Best Bets
Gonerfest 23 — Friday–Sunday: Three contrasting days of adventurous punk, garage rock, experimental music and Memphis underground culture.
Orchestra Noir: The Culture 2000 Tour II — Friday: A fully staged orchestral reworking of early-2000s hip-hop and R&B.
Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience — Saturday: Blues history recast as a large-scale symphonic production.
Hattiloo Theatre’s 20th Anniversary Celebration — Saturday: A free theatrical soul revue celebrating one of Memphis’s essential arts institutions.
Indigo Girls with Linda Perry — Tuesday: A strong songwriters’ double bill in the Overton Park Shell.
The Avett Brothers with Drive-By Truckers — Thursday: Two heavyweight Southern roots-rock bands sharing an outdoor bill.
Friday, September 25
10 a.m.–5 p.m. — Pink Palace Crafts Fair: opening day
MoSH/Pink Palace, 3050 Central Ave. — East Memphis · Advance: $10 adults, $8 seniors/military, $3 ages 5–12; gate prices slightly higher
[FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [OPENING DAY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
More than 150 artisans, craft demonstrations, food and family activities make this considerably broader than a conventional vendor market. Continues through Sunday.9 a.m., 2, 5 and 9 p.m. — 9 to 5 screenings
Orpheum Theatre, 203 S. Main St. — Downtown · Current price at checkout
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Four chances to see Dolly Parton’s sharp workplace comedy inside the historic Orpheum provide the week’s strongest repertory-film option.1:30–11:30 p.m. — Gonerfest 23: Friday
WISEACRE OG, 2783 Broad Ave. — Broad Avenue Arts District · $70 day pass plus fee; festival pass $175 · All ages with an adult
[ADVANCE-TICKET]
Ten acts range from Outer World and Memphis’s Jeffrey Joe Jensen to Memo PST, Powerplant and Toody Cole & Her Band—a deep, exploratory bill rather than a marquee-only festival.5–11 p.m. — South Main Trolley Night
South Main Arts District · Free
[FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY]
Galleries, shops, pop-up art, street activity and free trolley rides turn the district into an informal arts crawl.5:45–6:15 p.m. — 30 Days of Opera at Buckman Art Gallery
Buckman Arts Center, 60 Perkins Extended — East Memphis · Free
[FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
A compact professional-opera pop-up timed to the gallery’s evening programming—an easy, low-commitment entry point to the form.6–7:30 p.m. — Ground Zero Blues album-release listening session
Memphis Listening Lab, Crosstown Concourse — Crosstown · Price not posted
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
A focused first listen and artist-centered gathering for a new blues release, heard through the Listening Lab’s serious playback system.7–8:30 p.m. — Tennessee Shakespeare Company: Love’s Labor’s Lost
Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center lawn, 3663 Appling Rd. — Bartlett · Free
[FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
Shakespeare’s verbal, romantic comedy becomes an outdoor professional production rather than a classroom exercise. Bring lawn seating.Doors 7 p.m.; show 7:30–9:30 p.m. — Sanctuary with DJ Brilli and Lana J
The Green Room at Crosstown Arts — Crosstown · $20 advance/$30 door
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
A deliberately immersive hybrid of sound bath, electronic music and live sonic environment—closer to participatory performance art than a standard DJ night.Doors 7:30 p.m.; sets 8 and 10:30 p.m. — Keenya Creates: Music Box
Hattiloo Theatre Culture Box, 37 S. Cooper St. — Overton Square · $20 advance/$25 door
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
The Memphis singer, rapper and storyteller presents an intimate blend of soul, folk and hip-hop in Hattiloo’s smaller performance space.7:30 p.m. — Orchestra Noir Presents The Culture 2000 Tour II
Orpheum Theatre — Downtown · Approximately $46–$103
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
An all-Black orchestra, vocalists, dancers and theatrical staging transform early-2000s hip-hop and R&B into a large-scale production.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — Club ’90s Presents MJ Night
Satellite Music Hall, 1291 Autumn Ave. — Crosstown · Current price at checkout · Ages 18+
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
A full-room Michael Jackson dance celebration offers a theatrical, communal alternative to the evening’s conventional concerts.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — Raise Your Paddle: A Kink Auction
Hi Tone Big Room, 282–284 N. Cleveland St. — Crosstown · $19.50
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
An unconventional staged auction and performance event earns inclusion as the week’s most explicitly adult, underground variety-show option.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — Airshow
Hernando’s Hide-A-Way, 3210 Old Hernando Rd. — Whitehaven · $12 advance/$15 door
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
The Nashville quartet’s improvisational mix of bluegrass, jam music and psychedelic Americana suits this historic roadhouse.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — David Brighton’s Space Oddity
Gold Strike Theatre — Tunica Resorts · Current price at checkout
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
This qualifies as theatrical performance as much as tribute concert: Brighton recreates David Bowie’s personas, costuming, visual world and catalog in a full-scale production.Doors 8 p.m.; show 9 p.m. — Burnt Witch, Plus 3 Against Undead and Sibyl
Hi Tone Small Room — Crosstown · $13.50 · Ages 21+
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
A compact three-band underground bill for listeners who prefer the small-room edge of Memphis’s heavy and experimental scene.
Saturday, September 26
10 a.m.–6 p.m. — Latin Fest 901
Overton Square — Midtown · Free
[FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
Cazateatro’s community festival combines live music, dance, food and Latin American culture, with performance central rather than incidental.1:30 p.m.–midnight — Gonerfest 23: Saturday
WISEACRE OG — Broad Avenue · $70 day pass plus fee; festival pass $175
[ADVANCE-TICKET]
Saturday’s dozen-act marathon includes Zoh Amba, Ibex Clone, Retail Simps, Drags and a late set by Death—the festival’s broadest and heaviest day.2 or 7:30 p.m. — Clown Bar — closing weekend
Blackbox Theatre, UofM Theatre Building, 3745 Central Ave. — University District · Current price at checkout
[CLOSING-WEEKEND] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Adam Szymkowicz’s noir comedy drops the audience into a seedy clown underworld, using cabaret-table seating and close-range interaction. Final performance is Sunday at 2 p.m.2–3:30 p.m. — Touch of Grey: How the Grateful Dead Became Pop Stars
Memphis Listening Lab — Crosstown · Price not posted
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
Author John Brackett examines the unlikely transformation of the Dead’s commercial fortunes, with the Lab providing an unusually appropriate listening context.4–10 p.m. Saturday; continues Sunday — Memphis Asian Night Market
Agricenter Outdoor Park, 7777 Walnut Grove Rd. — East Memphis · Adults $15 advance; ages 6–12 $5; under 6 free; parking $10
[FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
More than 100 food and craft vendors share the grounds with live cultural performances, making this both a food event and a substantial performance festival.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — Hot Fix Sideshow
Growlers, 1911 Poplar Ave. — Midtown · $20
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
A touring sideshow-style stage production supplies the weekend’s strangest small-room live-performance option.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — Bit Brigade
Minglewood Hall, 1555 Madison Ave. — Midtown · Current price at checkout · All ages
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
The band performs a rock soundtrack live while a player speed-runs a classic video game onstage—a genuine concert/gaming performance hybrid.7–9 p.m. — Hattiloo Theatre’s 20th Anniversary Celebration
Overton Park Shell, 1928 Poplar Ave. — Overton Park · Free
[FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
Hattiloo marks two decades with a soul-revue-style production incorporating gospel, R&B, Broadway material and theatrical vignettes.7 p.m. — Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, 3800 Central Ave. — University District · Approximately $78–$104
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Blues history, orchestral arrangement and Freeman’s creative vision converge in a multimedia concert conceived on symphonic scale. Freeman’s in-person appearance is not promised.7 p.m. — Project Pat
Satellite Music Hall — Crosstown · Approximately $50/current price at checkout · All ages
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
A major Memphis rap figure plays a hometown room large enough for a full crowd but smaller than an arena.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — “Weird Al” Yankovic: Bigger & Weirder Tour
Landers Center, 4560 Venture Dr. — Southaven · Approximately $46.80–$217.40
[FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Costumes, video, comedy and a nine-player expanded band make this one of the week’s most elaborately theatrical concerts.Doors 10 p.m.; show 11 p.m. — General Labor, Plastic Mystic, Cel Shade and Snake Wine
Hi Tone Big Room — Crosstown · $13.50
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
A four-act late-night local bill keeps the roundup connected to Memphis’s less-publicized DIY and heavy-music scenes.
Sunday, September 27
2–3 p.m. — Opera for Dogs
Overton Bark dog park — Overton Park · Free
[FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
Opera Memphis stages one of its most agreeably peculiar pop-ups for people and their dogs.5–5:30 p.m. — 901 Underground
Growlers — Midtown · $10
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Quadscool, Lemon King Oddy, Dough Joe Beatz, Nalyk and Dera offer a concise survey of emerging local hip-hop and beatmaking.5:30–9:30 p.m. — Gonerfest 23 finale
Overton Park Shell — Overton Park · Free
[FREE] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [CLOSING-NIGHT]
Gwenifer Raymond, Jack Oblivian, Cloudland Canyon with Kid Millions and Man or Astro-man? close the festival with the weekend’s most accessible—and free—bill.6–9 p.m. — Kafé Kirk: Kirk Whalum and Kayla Waters
Crosstown Theater — Crosstown · Current price at checkout
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Memphis saxophonist Kirk Whalum welcomes keyboardist Kayla Waters for an expansive evening of jazz, soul and musical conversation.6 p.m. — Chicken Sh*t Bingo with Hillbilly Mojo
Hernando’s Hide-A-Way — Whitehaven · No cover
[FREE]
A live old-time/country band accompanies a bingo game whose winning square is selected by an actual chicken—recurring, but sufficiently Memphis-weird to merit an exception.Doors 6 p.m.; show 7 p.m. — Laid Back Country Picker
Hernando’s Hide-A-Way — Whitehaven · $15
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Kentucky guitarist David Prince’s eccentric honky-tonk persona blends traditional country, rock and comic performance.7 p.m. — Out of Gas, The Soundyouhear, Abigail and the Starlings
Growlers — Midtown · $10
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
An inexpensive three-act grassroots bill that would be easy to miss in a marquee-focused roundup.Doors 6 p.m.; show 7 p.m. — (Not Your Average) Open Mic Poetry Night
Hi Tone Small Room — Crosstown · $10.50 · Ages 21+
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Spoken word gets an actual club-stage presentation rather than being treated as background entertainment.
Monday, September 28
3–4 p.m. — 30 Days of Opera at Levi Library
Levi Library, 3676 S. Third St. — South Memphis · Free
[FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
A free neighborhood-library performance extends Opera Memphis’s monthlong series beyond the usual arts venues.7–8:30 p.m. — Immersive Jazz Guided Meditation: Promises
Memphis Listening Lab — Crosstown · Free
[FREE] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra’s Promises becomes a guided, high-fidelity deep-listening experience.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — American Aquarium with Buffalo Nichols
1884 Lounge at Minglewood Hall — Midtown · Current price at checkout · All ages
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
American Aquarium’s literate alt-country pairs particularly well with Buffalo Nichols’s spare, historically conscious blues songwriting.
Tuesday, September 29
5–9 p.m. — Indigo Girls with Linda Perry
Overton Park Shell — Overton Park · Current price at checkout
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Two influential, politically engaged songwriting catalogs share the Shell stage in a benefit produced with Mid-South Pride.Evening — Memphis Blues Society Blues Challenge
Hernando’s Hide-A-Way — Whitehaven · Free
[FREE]
Regional musicians compete for advancement and recognition in a setting closely tied to the city’s working blues community. The challenge continues Wednesday.Doors 6 p.m.; show 7 p.m. — Nevertel
1884 Lounge — Midtown · Current price at checkout · All ages
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
A touring small-room bill built around Nevertel’s mix of alternative rock, post-hardcore, rap and electronic production.Doors 7 p.m.; show 7:30–9:30 p.m. — Wind & Wire
The Green Room at Crosstown Arts — Crosstown · $18 advance/$25 door
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Memphis Symphony harpist Francis Cobb Kenney and flutist Elise Blatchford explore an unusually intimate chamber pairing.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — Built to Spill
Minglewood Hall — Midtown · Current price at checkout · All ages
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Doug Martsch’s influential indie-rock guitar architecture benefits from the larger Minglewood room.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — Simon Michael with Garlic Butter, Serg. and Hodge Podge Collage
Growlers — Midtown · $10
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
A low-cost, four-act local and regional bill provides a worthwhile alternative to Tuesday’s larger touring shows.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — Extortionist, Deathtape and East Ov Eden
Hi Tone Big Room — Crosstown · $15.50 advance/$18.50 door
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
The week’s strongest extreme-metal and hardcore package, led by the Pacific Northwest deathcore band Extortionist.
Wednesday, September 30
11 a.m.–5 p.m. — It Takes a Village
Metal Museum, 1930 Poplar Ave. — Overton Park · Regular museum admission
[FAMILY-FRIENDLY]
This crowd-curated exhibition lets community choices shape the displayed metalwork, making the audience part of the exhibition’s authorship.1–1:30 p.m. — 30 Days of Opera finale at Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Central Library lobby, 3030 Poplar Ave. — Chickasaw Gardens/East Memphis · Free
[FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
Opera Memphis closes its month of pop-ups with a concise public performance in the library lobby.Evening — Memphis Blues Society Blues Challenge: second night
Hernando’s Hide-A-Way — Whitehaven · Free
[FREE]
Wednesday provides the concluding opportunity to hear this year’s field of regional blues competitors.Doors 6 p.m.; show 7 p.m. — Memphis Poetry Comedy Jam
Growlers — Midtown · $5
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Host Mak of Memphis brings spoken word and stand-up together in an unusually inexpensive staged showcase.
Thursday, October 1
4–10 p.m. — Mid-South Fair: opening day
Landers Center grounds, 4560 Venture Dr. — Southaven · Free admission opening day; ride armband approximately $20
[FREE] [FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [OPENING DAY]
More than 50 rides, ground acts, demonstrations, arts displays and youth-talent competitions launch the regional fair’s 2026 run.5:30 p.m. gates; 6:30–8 p.m. music — Southbound
The Grove at GPAC, 1801 Exeter Rd. — Germantown · $13 adults, $8 ages 5–18, under 4 free; tables $23
[FAMILY-FRIENDLY] [ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
A relaxed outdoor presentation of Southern and classic rock with unusually affordable youth tickets.6–7:30 p.m. — Will Presley Listen Up Session
Memphis Listening Lab — Crosstown · Price not posted
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY]
Presley previews an EP spanning rock, metal, progressive music and acoustic work, followed by artist conversation.Doors 5:30 p.m.; show 7 p.m. — The Avett Brothers with Drive-By Truckers
Grind City Amphitheater, 76 Waterworks Ave. — Uptown · Current price at checkout
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
The Avetts’ expansive folk-rock and Drive-By Truckers’ sharper Southern-rock storytelling form the week’s most substantial outdoor double bill. Rain or shine.7:30 p.m. — Twelfth Night — closing weekend
Next Stage at Theatre Memphis, 630 Perkins Extended — East Memphis · $15–$62
[CLOSING-WEEKEND] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
Shakespeare’s romantic confusion, mistaken identities and gender play begin their final weekend; the production closes Sunday.Doors 7 p.m.; show 8 p.m. — Keaton Adams with The Eastwoods and Mike Hewlett
Growlers — Midtown · $10 advance/$15 door
[ONE-NIGHT-ONLY] [ADVANCE-TICKET]
A three-act club bill supplies a grassroots alternative to Thursday’s major amphitheater concert.
