Nobody in Memphis is ready to call it fall yet. It is still ninety degrees at four in the afternoon, the Grizzlies have not tipped off, and the only thing turning is the Ferris wheel going up out on Walnut Grove. Good news: fair season starts well before the weather does. Over the next eight weeks the Memphis fall festival calendar hands over whole streets to funnel cake, artist booths, livestock barns and more live music than one weekend can hold.
Fair season at a glance:
| Fair | Dates | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Delta Fair & Music Festival | Sept 4 to 13 | Agricenter International, East Memphis |
| International Goat Days | Sept 11 to 12 | Ed Haley Sports Complex, Millington |
| Germantown Festival | Sept 12 to 13 | Civic Club Complex, Germantown |
| Mid-South Fair | Oct 1 to 11 | Landers Center, Southaven |
| Bartlett Festival & BBQ Contest | Oct 2 to 3 | W. J. Freeman Park, Bartlett |
| Fall Fest | Oct 16 to 17 | Church of the Incarnation, Collierville |
September Festivals in Memphis:
Delta Fair & Music Festival: September 4th-13th
Sept 4 to 13 ● Agricenter International ● East Memphis
Ten straight days of Ferris wheels, livestock barns and every fried thing imaginable at the Agricenter. This is the real one: a full midway, live music every night, a petting zoo and armband nights that make it easy on a family budget.
Southern Heritage Classic: September 11th-12th
Sept 11 to 12 ● Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium ● Midtown
One of the biggest weekends on the Memphis calendar. Football, a battle of the bands, fireworks and a tailgate scene that fills the lots long before kickoff.
International Goat Days Festival: September 11th-12th
Sept 11 to 12 ● Ed Haley Sports Complex ● Millington
Millington throws one of the most delightfully weird festivals in the Mid-South. Goat shows, an obstacle course, lawnmower races and a food midway.
Like You Children's Film Festival: September 11th-13th
Sept 11 to 13 ● MoSH Pink Palace Museum ● Midtown
The Like You Film Club moves its children's festival up from November to the front of fall. Three days of films picked for young audiences at the Pink Palace, with workshops and family programming built around the screenings.
Germantown Festival: September 12th-13th
Sept 12 to 13 ● Germantown Civic Club Complex ● Germantown
Free admission, hundreds of artisan booths, carnival rides and the Running of the Weenies, a dachshund race that has to be seen to be believed.
A Taste of Memphis: September 17th
Sept 17 ● Tiger Lane ● Midtown
Neighborhoods and community development corporations take over Tiger Lane, each one cooking and representing its own corner of the city.
Cooper-Young Festival: September 19th
Sept 19 ● Cooper-Young Historic District ● Midtown
The biggest street festival in the city. More than 400 artist booths, multiple music stages and food the length of Cooper Street, all of it free to walk into. Realistically the single best day of the year to run into everybody in Memphis at once.
PS: the Friday night 4 Miler kicks the whole weekend off the evening before.
Memphis Food Truckers Festival: September 19th
Sept 19 ● Shelby Farms Park ● East Memphis
Some of the best food in Memphis comes from food trucks, and Shelby Farms Park gathers a small city of them onto one lawn for the afternoon.
Gonerfest 23: September 24th-27th
Sept 24 to 27 ● Wiseacre on Broad, Overton Park Shell ● Binghampton
Four days and more than 30 bands of loud, scrappy, gloriously independent rock. Wiseacre takes Thursday through Saturday, then Sunday closes outdoors at the Shell.
Pink Palace Crafts Fair: September 25th-27th
Sept 25 to 27 ● Pink Palace Museum grounds ● Midtown
More than 150 artisans set up on the museum lawn for a fair that has been running over 50 years. Demonstrations, food, live music and plenty of shade under the old oaks.
Latin Fest 901: September 26th
Sept 26 ● Overton Square ● Midtown
September is Hispanic Heritage Month, and Overton Square turns into a block party to match. Music, dancing, vendors and tacos worth the walk over.
Asian Night Market: September 26th-27th
Sept 26 to 27 ● Agricenter International ● East Memphis
Two nights of food stalls, string lights, vendors and performances at the Agricenter. The lines get long for a reason.
October Festivals in Memphis:
Mid-South Fair: October 1st-11th
Oct 1 to 11 ● Landers Center ● Southaven
The region's fair, settled in about twenty minutes south. More than 50 rides, unlimited armbands, pig races, a petting zoo, circus acts and a biergarten for the grown-ups.
Bartlett Festival, BBQ Contest & Car Show: October 2nd-3rd
Oct 2 to 3 ● W. J. Freeman Park ● Bartlett
A sanctioned patio barbecue contest, a classic car show, vendor rows and rides. Arguably the best smelling festival on this entire list.
Evergreen Street Fair: October 3rd
Oct 3 ● Overton Park Avenue ● Evergreen
Brand new this year. The street closes to cars and fills up with music, bikes, neighborhood booths and family activities instead.
Mempho Music Festival: October 9th-11th
Oct 9 to 11 ● Radians Amphitheater ● East Memphis
Three days of national touring acts and Memphis artists. The biggest ticketed music weekend of the fall, and the Botanic Garden setting does not hurt.
Edge Motorfest: October 10th
Oct 10 ● Edge Motor Museum ● Edge District
More than 150 cars, food trucks and live music spread across the Edge District. Free to walk through and easy to fold into a downtown afternoon.
Fall Fest: October 16th-17th
Oct 16 to 17 ● Church of the Incarnation ● Collierville
Collierville's parish fair brings actual carnival rides, live music, games and a food midway. One of the last true midways of the season.
Cooper-Young Beerfest: October 17th
Oct 17 ● Bluff City Sports ● Cooper-Young
More than 30 craft breweries, unlimited sampling and a crowd that has kept this one selling out for well over a decade. Tickets go fast every single year.
Harvest Moon Fall Festival: October 17th
Oct 17 ● Bobby Lanier Farm Park ● Germantown
Hayrides, pumpkins, a corn maze and farm animals. Free, small and genuinely charming.
River Arts Fest: October 17th & 18th
Oct 17 to 18 ● Riverside Drive ● Downtown
The region's largest and longest running fine arts festival takes over Riverside Drive. Around 150 juried artists, live music, food and the Mississippi right there behind it all.
Broad Avenue Art Walk: October 24th
Oct 24 ● Broad Avenue Arts District ● Binghampton
More than 50 vendor booths, live music and performances stretched the length of Broad. The Arts District doing exactly what it does best.
Día de los Muertos Parade and Festival: October 24th
Oct 24 ● Downtown Memphis ● Downtown
Cazateatro brings the parade, the altars, the music and the face paint downtown. Easily one of the most photogenic days on the fall calendar.
Oktoberfest at Overton Square: October 24th
Oct 24 ● Overton Square ● Midtown
Soul & Spirits takes the German celebration outdoors. Beer, food, polka and a closed street in the middle of Midtown to close out the month.
Memphis Fall Festival FAQs
What is the difference between the Delta Fair and the Mid-South Fair?
The Delta Fair runs at the Agricenter in East Memphis in early September. The Mid-South Fair runs at the Landers Center in Southaven in early October. Both are full midway fairs with rides, livestock and fair food, and Memphis families often do both.
What is the biggest festival in Memphis in the fall?
The Cooper-Young Festival, held the third Saturday of September, draws the largest single-day crowd. More than 400 artist booths line the neighborhood and admission is free.
Are Memphis fall festivals free?
Many of the biggest ones are. Cooper-Young Festival, Germantown Festival, Broad Avenue Art Walk, Harvest Moon Fall Festival and Edge Motorfest all cost nothing to walk into. The fairs, Mempho and the beer and wine festivals are ticketed.
When does fair season start in Memphis?
Labor Day week. The Delta Fair opens the first Friday in September and the midway season runs straight through the Mid-South Fair in early October.
Keep this handy: the guide gets refreshed as dates firm up. More weekend ideas live in the Choose901 events calendar.
