a revenue generator for the City of Memphis, particularly through the business it brings to our tourism industry’s key segments of lodging and hospitality,” Memphis in May President and CEO James L. Holt said in a statement. “With the difficult times those businesses are facing now, we felt it was more important than ever that we do our part to help revitalize the local economy. The Memphis in May events are a source of civic pride and unity for Memphis and the Mid-South, and this fall will certainly be the time for our community to come together.”

Ticketholders can either use their tickets for the fall event, defer their tickets until the 2021 edition of the festival (scheduled for April 30 to May 2, 2021), make their ticket a tax deductible contribution to Memphis In May to provide books for local schools, or request a refund. These options will be available beginning April 1.

In addition to the music festival, other Memphis In May events have been rescheduled, including the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which will take place September 30 through October 3. While the Great American River Run will also take place in the fall, rescheduled dates have not been revealed at this time.