Fall is one of our favorite times of year in Memphis! The weather cools and the Memphis festival schedule turns up to 11 with some of the best live music, sports, foodie fests and cultural events in Tennessee — plus a few brand-new landmarks debuting this season. Plan your autumn trip to Memphis with this guide to Fall Events & Festivals.
Fall is one of our favorite times of year in Memphis! The weather cools and the Memphis festival schedule turns up to 11 with some of the best live music, sports, foodie fests and cultural events in Tennessee — plus a few brand-new landmarks debuting this season. Plan your autumn trip to Memphis with this guide to Fall Events & Festivals.
Overton Park Shell Free Concert Series - Celebrating 90 Years
Sept. 4–Oct. 11, 2026
Free live music every week at the historic amphitheater where Elvis performed his first show? Yes please! The Overton Park Shell brings back its ultra-popular free shows this fall with eight straight weekends of touring and local acts on Fridays and Saturdays, including the Memphis Country Blues Festival, PowerPop Festival, Shakespeare at the Shell, a Metal Museum Metal Night and a Gonerfest grand finale. Picnics and coolers are welcome, or grab dinner from one of the many food trucks. See the lineup.
This year's series leads into something bigger: the Shell turns 90 in 2026, and from Sept. 10–13 the venue throws a full "Shell-ebration Weekend" to mark it — Booker T. Jones kicks things off, followed by a birthday picnic with the Memphis Youth Symphony, Sounds of the Shell, and a closing Memphis Studio Superset. Ninety years after it opened as a WPA project in Overton Park, the Shell that launched Elvis is still the best free ticket in town. See the lineup.
Metal Museum Grand Opening
Sept. 5, 2026
After a two-year build, the Metal Museum is relocating from Southwest Memphis into the renovated Rust Hall in Overton Park, right next door to the Shell! Nearly three times the size of its old home with expanded galleries, a working metalsmith shop with viewing windows, a restaurant and new classrooms. It's one of the biggest arts openings Memphis has seen in years, and it lands right in the middle of Shell and Gonerfest season, so you can make a whole Overton Park weekend of it. Plan your visit.
Satellite Music Hall Grand Opening
Sept. 4–5, 2026
Satellite Music Hall, Crosstown Concourse Entertainment District's new 1,300-capacity venue, named for Satellite Records, the birthplace of Memphis soul, opens its doors with back-to-back hometown shows from The Band CAMINO, the Memphis-born group headlining their own grand opening. The inaugural run also brings in fellow Memphis artists Valerie June and Project Pat, with a full slate of national touring acts to follow; expect around 100 shows a year once the venue is up and running. This is a big one for Memphis' live music scene, and a first look at what could become a new go-to room downtown. Check the schedule.
Southern Heritage Classic
Sept. 11–12, 2026
The historic HBCU football weekend is back, and this year it's played inside a completely renovated stadium. The 37th annual Southern Heritage Classic brings Arkansas-Pine Bluff back for a rematch against Alcorn State at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, fresh off a $226 million renovation with new premium clubs, suites and a first-ever stadium kitchen. The full weekend includes a parade, tailgating, Battle of the Bands, a fashion show and brunch, and the legendary AutoZone Halftime Show. Save your seats.
Cooper-Young Festival
Sept. 19, 2026
Attend the biggest one-day festival in the state of Tennessee in the "historically hip" arts district of Cooper-Young this year with over 400 artisan vendors from around the country selling their artwork and crafts, plus multiple music stages and great things to eat and drink. Plan your trip to Cooper-Young Fest.
MEM Runway 5K
Sept. 19, 2026
Here's a fun one you don't get in most cities: lace up and run an actual runway at Frederick W. Smith International Airport. The 2nd annual Runway 5K puts a few thousand runners on the tarmac for close-up views of aircraft, then wraps with food, live music and vendors — all benefiting the Memphis International Airport Community Foundation. Register for the Runway 5K.
Orpheum Broadway Series
Starting September 2026 The historic Orpheum Theatre kicks off its 2026–2027 Broadway season with CLUE (Sept. 15–20, 2026), followed by Monty Python's Spamalot (Oct. 27–Nov. 1, 2026) and The Great Gatsby (Dec. 1–6, 2026), with Boop! The Musical, Hell's Kitchen, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and more to come through summer 2027.Sing along at the Orpheum this season.
Gonerfest 23
Sept. 24–27, 2026
The 23rd annual celebration of punk rock returns in 2026 with four days of shows from more than 30 bands, including Man or Astro-man?, Horsegirl, Toody Cole & Her Band, Death, Retail Simps and many more. Wiseacre Brewing Company on Broad Ave. (Sept. 24–26) and Overton Park Shell (Sept. 27) play host to this year's festival. Get your Gonerfest 23 pass.
Pink Palace Crafts Fair
Sept. 25-27, 2026
Calling all art lovers! The Mid-South's largest juried arts and crafts fair returns to the Pink Palace Museum & Mansion September 25-27, marking an impressive 54 years in Memphis. Browse and shop handmade treasures from more than 150 artisans hailing from across the country, all set against the backdrop of the historic Pink Palace grounds. Your fair ticket even gets you free same-day admission to the museum's permanent collections — and for just $5 more, you can add on the Planetarium, Giant Screen Theater, or the Brick Dinos exhibit. [Get your tickets] and get ready to shop 'til you drop.
Asian Night Market
Sept. 26–27, 2026
Memphis' biggest Asian food and culture festival returns for its 4th year — bigger, bolder and now a two-day event at Agricenter International. Expect 100+ vendors of authentic Asian street food and handcrafted goods, cultural performances, a Mid-Autumn Lantern Parade and a free Kids Zone. Get your tickets.
Mid-South Fair
Oct. 1-11, 2026
Big fun and big memories are calling! The Mid-South Fair rolls into Landers Center October 1-11 with eleven straight days of family-friendly excitement. Take a spin on the amusement rides, cheer on the pig races, get up close at the petting zoo and grizzly bear experience, and catch circus performances and live music from local and touring artists throughout the run. Snag your tickets online ahead of time for a discount and to skip the line — and keep an eye out for free admission days. Get your tickets and head to Southaven for some good old-fashioned fair fun.
Mempho Music Festival
Oct. 9-11, 2026
Catch three days of art installations, interactive event spaces and live music featuring headliners Pretty Lights, a two-night Widespread Panic doubleheader, Spoon, Gary Clark Jr., De La Soul, Broken Social Scene and more at Radians Amphitheater at Memphis Botanic Garden for the annual Mempho Music Festival. Get your Mempho Music tickets ASAP.
Memphis Bacon & Bourbon Festival
Oct. 9, 2026
Head to the FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms for smoky flavors and smooth spirits at the Bacon & Bourbon Festival, hosted by the Memphis Flyer. Tickets to this tasting event include a variety of bourbon samples and creative bacon-inspired dishes, plus live music and party activities. Get your tickets.
Grind City Amp
Shows Oct. 1-2,2026 and Oct. 24, 2026
Memphis' newest concert venue opened this spring on the riverfront in Uptown, and it's already bringing national touring acts set to a beautiful Memphis skyline backdrop. The 4,500-seat open-air Grind City Amp sits right off the Mississippi at Grind City Brewing, with a growing fall slate on the calendar. See The Avett Brothers with Drive-By Truckers on Oct. 1, Undertale: The Determination Symphony on Oct. 2 and Ole 60 with Arcy Drive on Oct. 24. Get your tickets.
Concerts at FedExForum
October–November 2026
Don't miss exciting shows at FedExForum this fall. On Oct. 6, 2026, Bryson Tiller brings his Neo Trapsoul Tour to Memphis. Oct. 24, 2026, the Cash Money & No Limit Tour brings the legendary rosters of both iconic labels with Birdman, Master P, Juvenille and more to the stage for a night of Southern hip-hop history. Other fall bookings include Elevation Worship & Steven Furtick (Oct. 10) and comedian Gabriel Iglesias' "The 1976 Tour" (Nov. 28). Buy tickets now.
Memphis Oktoberfests
September–October 2026
What's more autumnal than grabbing a stein of Märzen at a local Oktoberfest? Luckily, Memphis has many. With a full roster of fall fests and Oktoberfests around the city, one of the last events of the season takes place on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, with Oktoberfest at Overton Square. Prost to some traditional German beer and food, polka and folk music, fun games and a market for shopping. Come dressed in your lederhosen.
Memphis Grizzlies Games
Season begins October 2026
This is a whole new Grizzlies team, and that's exactly why fall 2026 is the moment to see them. The new-look Memphis Grizzlies tip off downtown at FedExForum led by No. 3 overall draft pick Cameron Boozer, alongside returning big men Zach Edey and Isaiah Stewart, forward Jerami Grant and rising wing Cedric Coward, all under head coach Tuomas Iisalo. Whatever this team becomes, you'll be able to say you saw it from the ground floor — with tasty stadium snacks, giveaways and in-game entertainment for the whole family, just steps from Beale Street. See the schedule and find tickets here.
RiverArtsFest
Oct. 17–18, 2026
More than 150 artists, makers and creatives from around the country come to Memphis for a weekend of shopping and fine-art celebration. Held on Riverside Drive along the Mississippi River, this marks the 20th year for RiverArtsFestm an event that includes live music by local performers, food and hands-on art activities. Save the date for RiverArtsFest.
Halloween and Harvest Events
October 2026
The Mid-South knows how to celebrate Halloween, with corn mazes, hayrides, haunted houses and scary-fun fall events. Little ones will love Zoo Boo at the Memphis Zoo. Join in on all the spooktacular family fun, select nights starting early October, all the way to Halloween weekend. Stay tuned for spooky season.
Memphis Crafts & Drafts Holiday Market
Nov. 7, 2026
Knock out that holiday shopping while enjoying a trip to Memphis at the annual Crafts & Drafts Holiday Market. As one of the biggest and best shopping events of the year, Crafts & Drafts takes over Crosstown Concourse with one-of-a-kind artists, crafters and makers. Plan that shopping trip.
Memphis Whiskey Festival
Nov. 21, 2026
Sip your way through 40 whiskey, bourbon and scotch labels at The Kent, with local food vendors, a cigar lounge and bluegrass music rounding out the evening. General admission includes 15 tastings; go VIP for early access and premium pours. It's 21+, and proceeds benefit Volunteer Memphis. Get your tickets.
