UPCOMING MEMPHIS AREA EVENTS | FALL 2026
If you've been waiting for an excuse to get out and explore Memphis, October and November are giving you plenty of them.
Fall in the Memphis area brings together the things this region does especially well: live music, BBQ, art, neighborhood festivals, outdoor events and community traditions.
And if you're considering moving to Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett or another community in the area, attending a local event is one of my favorite ways to experience a community beyond the real estate listings.
Here are some of the Memphis-area events worth putting on your calendar this fall.
BARTLETT FESTIVAL, CAR SHOW & BBQ CONTEST
October 2–3, 2026
W.J. Freeman Park | Bartlett, Tennessee
We're starting outside the Memphis city limits with one of Bartlett's signature fall events.
The Bartlett Festival kicks off Friday evening and continues Saturday with the car show and BBQ cooking competition.
It's a good opportunity to experience Bartlett's community atmosphere while also checking out one of the Memphis area's established suburban markets.
If Bartlett has been on your relocation list, consider making a day of it: explore the community, drive through a few neighborhoods and then head to the festival.
MEMPHO MUSIC FESTIVAL
October 9–11, 2026
Radians Amphitheater at Memphis Botanic Garden
Memphis and music belong together.
Mempho Music Festival returns for three days at the Radians Amphitheater at Memphis Botanic Garden.
The 2026 lineup includes Pretty Lights, Widespread Panic, Spoon, Gary Clark Jr., Ziggy Marley, STS9, JJ Grey & Mofro, Broken Social Scene, De La Soul and many more.
Beyond the performances, Mempho includes art and interactive experiences that turn the weekend into much more than a traditional concert.
For someone visiting Memphis for a relocation scouting trip, this is also a great excuse to explore East Memphis while you're here.
THE CO-LAB BENEFITING MUSIC EXPORT MEMPHIS
October 16, 2026
Overton Park Shell
Another Memphis music event arrives October 16 at the historic Overton Park Shell.
The Co-Lab benefits Music Export Memphis and focuses on collaboration within the Memphis music community.
While you're in this part of town, you're positioned near some of the communities we've been highlighting in my relocation guides, including Midtown, Central Gardens and Cooper-Young.
RIVERARTSFEST
October 17–18, 2026
Riverside Drive | Downtown Memphis
Art takes over the Memphis riverfront during RiverArtsFest.
The 2026 festival runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM until 5 PM along Riverside Drive between Jefferson Avenue and Beale Street.
Nearly 200 artists from around the country are expected to showcase their work.
It's also an opportunity to experience Downtown Memphis and the Mississippi Riverfront when the fall weather begins settling in.
BARTLETT HALLOWEEN EVENTS
October 22–23, 2026
Singleton Community Center | Bartlett
Looking for something seasonal?
Bartlett's Singleton Community Center hosts its Haunted House on October 22 and again October 23.
The city's Halloween Carnival is also scheduled for October 23.
These smaller municipal events are exactly why I recommend that relocating buyers look beyond the largest Memphis attractions.
Community calendars can tell you quite a bit about what actually happens throughout the year in the places you're considering calling home.
OKTOBERFEST AT OVERTON SQUARE
October 24, 2026
Midtown Memphis
Fall and Midtown Memphis are a pretty good combination.
Overton Square is one of Midtown's best-known restaurant, entertainment and gathering districts, making its seasonal events another reason to spend some time exploring this portion of Memphis.
If you're considering Midtown, Central Gardens or Cooper-Young real estate, this is an easy event to combine with a neighborhood scouting day.
RIGOLETTO IN CONCERT
October 24, 2026
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts
Not every Memphis weekend has to involve BBQ and guitars.
The Memphis Symphony Orchestra presents Rigoletto in Concert at the Cannon Center on October 24.
It's a good reminder of just how broad Memphis' arts and entertainment calendar actually is.
PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE, ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION & FIREFALL
October 30, 2026
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts
Classic rock fans get their turn at the end of October.
Pure Prairie League, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Firefall are scheduled together at the Cannon Center on October 30.
MEMPHIS CRAFTS & DRAFTS HOLIDAY MARKET
November 7, 2026
Crosstown Concourse
Once Halloween ends, Memphis doesn't waste much time moving into holiday season.
The Memphis Crafts & Drafts Holiday Market brings regional artists and makers to Crosstown Concourse on November 7.
Expect local shopping, handmade goods and additional activities as Memphis begins transitioning into its holiday event calendar.
INDIE MEMPHIS & NOVEMBER ENTERTAINMENT
November also brings another round of arts, film, concerts and holiday events across Memphis.
Downtown's Cannon Center calendar currently includes Aaron Lewis' Acoustic Origins Tour on November 12, The Stray Cats on November 15 and Little Feat's Last Farewell Tour on November 19.
Additional neighborhood and holiday events will continue being announced as the season approaches.
WHY EVENTS MATTER WHEN YOU'RE RELOCATING
Here's something I wish more people did before moving somewhere new:
Don't spend your entire relocation visit looking at houses.
You can learn plenty from listings, maps and market data, but those things don't completely show you how a place operates.
Go downtown.
Walk around the neighborhood you're considering.
Eat at a local restaurant.
Attend a festival.
Visit the parks.
Drive the route between a potential home and the places you'll actually need to go.
Then go look at houses.
The Memphis metropolitan area isn't one uniform community.
Living in historic Central Gardens can offer a completely different housing environment from Germantown.
Cooper-Young isn't Bartlett.
Collierville isn't Downtown Memphis.
And traveling across the Tennessee state line into Southaven or Olive Branch introduces an entirely different set of real estate options.
That's exactly why exploring the region matters.
MAKE A MEMPHIS RELOCATION WEEKEND OUT OF IT
If you're already planning to attend one of these events and you're considering moving to the Memphis area, let's make the trip productive.
Tell me what you're looking for before you arrive.
We can identify communities that match your property requirements, organize homes worth seeing and build a route that lets you experience the area instead of spending the entire weekend driving randomly from listing to listing.
And because I'm licensed in BOTH Tennessee and Mississippi, your search doesn't have to stop at the state line.
We can compare Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett and surrounding Tennessee communities with Southaven, Olive Branch, Hernando and other North Mississippi options.
You don't have to decide which state you want first.
Let's figure out what property and location actually work for you.
THINKING ABOUT MOVING TO MEMPHIS?
Whether you're relocating for work, moving closer to family, PCSing, looking for more space or simply ready for something different, I'd love to help you understand the Memphis and North Mississippi real estate markets.
Use my community guides to start exploring the area, search available homes and reach out when you're ready to build your relocation plan.
Memphis Events 2026 • Things To Do In Memphis • Memphis Fall Events • Moving To Memphis • Memphis TN Real Estate • Memphis Relocation • Germantown TN • Collierville TN • Bartlett TN • Midtown Memphis • Downtown Memphis • North Mississippi Real Estate Discover upcoming Memphis events for fall 2026, including music festivals, art, BBQ, Halloween events and things to do across Memphis and surrounding communities.