Memphis in May. We hear about it all the time, but what is it? From Beale Street Music Festival, which promotes Memphis as a growing and thriving city, to student exchange trips that highlight different countries and cultures, Memphis in May offers a wide variety of opportunities for locals to get involved in their community.

Beale Street Music Festival, located at Tom Lee Park, hosts various artists every year to perform live onstage for thousands of attendees. Front-runners of the festival’s 2018 lineup include Post Malone, Logic and Tyler, the Creator. Different local and national businesses attend the festival as well to advertise their products to visitors.

“This will be my fourth year going to Beale Street Music Fest, and I am most excited to see Post Malone perform this year,” Kate Yelverton (11) said.

The continuation of the festival provides a way for residents of Memphis to come together and enjoy the diverse selection of music each year.

Although Beale Street Music Festival is the most well-known Memphis in May event, the organization also offers an annual high school student exchange. Nine high school students in Memphis were selected to travel to this year’s chosen country, the Czech Republic, in March of 2018.

While they visited castles and went sightseeing in Prague, the students were able to not only appreciate Czech culture but also introduce Memphis’s culture to the Czech students. White Station High School was named the host school in April of 2018. None of the students had ever traveled to the United States, let alone Memphis, before this.

“I love how friendly and welcoming everyone has been in Memphis. It has been a great opportunity for me to meet new friends,” Marketa Nodesova (11), a student at Česko-anglické gymnázium, said.

The students from the Czech Republic enjoyed their ten-day trip to Memphis, touring the National Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, Sun Studios and more.

Other activities sponsored by Memphis in May are the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, 901Fest and the Great American River Run. The month-long festival connects the people of Memphis together and works to strengthen Memphis pride.