Memphis Creative Week: September 10–16, 2026

Best Bets

• Booker T. Jones — Thursday: A Memphis legend playing the Overton Park Shell.

• Like You Children’s Film Festival — Friday–Sunday: International films, filmmaking workshops and filmmaker conversations for young audiences.

• Deep Brakes — Saturday: A free independent-gallery opening combining Southern landscape art, conversation, cocktails and live music.

• 8Ball & MJG and Bun B with the Renaissance Orchestra — Saturday: Memphis and Southern hip-hop recast on an orchestral scale.

• United Festival — Sunday: Free riverside cumbia, dance, art, food and Hispanic Heritage programming.

• Collage Clash — Monday: Bar DKDC hosts three gloriously chaotic, competitive collage games.

Thursday, September 10

• 6–8 p.m. — Stage & Sketch
  Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 4339 Park Ave. — East Memphis · Free · Ages 18+
  [FREE] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  A performance-costumed model takes dramatic poses during this less-formal alternative to a traditional figure-drawing session. Bring your preferred supplies.

• 6–7:30 p.m. — May We Bug You? Making Insects Your Next Big Hobby
  Abe Goodman Golf Clubhouse, 2080 Poplar Ave. — Overton Park · $35
  [ADVANCE TICKET] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Entomology enthusiasts share mounted specimens, field knowledge and practical ways to support insects, accompanied by bug-themed snacks and drinks.

• 7–9 p.m. — Booker T. Jones
  Overton Park Shell, 1928 Poplar Ave. — Overton Park · $25 general admission/$50 VIP
  [ADVANCE TICKET] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  The Stax architect behind “Green Onions” returns to one of Memphis’s most atmospheric stages for a hometown benefit performance.

• 7–9 p.m. — Crosstown Arts Film Series: The Lovers on the Bridge
  Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave. — Crosstown · Ticketed; current price at checkout
  [ADVANCE TICKET] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Leos Carax’s feverish, visually extravagant cult romance deserves the scale and darkness of a proper theater.

Friday, September 11

• Noon–2 p.m. — 90th Shellebration Birthday Picnic
  Overton Park Shell — Overton Park · Free
  [FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Celebrate the Shell’s 90th birthday with an outdoor lunchtime performance by musicians from the Memphis Youth Symphony Program.

• 4–7 p.m. Friday; programming continues Saturday and Sunday — Like You Children’s Film Festival
  MoSH/Pink Palace, 3050 Central Ave. — East Memphis · Individual admission from approximately $12; festival passes $45–$100
  [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ADVANCE TICKET]
  International features and shorts are paired with filmmaker Q&As, hands-on filmmaking workshops, crafts and creative activities. Friday is the opening-night choice.

• 6–9 p.m. — Art on the Rocks
  Dixon Gallery & Gardens — East Memphis · $45 members/$55 nonmembers; Young at Art members free · Ages 21+
  [ADVANCE TICKET] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Botanical cocktails, restaurant tastings and live music fill the gardens for a 1970s-themed celebration of the Dixon’s 50th anniversary.

• 7:30 p.m. — The Sound of Music — opening night
  Harrell Theatre, 440 W. Powell Rd. — Collierville · $20–$25
  [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ADVANCE TICKET] [OPENING NIGHT]
  Collierville Arts Council opens its two-weekend community production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Also Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:30.

Saturday, September 12

Saturday is crowded; these are competing options rather than a practical single-day itinerary.

• 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday; noon–6 p.m. Sunday — Germantown Festival
  Germantown Civic Club Complex, 7745 Poplar Pike · Free admission and shuttle
  [FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY]
  Nearly 400 artists and craftspeople, stage entertainment, children’s activities, food and the wonderfully specific “Running of the Weenies” dachshund race.

• 11 a.m.–noon — Cazateatro: The Ant and Mr. Q
  Sunset Canopy at Tom Lee Park, 422 Riverside Dr. — Downtown riverfront · Free
  [FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Cazateatro performs a bilingual outdoor play inspired by a Mesoamerican legend involving Quetzalcóatl and a remarkably brave ant.

• From 5 p.m. — Memphair Pop Culture Art Market
  Hi Tone, 282–284 N. Cleveland St. — Crosstown · Free
  [FREE] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Both Hi Tone rooms become a grassroots market for pop-culture art, illustration and locally made work.

• 5:30–10 p.m. — Deep Brakes: Hank Miles Smith opening
  Ugly Art Co., 635 Madison Ave. — Edge District · Free
  [FREE] [OPENING NIGHT]
  Paintings and sculptural work use tangled Southern thickets as images of liminality and concealment. Opening night adds a Bar Limina cocktail hour, artist discussion and music by We Live on the New Madrid.

• 6 p.m. — Memphis Talent Showcase
  Halloran Centre, 225 S. Main St. — South Main · $23.95–$53.85
  [ADVANCE TICKET] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  A broad hometown variety show spanning dance, vocals, spoken word, comedy and surprise performances.

• 6–9 p.m. — The Reset: Sunset Experience
  The Prospect at Tom Lee Park — Downtown riverfront · Free
  [FREE] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Relaxing sounds, sunset views and deliberately unstructured time by the Mississippi make this the week’s calmest unusual experience. Bring a blanket or chair; alcohol is prohibited.

• 8 p.m. — 8Ball & MJG and Bun B with the Renaissance Orchestra
  Orpheum Theatre, 203 S. Main St. — Downtown · $99.15–$327.75
  [ADVANCE TICKET] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Southern hip-hop catalogs are rebuilt with live orchestral arrangements. Friday is sold out; Saturday was still listed for sale when checked.

Sunday, September 13

• 1–6 p.m. — 50th Anniversary Central Gardens Home & Garden Tour
  Check-in at Belvedere Boulevard and Central Avenue — Central Gardens · $20 advance/$30 day-of; cashless
  [ADVANCE TICKET] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Eight rarely opened estate-sized homes reveal the neighborhood’s architecture and craftsmanship, with live music, food trucks and a free shuttle.

• 2–4 p.m. — Forrest Fest
  Overton Square Courtyard — Midtown · $5
  [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Youth-led teams create booths featuring crafts, games, treats and face painting while raising money to assist families of critically and chronically ill children.

• 3–8:30 p.m. — United Festival: Cumbia en el Río
  Beale Street Landing, 251 Riverside Dr. — Downtown riverfront · Free
  [FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Flamenco-cumbia, live music, dance lessons, children’s magic and art, a makers’ mercado and the Mexican Grito culminate in a country-by-country Mighty Lights bridge display.

Monday, September 14

• 6:30–8:30 p.m. — Collage Clash: Three Collage Games
  Bar DKDC, 964 Cooper St. — Cooper-Young · From $10
  [ADVANCE TICKET] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Everyone plays three no-scissors collage games—including ransom-note poetry and a communal pass-around round—before the room votes on the results. No artistic skill is required.

Tuesday, September 15

• 7:30 p.m. — Clue — opening night
  Orpheum Theatre — Downtown · $46.70–$162.15 · Recommended ages 12+
  [ADVANCE TICKET] [OPENING NIGHT]
  The touring stage comedy turns the board game and 1985 film into a fast 80-minute murder mystery with an ensemble cast, physical comedy and elaborate farce mechanics.

Wednesday, September 16

• Noon–1 p.m. — Munch and Learn: Restoration and Preservation of a Historic Black Cemetery
  Dixon Gallery & Gardens — East Memphis · Free
  [FREE] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Samuel Oldham of the Mt. Carmel Ally organization discusses the history and preservation of Mount Carmel Cemetery, where river rescuer Tom Lee is buried.

• Doors 7 p.m.; show 7:30–9 p.m. — Everything Yes
  The Green Room at Crosstown Arts — Crosstown · $20 advance/$30 door
  [ADVANCE TICKET] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
  Drummer and YouTube educator ZackGrooves leads an agile instrumental quartet combining jazz, funk, gospel, progressive rock and improvisation.