Five Things To Do In Memphis This Weekend

This weekend’s offerings are nothing to sneeze at.

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Crucible

Theatre Memphis

Opens September 15th

They say to avoid clichés — avoid them like the plague. But at this point I’m at my wit’s end, and refuse to bend over backwards for this so-called rule. This writer has turned bad … bad to the bone. And, let’s be frank, clichés aren’t even that bad. The devil’s in the details, am I right? 

Speaking of the devil, Theatre Memphis is producing a blast from the past, where girls dance in the forest with the devil … or maybe they don’t. This isn’t a cut-and-dry story. This is Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the tale of a village embroiled in a witch hunt, where no good deed goes unpunished. 

The Crucible opens at Theatre Memphis this Friday and runs through October 1st. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets ($25) can be purchased here, and you better hurry and get yours soon. As they say, the devil makes work for idle hands to do.

Collierville Balloon Festival

Maynard Way

Saturday-Sunday, September 16 – 17, 3 – 10 p.m.

Every cloud has a silver lining, but the clouds in Collierville will have hot air balloons in them this weekend. Yep, that’s right: The Collierville Balloon Festival is back, bringing together more than 20 stunning hot air balloons, live entertainment, rides, games, food, arts and crafts vendors, balloon glow in the evenings, and more.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, guests are welcomed to view a dawn ascension of balloons that’ll knock your socks off — for free. (By morning, we mean bright and early, at or around sunrise, weather permitting.) Gates officially open at 3 p.m., and in the evening, weather permitting, guests can take a tethered balloon ride for $20. You’ll be higher than a kite. 

Proceeds from the event will support education programs in the local community. Single-day tickets are $15/adults and $8/kids (4-12); weekend passes are $25/adults and $15/children (4-12). Purchase them and learn more about the event here.

Cooper-Young Festival

Cooper-Young Historic District

Saturday, September 16, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.

I’m sure I sound like a broken record when I tell you gotta go to the Cooper-Young Festival. What can I say? Year after year, it gets better and better, and this year it turns 35, which means it’s, like, exponentially better than the first one, making it the best thing since sliced bread. Over 130,000 guests will enjoy an appealing mix of art, music, and crafts presented by over 400 artisans from around the country. 

And the icing on the cake is that the festival brings only original Memphis-grown music to its stages. This year Doug MacLeod headlines, and that, my friend, is music to my ears. Find out more about the festival here. 

Memphis Dance Festival

Collage Dance Collective

Saturday, September 16, noon – 4 p.m.

Dance like nobody’s watching at Collage Dance’s Memphis Dance Festival. The free, family-focused community event presents the best dance makers in the nation including Memphis’s own Lil Buck plus artists from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (NYC), New York City Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet (San Fran), SOUL Defined (DC), and Nashville Ballet, alongside many hometown favorites including the Grizz Girls, Ballet Memphis, and Collage Dance Collective. Attendees can also enjoy a special performance from the Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band (New Orleans). Be there or be square. 

“American Perspectives”: Curatorial Highlights by Emelie Gevalt

The Dixon Gallery and Gardens

Sunday, September 17, 2 p.m.

Looking for something that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg? Does taking in beautiful art float your boat? Well, you should head to the Dixon’s latest exhibit, “American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection.” This show, on display through October 8, presents 70 works of folk art from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, the premier repository of work by self-taught artists. 

Emelie Gevalt, curatorial chair for collections and folk art at the American Folk Art Museum, will give a lecture on the exhibit on Sunday. The lecture and admission to the museum is free.