MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Forward Momentum, the organizers of the Mempho Music Festival, which recently announced they're holding a music festival in Tom Lee Park in May, announced Wednesday a new BBQ competition will be held at Tom Lee Park - just a week later.
Forward Momentum said the event, which will kick off in May of 2024, is set to attract some of the best BBQ teams in the United States and the world and, with them, thousands of fans to the downtown hotels and restaurants in Memphis.
Forward Momentum said they will increase prize money in major categories "substantially" compared to previous competitions, alluding to Memphis in May's World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest.
"BBQ is part of our Memphis culture and a significant draw for visitors to our city" said Mike Smith, Co-Producer with Forward Momentum. "We are excited to continue this rich tradition with a world-class event on the river that will attract the best teams in the world. Central to the idea is the competition, but there is also an opportunity to make the event more welcoming and engaging for visitors. With our experience in hosting large-scale fan experiences, we believe this will be a winning formula,"
The announcement comes a little more than a month after the same group announced a new music festival at Tom Lee Park in May.
This new yet-to-be-named festival will take place May 3-5, 2024 and is reportedly not a relocation of Forward Momentum's "Mempho Fest" — a separate festival that is typically held in October.
Memphis in May event organizers announced the 2024 Beale Street Music Festival will be paused and will not take place. They attributed this decision to high renovation bills and record-low attendance figures. Memphis in May also announced their World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest would re-locate "indefinitely" to Liberty Park, away from its signature riverfront location.
Although Memphis in May is advertising its event at Liberty Park, the City of Memphis said no such agreement is in place to hold the event there.
"It is with much thought and deliberation that I have decided to join the steering committee as a founding member of this new BBQ festival," Peg Leg Porker Pitmaster Carey Bringle, the winner of numerous BBQ awards over 31 years. "I believe in their vision to bring back the glory of BBQ with the full input of BBQ competitors to create an elevated, immersive experience for fans. I will always cherish the years I competed in the WCBCC, but now, for me and my team, it is time for a fresh start."
The event, still to be named, will take place the week of May 13th, 2024, at Tom Lee Park in downtown Memphis.