Five Things To Do In Memphis This Weekend

Here’s to a weekend of good times.

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Memphis Italian Festival

Marquette Park

Thursday, May 30, 3 – 11 p.m. | Friday – Saturday, May 31 – June 1, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. 

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore. When the world seems to shine like you’ve had too much wine, that’s just the Memphis Italian Festival, “where everyone’s Italian.” There are several events going on throughout the day including bocce, grape stomping, wine races, live music, face painting, and cooking demonstrations from local chefs. This is a family-friendly festival with games and rides your kids will love. Tickets are $15 for Thursday and Friday, and $20 for Saturday. Purchase ahead here or at the gate. Kids 10 and under get in free, and so do active military with ID.

“Of This Moment” Opening Reception

Medicine Factory

Friday, May 31,  – 8 p.m.

Jeanne Seagle and Annabelle Meacham present an exhibit of work, which will be on display by appointment from May 30th through June 9th. Annabelle Meacham will give an artist talk on Saturday, June 1, at 1 p.m., and Jeanne Seagle will give hers on Saturday, June 8th, at 1 p.m.

Dragon Boat Festival

Hyde Lake at Shelby Farms Park

Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Enjoy a fantastic and memorable time with family and friends at the 2024 Memphis Dragon Boat Festival. In addition to electric boat racing, the festival will also have stage performances, art crafts, Asian street food, and other vendors. Admission is free.

Memphis Pride Festival and Parade 

Robert Church Park and Beale Street

Saturday, June 1, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

June, if you can imagine, is already here, and that means it’s time for Pride. This year’s Memphis Pride Fest, which bills itself as the largest gathering of LGBTQ people in the Mid-South, promises to be bigger and better than ever before, with a theme of “Embrace Your Story,” a celebration of diversity, strength, and unity. Headlining the event organized by Mid-South Pride is Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté, a fan-favorite from season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and 37 local drag entertainers and four local bands will join the lineup across two stages. The festival will also host over 175 booths, providing a wide array of activities. Admission to the festival starts at $1. 

Kicking off the day, of course, is the annual parade which starts at Fourth and Beale before making its way through the historic Beale Street Entertainment District. The procession features over 100 units with 2,500+ participants from myriad organizations. The weekend also includes a Drag N Drive on Thursday, Big Gay Dance Party on Friday, and Grand Marshal Drag Brunch on Sunday. For more information on all that’s happening this weekend and to purchase tickets to any of these events, visit midsouthpride.org.

NCRM Book & Author Series Presents: The Movement Made Us: A Father, A Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride

National Civil Rights Museum

Saturday, June 1, 2 p.m.

The National Civil Rights Museum presents a captivating conversation and book signing with David Dennis Sr., a core architect of the movement, swapping recollections with his son and journalist, David Jr. The book, the museum says, “paint[s] a critical portrait of America, casting one nation’s image through the lens of two individual Black men and their unique relationship.” Register to join in person here or virtually here for free.