Blake Billings | Dreamstime.com
Yes, summer’s coming to a close, but we don’t have to stay inside — tons of family fun awaits us this season, and cooler weather will make it all the better. Bring a lawn chair and check out an outdoor concert or gear up for rides and thrills at the fair. Get excited with our guide to Memphis’ fall festivals!
SEASONAL/ONGOING
Levitt Shell Concert Series
The Shell has put on more than 500 free, family-friendly concerts in the heart of Overton Park, giving families a chance to spread a blanket out on the grass and relax or run up to the stage with the kids to dance to an eclectic mix of music. Performers this season will include Memphis’ own Joyce Cobb and North Mississippi Allstars. The fall series runs September 6th through October 21st. Shows begin at 7 p.m. Visit levittshell.org for the full lineup.
SEPTEMBER
Delta Fair & Music Festival
Rides, lights, stuffed animals hung in bunches like giant, fuzzy bananas. Corn dogs, funnel cakes, and ice cream. What’s not to love about a fair? With live music, crafts displays, games, livestock shows, tractor pulls, and lawn mower races, this is truly everyone’s fair. Whether you’re competing, overdosing on fair food, or strolling through and taking it all in, this event promises a delightful sensory overload. Agricenter. September 1st-10th.
Germantown Festival
Not only is the Germantown Festival one of the longest, continuously run festivals in the Memphis area, it may be the only one to offer an auto show, live entertainment, and most importantly, the running of the weenies dog race. The 47th annual Germantown Festival provides a free, family-friendly weekend. 7745 Poplar Pike, Germantown. Saturday, September 8th, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, September 9th, noon-6 p.m.
Cooper-Young Festival
Featuring live music, art vendors, handcrafted goods, and food vendors on every corner, Cooper-Young Fest is Midtown’s yearly reunion. Photography prints, handmade ceramics, leather goods — it has a little of everything on offer. Festivities kick off with the Friday Four-Miler race the night before, and the main event offers food, artwork, and live music until sunset. Cooper-Young neighborhood. September 15th, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Mid-South Fair
The Mid-South Fair is a century-old tradition. It’s a candy-coated, deep-fried Southern confection, familiar and refreshing as a watermelon slice on a summer afternoon. It’s one of the few festivals that features both a horticulture show and carnival rides. And we haven’t even mentioned the historic talent contest (whose previous contestants included a young Elvis Presley) or the stunt dog show or the concerts. Landers Center, Southaven. September 20th-30th.
OCTOBER
Pink Palace Crafts Fair
October calls to mind crisp, cool mornings, perfect weather for a stroll in the park. Lucky for us, this is when the Pink Palace Crafts Fair is held at Audubon Park, where attendees can peruse handcrafted wares, enjoy live music, and explore a petting zoo. Blacksmiths and carpenters perform demonstrations, and local food vendors offer their goods. Audubon Park. October 12th-14th, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday.
Metal Museum Repair Days
The annual fund-raiser for the Metal Museum, Repair Days returns for four days of family-friendly activities, hands-on workshops, demonstrations, and, of course, metal repairs. The Metal Museum brings more than 200 metalsmiths to the bluffs to show off their handiwork and raise funds for the only ornamental metal museum in the United States. Metal Museum. October 18th-21st.
Mid-South Renaissance Faire
Want all the fun trappings of the medieval times without any of the feudalism, lack of hygiene, or that pesky Bubonic Plague? Well, for two weekends in October, you can enjoy all the intricate gowns, jousting, turkey legs, mead, and hierarchical social structures you can handle at this family-friendly festival. 4351 Babe Howard Blvd., Millington. October 13th-14th and 20th-21st.
Dia de Los Muertos
The Brooks Museum’s annual event is held to honor ancestors and celebrate the cycle of life and death. The parade will begin at the Tower Courtyard in Overton Square and wind its way to the museum, where the celebration will continue with art-making activities, face painting, music, costumed performers, and dance performances. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Saturday, October 27th.
RiverArtsFest
Growth is good, and this festival has a new home on Riverside Drive between Jefferson and Union. RiverArtsFest has grown to become the largest outdoor juried artist market and urban street festival in the Mid-South. Every year, this family-friendly festival offers local music, fine art exhibits, hands-on art activities, and live artist demonstrations. Downtown Memphis, Riverside Drive between Jefferson and Union. October 27th-28th.