September has yet to bring cool temperatures. But with August a memory and autumn just ahead, the ninth month of the calendar is bringing us festivals, and plenty of 'em.
With faith in the impending arrival of a welcome change of weather, festival organizers have filled the next several weeks with all sorts of arts and culture and food events.
Here's a look at 20 — count 'em, *20* — of them.
Delta Fair & Music Festival: Sept. 4-13
Rides, games, parades, livestock, magic shows, petting zoos, competitive pageants, rodeo ridin', "Dino Encounters," performing grizzly bears (the show is "Educational," promises a press release) and much, much more will again occupy the Agricenter International at 7777 Walnut, as the popular fair enters its final weekend.
For tickets and more information, visit
deltafest.com.
Southern Heritage Classic: Sept. 11-12
The 6 p.m. Sept. 12 football clash between Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alcorn State at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium climaxes two days of parties, parades, fashion shows, golf tournaments and more, as the event organized by Memphis businessman Fred Jones Jr. celebrates its 37th year. One highlight will be the annual Orange Mound parade, which begins at 9 a.m. Sept. 12 and runs along Park Avenue between Haynes Street and Airways Boulevard.
For tickets and more information, visit southernheritageclassic.com.
Like You Children's Film Festival: Sept. 11-13
All types of shorts and feature films from around the world will screen during the Like You festival, which will showcase movies aimed at and in some cases even produced by kids (of all ages). The festival will occupy two auditoriums at the Pink Palace (including the 50-foot-wide Giant Screen Theater), and also will host creative and fun workshops, to introduce young artists to the fun of filmmaking.
For tickets and more information, visit likeyoufilmclub.org.
Germantown Festival: Sept. 12-13
The 11 a.m. Sept. 12 "Running of the Weenies" dachshund race is among the highlights of the 53rd Germantown Festival, which gathers arts-and-crafts booths, children’s activities, rides, games, live stage entertainment, car exhibits, community displays and more to the Germantown Civic Club Complex at 7745 Poplar Pike.
For more information, visit germantownfest.com.
French Film Festival: Sept. 15-Oct. 2
"The Stranger," acclaimed director François Ozon's recent adaptation of novelist Albert Camus' masterpiece, will make its Memphis debut when the French film festival returns to Memphis in its latest incarnation, as the Albertine Cinémathèque French Film Festival, under the guidance of the guidance of Laura Loth, associate professor of French and Francophone Studies at Rhodes College. With the support of the Albertine Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports cultural exchanges between France and the U.S., the festival will host six French-language feature films (subtitled in English) in the Blount Auditorium at Buckman Hall at Rhodes College, including one classic revival — Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" (1960) — and five movies of recent vintage, all making their local public screening premieres. Among the titles is the fantasy-drama "Little Amélie or the Character of Rain," which earlier this year was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature; other movies deal with such subjects as criminal justice and global migration. According to Loth: "You are invited not just to see six French films, but to explore six interconnected ways of asking what it means to belong in today's world." Admission is free, and each film will be introduced by a Rhodes professor.
For a full schedule and more information, visit rhodes.edu/french-film-festival.
A Taste of Memphis: Sept. 17
"Memphis Communities: Together We Rise!" That's the exclamatory theme of this 12th annual celebration of Memphis neighborhoods, which from 5-10 p.m. will fill Tiger Lane with food trucks, entertainment stages and booths, to showcase various community groups, faith-based agencies, business organizations, and so on.
For more information, visit memphishcd.org.
WLOK Black Film Festival: Sept. 17-20
Organized by the city's gospel radio station, WLOK-AM 1340, the Black Film Festival returns with a slate of popular recent releases. The opening night movie, at the Giant Screen Theater at the Pink Palace, is "Sarah's Oil" (2025), a drama abut an 11-year-old girl growing up in the 1900s in Oklahoma Indian territory; the screening is at 7 p.m., with a "red carpet" party starting at 6. The other movies includes the recent Michael Jackson biopic, "Michael," at 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Crosstown Theater; the Best Picture-nominated vampire drama "Sinners" (2025), at 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Studio on the Square; and "Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot" (2024), a fact-based drama inspired by a real-life Texas orphanage, at 3 p.m. Sept. 20 at Playhouse on the Square. Admission to the opening night film is $10; admission to all other movies is $5.
For more information, visit wlok.com/black-film-festival.
Cooper-Young Festival: Sept. 19
Sponsored by Guaranty Bank and spreading outward from the iconic intersection of Cooper Street and Young Avenue, Midtown's massive annual party returns for its 38th year — a 9 a.m.-to-7 p.m. throwdown, showcasing multiple neighborhood businesses, regional artisans and other attractions. The diverse musical lineup will include the guitar virtuoso Joe Restivo, the modern rock of the Narrows, the Afrikan Jazz Ensemble and the surf-garage-noir combo, Impala, among others.
For more information, visit cooperyoung.com.
Gonerfest: Sept. 24-27
Event organizer Goner Records promises “four days of relentless rocking with over 30 bands from across the United States and all over the globe,” the city's — the nation's? — most indispensable garage-punk-indie-rock 'n' roll bacchanal will occupy WISEACRE Brewing on Broad Avenue for three days, with a final day at the Overton Park Shell.
For tickets and more information, visit goner-records.com.
Bartlett Fall Festival: Oct. 2-3
Your Mom's New Boyfriend (that's a band) and the Bartlett Police K-9 Corps (those are dogs and officers) will be among the stars of this "fun-filed family event," which takes over W. J. Freeman Park at 2629 Bartlett Blvd.
For more information, visit cityofbartlett.org.
Pink Palace Crafts Fair: Sept. 25-Sept. 26
A Memphis tradition since 1973, the Pink Palace Crafts Fair — billed as "the Mid-South’s largest juried arts and crafts fair" — this year will return to its namesake location, on the lawn outside the historic Pink Palace museum/mansion at 3050 Central, after years in Audubon Park. “Welcoming this beloved event back to the museum grounds is incredibly meaningful for all of us at the Pink Palace," said Jeff King, interim executive director of the Memphis Museums of Science and History, in a statement. "We are thrilled to invite families and art lovers alike to experience the intersection of history, science, and creativity in this iconic setting.” More than 100 artisans from across the country will offer their wares, along with craft and cooking demonstrations and other activities.
For more information, visit moshmemphis.com.
Latin Fest 901: Sept. 26
Organized by the local arts group Cazateatro in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, this daylong event in Overton Square offers "a fantastic celebration of Latin culture, music, dance, and food."
Visit cazateatro.org.
Mid-South Fair: Oct. 1-11
Claiming a history that dates back to 1856, this aggregation of animals, rides, games, talent contests, pageants ("Miss Mid-South Fair"), funnel cakes, funhouses and more will occupy the grounds of the Landers Center in Southaven — its post-Memphis home — for the 18th year.
For more information, visit landerscenter.com/mid-south-fair.
Mempho Music Festival: Oct. 9-11
Widespread Panic, Pretty Lights, Spoon, De La Soul, Fishbone, Gary Clark Jr. and other top acts will be at the Radians Amphitheater at the Memphis Botanic Garden for the ninth Mempho fest.
For tickets and more information, visit memphofest.com.
Fall Fest Memphis: Oct. 16-17
A benefit for such charities as the Dorothy Day House, this two-day music-and-more festival will be held at the Catholic Church of the Incarnation, 360 Bray Station Road in Collierville. Attractions include a carnival midway with amusement park-style rides; a "food truck fair"; a "Vendor Fair," showcasing close to 60 vendors; a car show; a barbecue contest; and two days of live music, lasting until 10 p.m., and featuring such bands as Thumpdaddy and Six Feet Thunder. Admission is $5.
For a full music schedule and more information, visit fallfestmemphis.org.
Monster Market: Oct. 16-25
Billed as a "a freaky pop-up for weirdos like YOU," this 10-day bazaar (or is that bizarre?) offers "a curated collection of weird art, hand-plucked oddities, strange apparel, and bizarre home decor sourced from makers of all kinds," from across the country — and just in time for Halloween, too. The market can be found at the Medicine Factory, the art studio/event space at 85 W. Virginia Ave.
For more information, visit memphismonstermarket.com.
RiverArtsFest: Oct. 17-18
Promoted as a "fine arts festival," this Riverside Drive event boasts an Artists' Market with work by close to 160 creators, plus "the best local music with live artist demonstrations and hands-on art activities for all ages."
For more information, visit riverartsmemphis.org.
General Hospital Fan Celebration at Graceland: Oct. 23-25
The Bluff City will function as a satellite location for fictional (and scandal-plagued) "Port Charles" when more than a dozen stars of "General Hospital" meet and greet fans at the Elvis Presley's Memphis entertainment complex during a national convention devoted to the iconic ABC soap opera (on the air daily since 1963). Organizers promise "a star-studded weekend of photo ops, autographs, exclusive parties, all-new experiences and insider stories."
For more information, visit graceland.com/gh26.
Memphis Japan Festival: Nov. 1
Martial arts. Anime and manga. Bonsai. These words don't appear in the other festival blurbs. Of course, this daylong Memphis Botanic Garden event also will feature music, food, art and dance, all representing Japanese culture.
For more information, visit memphisjapanfestival.org.
Indie Memphis Film Festival: Nov. 5-8
After taking a year off to reorganize, the region's premier film event is back, with four days of screenings at the Halloran Centre and the Malco Powerhouse Cinema (plus, post-festival screenings Nov. 9-10 at the Malco Studio on the Square). The opening night movie will be director Sam Pollard's "The Lorraine," a documentary that examines the history and significance of the famed Memphis hotel, a haven for Black travelers and artists before being branded as the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King; the rest of the films will be revealed at 6 p.m. Sept. 30 during a public "preview party" at the new Metal Museum in Overton Park.
For more information, visit indiememphis.org.
John Beifuss is an entertainment writer at The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at john.beifuss@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: 20 fall festivals in Memphis worth putting on your calendar now
