Memphis in May International Festival

Memphis in May International Festival

May

This month-long festival in Memphis, Tenn., focuses on a different nation's culture each year, with exhibitions, lectures, films, performing arts presentations, sporting events, and student exchange programs.
Beginning on the first weekend in May, the festival opens with the Beale Street Music Festival—Beale Street being "the birthplace of the blues." The second festival weekend features a salute to the year's honored country with special exhibits and events showcasing the music, food, art, and dance of the country. The third weekend is an international barbecue competition, dubbed the "Superbowl of Swine," and the fourth weekend is the Great Southern Food Festival, including music and storytelling.
Festival events take place at Memphis's riverfront park, museums, botanical gardens, galleries, hospitals, theaters, shopping malls, and universities. The festival ends with the Sunset Symphony playing a concert of music from the featured country and then for the finale, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, complete with live cannons and an impressive display of fireworks.

CONTACTS:
Memphis in May International Festival
88 Union Ave., Ste. 301
Memphis, TN 38103
901-525-4611; fax: 901-525-4686
www.memphisinmay.org

SOURCES:
GdUSFest-1984, p. 176